The Russian international opened the scoring at 36 minutes. Arshavin struck from the middle of the box after a great pass from Cesc Fabregas – the ball hit the cross bar and went into the net.

But the host, who missed their captain Steven Gerrard, equalized after the break, thanks to a header from Fernando Torres, and then went ahead through Yossi Benayoun.

And it was Arshavin, who brought the Londoners back into the game at 67 minutes. The 28-year-old robbed Alvaro Arbeloa of the ball, and put a powerful drive into Pepe Reina’s far corner, 2-2.

The Russian completed his hat-trick three minutes later. A Liverpool defender, too tired to cope with a cross from Samir Nazri, delivered the ball straight to unmarked Arshavin, who easily made it 3-2.

The Gunners were still celebrating, when Torres got his second goal of the game to level the score once again, 3-all.

Photo by Ivan Kurinnoy

Liverpool pushed for a winner but were caught by a counter-attack at 90 minutes. Arshavin, who was helping his partners on defense, raced into the host’s box and was rewarded with a ball by Theo Walcott, and his shot stunned the Anfield crowd, 4-3.

It seemed the Russian sealed the deal for Arsenal, but Liverpool are known for never giving up. The Reds locked the visitors in the box in stoppage time and Benayoun got the unbelievable equalizer just a few seconds before the final whistle.

And the hero of the game, who never scored four goals in a game before, said he’d prefer his team to win.

"It was a good game, enjoyable for the spectators, but not good for the team," Arshavin told Sky Sports after the game. "We wanted a win, but Liverpool fought hard too. There was a lot of good football."

"It was almost like a game of basketball, but I can't score ninety, just four. Sorry about that," he added.

It was a second 4-all draw for Liverpool in seven days. The same score line saw them crashing out of the Champions League at the hands of Chelsea last Wednesday.

The result means the Reds return to the top of the English Premier league with 71 points, overtaking Man U on goals difference. But the Manchester team has two games in hand, which puts Liverpool’s chances of winning the championship in question.

Arsenal remains in 4th place, which gives a chance to play in the Champions league next season, with 62 points and five games left to play in the season.

"Arshavin can play everywhere, like all the great players. He scored four goals but he was at the end of some good combination play. He has a lot of tricks and a short backlift and that makes him very dangerous," Arsene Wenger Arsenal coach, said to Arsenal World website.

"These four goals show that Andrey is now getting more sure of himself, as he was at Zenit. It means he's confident in his own ability as a great player. And he's taking on more responsibility in the team. This performance shows that he's settled in to life in England. He was always confident when he was playing in Russia. But now he's more at ease. What's more – his teammates respect him now and rely on him. And he feels that," said Sergey Gordeev, Arshavin’s coach at Smena football academy.

Arshavin played his first match for Arsenal in February, and was voted the team’s best player on the BBC website the same day.

Before joining the Gunners for £15 million and moving to London with his wife and son, the striker was the star of St Petersburg team Zenit.

He was voted Russian footballer of the year in 2006.