No Premier League player has been sent off more times in all competitions than Granit Xhaka (5) since his first season at Arsenal in 2016-17Liverpool were left frustrated by 10-man Arsenal in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at Anfield.
Granit Xhaka was dismissed after 24 minutes for denying a goalscoring opportunity - the Swiss midfielder catching Diogo Jota with a high challenge on the edge of his penalty area as he attempted to cut out Andrew Robertson's pass.
Trent Alexander-Arnold could not punish Arsenal further from the resulting free-kick, however, and the visitors produced a resolute defensive display to leave on level terms.
Despite coming under intense pressure it was Arsenal who registered the first shot on target 71 minutes into the contest, but a poor first touch by Bukayo Saka allowed Alisson to smother the England international's shot at close range.
Takumi Minamino blazed over the crossbar when faced with an open goal with Liverpool's best chance of the match in the closing stages.
The second leg takes place at Emirates Stadium next Thursday at 19:45 GMT.
The winner will face Chelsea in the final at Wembley at the end of February, after Thomas Tuchel's side completed a 3-0 aggregate victory over Tottenham on Wednesday.
Liverpool miss Salah & Mane as Arsenal hold out
Eight-time EFL Cup winners Liverpool had lost home advantage for the second leg after a Covid outbreak in their squad saw the planned first meeting in north London postponed until 20 January.
A number of those cases turned out to be false positives - though the EFL has said it will not be investigating further - but despite being able to field a strong side the Reds were unable to make the most of their home leg against 10-man opposition.
Both sides have lost key players to the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations but it was the absence of top scorer Mohamed Salah and fellow forward Sadio Mane which proved most noticeable as Liverpool struggled to break Arsenal down.
Minamino flashed a ball across the six-yard box as the hosts pressed for a breakthrough with greater urgency in the second half, but Jurgen Klopp's forward trio that also included Jota and Roberto Firmino could not produce the necessary quality in the final third.
On a challenging night for the visitors, Martin Odegaard missed out following a positive Covid test and Xhaka's dismissal - in addition to Thomas Partey's Afcon participation - has compounded Mikel Arteta's midfield issue ahead of Sunday's north London derby.
Xhaka's undeniable red card saw Rob Holding replace Eddie Nketiah and Alexandre Lacazette subsequently cut a lonely figure in attack as his team-mates worked tirelessly to protect Aaron Ramsdale's goal.
But the Arsenal goalkeeper's only moments of real concern arrived in the final moments, as Minamino struck over after Ramsdale failed to claim the ball - while the excellent Ben White was back to clear Neco Williams' attempt in stoppage time.
Liverpool will feel deeply frustrated that they could not make their numerical advantage count, yet Arteta's side deserve huge credit for a disciplined performance that ensures they have every chance of reaching the final.
Both clubs return to Premier League action on Sunday, as Liverpool host Brentford (14:00 GMT) and Arsenal are at Tottenham (16:30).
Line-ups
Liverpool
Formation 4-3-3
1Alisson
66Alexander-Arnold32Matip4van Dijk26Robertson
14Henderson3Fabinho7Milner
20Jota9Firmino18Minamino
1Alisson66Alexander-ArnoldSubstituted forN Williamsat 76'minutes32MatipSubstituted forGomezat 76'minutes4van Dijk26RobertsonBooked at 57mins14Henderson3FabinhoSubstituted forOxlade-Chamberlainat 75'minutes7MilnerSubstituted forJonesat 61'minutes20Jota9Firmino18MinaminoSubstitutes
5Konaté12Gomez15Oxlade-Chamberlain17Jones21Tsimikas49Gordon62Kelleher76N Williams80MortonArsenal
Formation 4-2-3-1
32Ramsdale
17Cédric Soares4White6Gabriel3Tierney
23Sambi Lokonga34Xhaka
7Saka9Lacazette35Martinelli
30Nketiah
32Ramsdale17Cédric SoaresSubstituted forChambersat 11'minutes4White6GabrielBooked at 72mins3Tierney23Sambi Lokonga34XhakaBooked at 24mins7SakaSubstituted forTavaresat 81'minutes9Lacazette35Martinelli30NketiahSubstituted forHoldingat 28'minutesSubstitutes
1Leno16Holding20Tavares21Chambers22Marí58Biereth65Oulad M'hand82Hutchinson87PatinoLive Text
Match ends, Liverpool 0, Arsenal 0.
Second Half ends, Liverpool 0, Arsenal 0.
Offside, Liverpool. Takumi Minamino tries a through ball, but Roberto Firmino is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Takumi Minamino (Liverpool) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Attempt missed. Neco Williams (Liverpool) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left.
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Calum Chambers.
Attempt saved. Curtis Jones (Liverpool) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Virgil van Dijk.
Attempt missed. Takumi Minamino (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
Attempt blocked. Takumi Minamino (Liverpool) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
Attempt missed. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Curtis Jones.
Substitution, Arsenal. Nuno Tavares replaces Bukayo Saka because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Curtis Jones.
Substitution, Liverpool. Neco Williams replaces Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Substitution, Liverpool. Joseph Gomez replaces Joel Matip.
Substitution, Liverpool. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replaces Fabinho.
Offside, Liverpool. Diogo Jota tries a through ball, but Trent Alexander-Arnold is caught offside.
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Rob Holding.
Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Diogo Jota (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal).
