Reaction and analysis
Andy Hunter's match report
Mikel Arteta: “We never gave up – it’s only the first leg, but they deserve a lot of credit. We played the game we had to play, which is not our [usual] game.” On the switch to a back three, he says “it’s not about the formation, it’s about the attitude,” but that it was the best option with the players available.
Arteta praises “the attitude the players showed, the quality and the decision-making.” As for the second leg, he says “I’m expecting our fans are going to create an even better atmosphere than we saw today.”
Some post-match thoughts from the official man of the match – Arsenal’s Ben White. “It’s hard enough to come here with 11 men ... against a team like Liverpool, it’s tough, you have to concentrate the whole game – we had a bit of luck, and I think the result was well-deserved. It’s nice to defend like that, and keep a clean sheet.” He’s asked if he’s tired after that. “Yeah, that was terrible!”
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Ben White reacts
“There’s so much fight in this team and it showed today. We dug deep and got the result we needed ... It’s not easy to play like that, especially against a team like Liverpool ... It was tough, you have to concentrate all game. It’s nice to defend like that asa as defender and keep a clean sheet. “
Full-time: Liverpool 0-0 Arsenal
Everything will be decided next week at the Emirates but Arsenal will start the second leg in high spirits after a draw at Anfield that could almost be described as a triumph. They played with 10 men for nearly 70 minutes and restricted Liverpool to very few chances thanks t o characteristics that they are often accused of lacking, such as discipline and guts. Liverpool, meanwhile, badly lacked sharpness.
90+4 min: Ramsdale gets lost under another cross, this time a high one from the left. Under pressure from Van Dijk he punches weakly to Williams, who sends in a swerving low cross/shot from the right-hand side of the box. Gabriel boot it away from right in front of his goal!
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90+3 min: It’s all hands on deck - to be precise, in the box - from Arsenal as they try to fend off a late storm from Liverpool...
90+1 min: Williams sends over another excellent cross - that’s at least three from him since his introduction - but no one from Liverpool gets on the end of it.
90 min: What a miss! Ramsdale bungles an attempt to cut out a cross from the right, leaving the goal gaping for Minamino, who slashes over the bar from six yards!
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89 min: Arsenal fans are serenading their team lustily, trying to help them to what would be something close to a glorious 0-0 draw...
88 min: Fine, teasing cross from the right by Williams! But Arsenal scramble it away.
85 min: Jones clips a cross from the left into the danger zone. Gabriel jumps to head it clear ... but misses it! Jota is taken by surprise and the ball bounces off his head to safety: if he’d had time to react he could have nodded it goalwards from seven yards!
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84 min: Williams jinks to the byline and chips over a cross. Ramsdale catches it easily and then flops to the ground to waste a few seconds, a habit that keepers always get away with for some reason.
82 min: Another wild shot from distance by Liverpool, this time by Oxlade-Chamberlain. They seems all out of ideas.
80 min: Arsenal substitution: Tavares on, Saka off.
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80 min: Jones raids in from the left wing, then cuts the ball back to Henderson, who slashes a shot high and wide from 25 yards.
78 min: Saka takes a swig of water and he’s back on the pitch...
77 min: This is a worry for Arsenal: Saka is limping off. It’s not clear whether it’s for temporary treatment or he needs to be replaced.
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75 min: Liverpool substitutions: Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gomez and Williams on; Fabinho, Matip and Alexander-Arnold off.
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72 min: Arsenal counter. Tierney races down the left, looks up and sees Saka in the middle, in plenty of space between Van Dijk and Robertson. Tierney picks him out! Saka takes a touch to get the ball under control ... and Alisson is quick off his line, getting the ball away before Saka can shoot.
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70 min: Another patient buildup by Liverpool. Minamino pings a low pass from the left to Henderson at the edge of the box. The captain tries to lay the ball back to Alexander-Arnold but puts too much air on the pass, leaving alexander-Arnold to try an flexibility-challenging volley from way out. He swishes at it uselessly.
