Wenger sunk by Red tide: Late strikes hits Arsenal dream of Euro glory

Beaten by the brilliance of Fernando Torres, a Steven Gerrard penalty, and a last-gasp clincher by substitute Ryan Babel, Wenger's confidence in his team but more crucially in Philippe Senderos was misplaced.

Semi-final bound: Liverpool players celebrate after Torres' stunning goal

It is Liverpool and not Arsenal who continue their march towards Moscow, with a third semi-final in four years against Chelsea after another enchanted European night at Anfield.

This was every bit as dramatic as those that have come before under the remarkable reign of Rafa Benitez.

There was the mistake from Pepe Reina that enabled Abou Diaby to send Arsenal into an unexpected lead. The defiant response from Sami Hyppia with a terrific 30thminute header. And then the genius of Torres, turning on his left foot to send a superb right-foot shot beyond the reach of Manuel Almunia in the 69th minute. Were it not for Cristiano Ronaldo, he would be this season's Footballer of the Year.

An Arsenal revival seemed on the cards when substitute Theo Walcott's brilliant run set up Emmanuel Adebayor, only for Gerrard to shoot Liverpool through from the spot after a foul on Babel, who sealed the win when he broke through a shattered Arsenal defence.

However, Liverpool owed much to the ineptitude of Senderos. First he let Hyypia escape his clutches as the two moved to meet a Gerrard corner, then he stood too far off Torres to prevent the Spaniard from demonstrating what he does best.

For Benitez, this amounted to yet further evidence as to why he should remain Liverpool's manager beyond the end of this season. Last night he made a brave tactical reshuffle, and it produced precisely the result he wanted.

Spot on: Gerrard fires home from the spot

Liverpool's back four came under the greater pressure in a furious first five minutes that suggested Arsenal arrived with fresher legs than perhaps anticipated. Adebayor looked particularly sharp, even if he was twice caught offside.

Liverpool might have been a little slower to get into their stride but not much. A swift move that was sparked by Peter Crouch and continued by Torres only broke down because of a fine challenge on Gerrard by Mathieu Flamini.

Flamini was involved in Arsenal's opening 13th-minute goal and Liverpool will no doubt point to what they thought was an infringement by the Frenchman.

But if he did handle the ball, there remained much work to be done — another three or four passes — before Diaby beat Reina at the Liverpool goalkeeper's near post.

It was a terrible piece of goalkeeping, and not unusual for a Spaniard who also endured something of a nightmare at Old Trafford recently.

For Arsenal, it amounted to the perfect start, because not only did they have the lead but they had now wiped out the away goal advantage that Liverpool left the Emirates Stadium with last week.

Diaby pounced from Arsenal's right flank but he was also proving quite a handful on the left, where Wenger had in fact intended him to play. A surging run that took him past two Liverpool players ended with a teasing cross that Reina only just punched away from a rapidly advancing Adebayor.

The Kop were stunned into silence and it took some time for the volume to return to the levels it so often reaches on these magical European nights. It was the sight of Dirk Kuyt collapsing under a challenge from William Gallas in the area that reignited the enthusiasm of Liverpool's fans. The penalty was not given, and quite rightly so, but it reminded them that their team very much remained in this tie.

So, for that matter, did a Fabio Aurelio cross that forced Arsenal to concede a corner and so present Hyypia with the opportunity to score his 30th-minute equaliser.

Wenger will not be pleased with Senderos's failure to track the big Finn as Gerrard's ball floated towards the far side of the Arsenal penalty area but the 34-year-old's header remained a fine one, beating both Toure on the line and Manuel Almunia via the inside of a post.

It was just the adrenaline shot that Liverpool needed. Now they were attacking with more urgency, passing with more confidence, performing with more passion. Gerrard simply exploded into life, sprinting off the left flank before unleashing a vicious shot that drifted wide but served as a timely warning.

The sight of Flamini leaving the field on a stretcher enhanced Liverpool's chances, even if Gilberto amounted to a more than adequate replacement.

Liverpool were enjoying more than 60 per cent of the possession and after the break they were also creating the majority of the chances. Crouch tested Almunia with a right-foot strike before threatening again with an ambitious flick.

If the football wasn't always pleasing to the eye, it was a hugely enthralling contest. Challenges were made with frightening ferocity. But there was a beauty in the goals that came from Torres and Adebayor — and drama from the nerveless Gerrard penalty and Babel's clinical finish.