League Cup: Arsenal earns 0-0 at Liverpool despite Xhaka red
By STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer
Liverpool failed to take advantage of Granit Xhaka’s 24th-minute red card and was held to a 0-0 draw by Arsenal in the first leg of the English League Cup semifinals. Xhaka was shown a straight red card for a chest-high lunge on Diogo Jota. With star forwards Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane at the African Cup of Nations, Liverpool lacked a cutting edge up front against an already-depleted Arsenal team that also lost Cedric Soares and Bukayo Saka to injury during the game. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was looking for a reaction after a humbling elimination by second-tier Nottingham Forest in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday and he got it.