Revenge

Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool

Just over a week after their 5-1 demolition at Anfield, Arsenal responded with a determined performance to get their revenge and knock Liverpool out of the FA Cup.

The Gunners confidence had been shattered on that fateful day, while Brendan Rodgers’ side came into this game with their tails up, having also beaten Fulham in mid-week, with a last minute penalty, to place themselves right at the heart of the title race. As a result it was no surprise that Arsenal began the match rather tentatively while Liverpool attempted to fly out of the blocks once again.

The fact Wenger had elected to make seven changes to his starting line-up didn’t help matters either as the Gunners began the game rather sluggishly. In fact Liverpool could have been two goals up within the first five minutes, with two clear chances that Daniel Sturridge squandered. The first came as a result of a Steven Gerrard through ball, which caught the Arsenal defence somewhat flat footed and allowed Sturridge to run through on goal, only to be thwarted by a fine save from Fabianski. The second chance saw Sturridge put through once again, this time by a Suarez clipped ball over the top of the Arsenal defence. However although the English striker rounded the goalkeeper, he was only able to hit the side netting from a tight angle.

The Gunners needed to get their act together and fast. Having weathered the early storm, Wenger’s side began to grow into the game and get their passing game going. Up front, Yaya Sanogo, making his first start in an Arsenal shirt, was using his impressive physique to great effect. The Frenchman challenged for every ball and won plenty of aerial battles against Agger and Skrtel, who were constantly pushing him and pulling his shirt. Sanogo was full of running and showed extreme strength to hold the ball up time and time again, allowing his midfield to join in the game. If he is able to maintain such form, the man signed on a free transfer from Auxerre will be an interesting option in the months ahead.

Arsenal were impressively growing into the match and in the 17^th minute took the lead through Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Sanogo was directly involved, outmuscling Skrtel, in the box, to first bring down an Ozil cross before his shot on goal was blocked by Gerrard. The ball fell invitingly for Oxlade-Chamberlain and the Englishman made no mistake, firing the ball past Brad Jones to give the Gunners the lead.  

Suddenly Liverpool’s incisiveness was nowhere to be seen and Arsenal were in fact comfortably keeping them at bay. The side that had cut through the Gunners defence like a hot knife through butter the previous week were now short of ideas. During the remainder of the first half, their only chance on goal came from a Suarez cross shot which was comfortably saved by Fabianski.

In the first few minutes of the second period, the Uruguayan was thwarted again by the Arsenal goalkeeper, as Fabianski this time kept out Suarez’s effort with his feet, in what turned out to be a crucial save. Mere seconds later, the Gunners were two goals up thanks to an excellent flowing move which was classic Arsenal. As Oxlade-Chamberlain raced down the right flank, Ozil picked him out with a perfectly weighted pass, allowing the Englishman to burst past Agger and cut the ball back towards Podolski, whose powerful, low finish flew under Jones’ body and into the net. The manner of his celebration showed just how passionate the German is about this club. It is a real shame that he does not get more playing time as he is easily the best finisher in the team.

Unfortunately, just before the hour mark, Podolski turned from hero to villain as his clumsy challenge from behind, provided Suarez with an opportunity to throw himself to the ground and Howard Webb pointed to the spot. Gerrard made no mistake with the penalty and sent Fabianski the wrong way to reduce the deficit. Having been granted a way back into the game Liverpool now poured forward in search of the second goal. Fabianski was forced to rush off his line to steal the ball from the feet of Sturridge before Liverpool appealed for another penalty. Oxlade-Chamberlain did appear to catch Suarez in the box, but the Uruguayan’s fall was so theatrical that Webb decided to wave play on. Brendan Rodgers bitterly complained about this miscarriage of justice after the game, which was somewhat amusing considering he never grumbles when Liverpool benefit from a Suarez dive.

The Gunners needed to show their resilience, grit and determination to see the game out. All over the pitch they were absolutely magnificent but when your backs are against the wall there is one man who you want on your side above all; Mathieu Flamini. Returning to the starting line-up following his three game suspension,, the French general was outstanding. Flamini just never shirks a challenge and was constantly barking orders to his teammates, organising the defensive line at set pieces and displaying unrivalled commitment and sheer desire for victory. As a result, during the last twenty minutes of the match, Liverpool were restricted to half chances at best and Arsenal were able to see the game out in relative comfort.

The celebrations at the end of the game showed just how much this victory meant to the players. They had managed to exorcise that horrendous display at Anfield and progressed to the next round of the FA Cup. In many ways this result was crucial for the Gunners ambitions for the rest of the season and will have restored their confidence no end. At the post match press conference, Wenger was extremely proud of his team but refused to react to the comments Mourinho had made before the weekend, when he had labelled Wenger a specialist in failure. The Arsenal manager showed his class once again by simply saying he was embarrassed for the man and his club. In a weekend which saw the passing of football legend Sir Tom Finney, it was somewhat poignant to witness the great acclaim the footballing world had for one of the game’s greatest ever players. The fact Sir Tom Finney didn’t win any trophies during his career is irrelevant, his supreme talent and brilliance on the football field were simply indisputable.