LIVERPOOL, England (AP)

Yossi Benayoun scored deep into injury time yesterday to give Liverpool a dramatic 4-4 draw with Arsenal and keep his team in the Premier League title race.

The draw, which had seemed implausible when Andrei Arshavin scored his fourth goal of the night in the 90th minute, took Liverpool - at least temporarily - back to the top of the Premier League on goal difference. Second-place Manchester United plays the first of their two games in hand today against Portsmouth.

double scorers

Fernando Torres and Benayoun each scored twice as Liverpool played out a second straight 4-4 draw, replicating last week's match at Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-finals.

With Arsenal in fourth place - the final Champions League qualifying spot - and much attention focused on next week's semi-final match against Manchester United, manager Arsene Wenger fielded a depleted side at Anfield. In-form winger Theo Walcott, who had scored in his last three games, was dropped in five changes from Saturday's FA Cup semi-final loss to Chelsea.

Arsenal took the lead when Javier Mascherano lost the ball on the edge of the penalty area and Samir Nasri took control and passed to Cesc Fabregas, who provided the cross that Arshavin sent into the net off the underside of the crossbar.

equaliser

Three minutes into the second half, Torres equalised. Bacary Sagna's clearance was poor and Dirk Kuyt was able to cross from the right for Torres to head home.

Benayoun, Liverpool's most dangerous player, then put his team in front in the 56th, with Kuyt exploiting poor defending to provide the Israeli with a far-post header.

The lead only lasted nine minutes when Arshavin struck again, stealing the ball off Alvaro Arbeloa and curling it beyond the reach of the diving Pepe Reina.

Three minutes later, Arshavin had a hat-trick and Arsenal was back in control.

Liverpool, however, came back again as Torres controlled Albert Riera's cross and beat Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.

Arsenal never gave up their resolve and Arshavin looked to have slotted in an injury time winner before Benayoun found himself in space to equalise yet again.