In advance of our Carling Cup game with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday evening, YNWA looks at our previous meetings in the League Cup. This is the tenth time we have been drawn against each other, making the Gunners our most frequent opponents in this competition. We have won five, drawn four and lost four of the thirteen matches to date.

Reaching Wembley
Goals from Kenny Dalglish and Ray Kennedy gave us a 2-1 Semi-final first leg win at Anfield in February 1978, the first of 85 consecutive home games without defeat. A goalless draw at Highbury a week later took us through to our first Final in this competition. However, we lost out to Nottingham Forest, after a replay.

Heading towards the twin towers
Ray Kennedy played his 342nd and final domestic reds game in December 1981, as we won a Fourth Round replay 3-0 at Anfield, after a goalless game at Highbury the week before when Kennedy had been sent off in the first half for two bookable offences. All three goals came in extra time with substitute Craig Johnston bagging his first reds goal on his 21st birthday. Fellow birthday boy Terry McDermott then converted a penalty, with Kenny Dalglish also on target. That season brought our second League Cup triumph.

An Ian Rush strike handed us a 1-0 Coca-Cola Cup win at Anfield in January 1995. We went on to claim the trophy for the fifth time that season.

Final disappointment
A legendary goal streak was broken at Wembley in April 1987. Ian Rush opened the scoring in our Littlewoods Cup Final against the Gunners. Unfortunately, Charlie Nicholas struck twice to take the trophy to Highbury. This was the 145th match in which Ian Rush had scored, but the first of those that we lost.

Most recently
We were beaten 6-3 at Anfield in a rearranged Fifth Round meeting in January 2007, the first time we had conceded half a dozen at home since April 1930. Julio Baptista scored four goals and had a penalty saved by Jerzy Dudek. Luis García came on as a substitute and was later himself replaced, in what was to be his 121st and final reds game. Stephen Warnock played his 67th and last reds match, while Robbie Fowler scored his final goal for us from open play, with Steven Gerrard and Sami Hyypiä also on target. Gerrard's strike was our 400th in the competition.

First meeting
We lost 2-1 in North London in a Fourth Round fixture in October 1968, with Chris Lawler grabbing our consolation.

Other encounters
We won a Fourth Round tie 4-2 at Anfield in November 1996, with goals from Steve McManaman, Patrik Berger and a Robbie Fowler brace that included a penalty. Ian Wright grabbed both of the Gunners' goals from the spot, while they also had Steve Bould dismissed.

We won 2-1 in November 1988 in the second replay of our Third Round tie at Villa Park, with Steve McMahon and substitute John Aldridge both netting. However, we went out to West Ham United at the next hurdle. John Barnes had been on target in the first drawn game at Anfield, with the first replay in London ending goalless. We lost a Third Round tie 1-0 at Highbury in October 1989, as they beat us in this competition for the second time in four seasons.