Rafael Benitez accused referee Steve Bennett of sending off Xabi Alonso yesterday for a foul he had not witnessed at Highbury.

Alonso had already been booked for a studs-up challenge on Cesc Fabregas on 77 minutes when, four minutes later, he went through Mathieu Flamini and was given a second yellow.

The midfielder had appeared to be attempting to pull out of the challenge, which Benitez suggested provided sufficient doubt for him not to be booked for a second time.

"It was clear; Xabi slipped over," said Benitez, who claimed that the crowd's reaction might have influenced the decision. "The referee was watching the other side and after, it was a yellow card. Xabi slipped over, the referee continues the game and then he gives the yellow.

"I can't understand it. The linesman had his flag down. We watched the replay - maybe they (the officials) talked with telepathy. Maybe the crowd has telepathy also with the referee. In the second half we were going forward until the referee decided to send off Xabi; it is the turning point of the game."

That much is clear. Two minutes after Alonso's departure, Thierry Henry scored Arsenal's winner. With echoes of Steven Gerrard's Euro 2004 error from which Henry won a penalty for France, the Liverpool captain played it into the path of the Arsenal striker. Henry had only to round Jose Reina to score the winner.

"It was a difficult situation for Gerrard," said Benitez. "He was watching some players and it was difficult. Maybe if you are drawing and you have 10 players you can clear the ball. In this case he decided to play the ball because for him it was an easy pass. I don't like to talk about individuals if they play really well; if they play well it is because behind them they have a team. In this case it's normal, don't talk about a mistake. He knows he's made a mistake but he has scored 18 goals and you need to put that in the balance."

Arsenal have now drawn to within two points of Spurs and fourth place. "It was one on one and it is those opportunities that I usually score from," Henry said. "I smelt it: it was not just the second time I have scored a goal like that."

Arsene Wenger suggested the goal would have been unlikely if Liverpool still had 11 players. Their 75th minute leveller had depressed the home team.

"They had 10 men and they seemed to be scared to lose the game; that's why Gerrard played that pass because he could have played it forward," said Wenger. "When Liverpool had equalised I felt scared we could lose it because we had had a mental blow; we have dropped points like that this year. But this team is slowly discovering its potential and I feel it is improving its belief and confidence. I feel overall we deserved to win the game. I think we can catch Liverpool. If we won this game, we can do it." "

Guardian Service