68 min: A lovely flick by Jones to Robertson, who spots Minamino’s run into the box and slips the perfect ball through to him. From the left-hanf side of the box Minamino fires off a low shot on the run ... but it’s several yards off target.
66 min: Yet another piece of slack play by Alexander-Arnold, who’s had a strangely sloppy game today. That time he donked the ball straight to Lacazette as Liverpool tried to play through Arsenal in the final third again.
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64 min: Jota tries to zoom past White down the left. But the defender is wise to him and steps in to take the ball.
62 min: “Enough of this short passing faffing about, trying to unlock a tightly packed Arsenal defence,” fumes Peter Oh. “It’s time for someone to have a pop from distance! Let Fabinho have a spank. Have Trent rocket one in. Give Robbo permission to let fly. Someone, anyone, please step up!” What’s needed at this point is some Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain action.
61 min: Liverpool substitution: Jones on, Milner off. That should give the hosts more creativity.
60 min: After more intricate passing by Liverpool outside the Arsenal box, Minamino goes for a goal from 20 yards, but Gabriel charges down his shot.
58 min: Ramsdale books a long kick forward. Saka takes it down brilliantly on the right and then tries to twist past Robertson, who pulls him back. That’s a yellow card to Robertson, and a freekick in a useful crossing position for Arsenal. Alisson punches the in-swinging freekick away.
55 min: Another bout of Liverpool probing just outside the Arsenal box. But they can’t get into it, trying to thread their way precisely through the middle. And when Henderson decides to fling over a cross from the right, White rises high to head clear.
53 min: Arteta applauds from the sidelines: his team continue not just to hold Liverpool at bay but also to carry a threat through fast, nifty counters.
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50 min: A rare mistake by Van Dijk allows Lacazette to finagle a pass through to Saka just outside the area. Matip comes across to try to save the day, Saka attempts to fake his way past him at the right-hand side of the area but Matip isn’t fooled and then blocks his rather desperate shot.
49 min: A low cross by Henderson is deviated out to Matip, who decides to have a pop from 30 yards. I’ll let you know when the ball comes back down to Earth...
47 min: Minamino wins possession in his own half and then storms down the left wing, gaining 50 yards before chipping over a cross that nearly lands in the far corner of the net! Ramsdale tried to paw it away but couldn’t get to it and is grateful to see it drop wide.
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46 min: Liverpool kick off the second half and immediately force Arsenal into retreat.
“I really feel that Saka is the outstanding player on the pitch,” writes Dean Kinsella. “Despite his team’s numerical disadvantage he looks the most likely to create or score a goal. I can only imagine what he could achieve in a good tight passing team, plus he’s already so strong for a young feller - very difficult to muscle him off the ball.”
Half-time: Liverpool 0-0 Arsenal
Arteta can be pretty satisfied with that half. His team have done well to restrict Liverpool to only a few half-openings despite being reduced to 10 men because of Xhaka’s red card (which was a little unlucky, by the way, not another act of oafishness: he had to make an effort to cut out the ball). And they’ve hinted at danger on the break, so it’s not out of the question that they could nick a win her. Liverpool, meanwhile, haven’t shown enough ingenuity: yes, they’re missing Salah and Mane (and Thiago).
44 min: Arsenal are defending well. Liverpool are dominating possession but finding it hard to pick a way through them. They could have done with Thiago Alcantara here.
41 min: Arsenal break. Lacazette feeds Saka on the right. The youngster drives in-field and sends a crafty curling ball into the danger area. Matip, a bit disoriented, whacks it out for a corner.
40 min: Gabriel heads a cross by Robertson away from in front of his own goal as Liverpool crank up the pressure.
38 min: Robertson drives into the box and tucks a nice pass through to Minamino, whose low ball across the face is blocked behind by Holding. Alexander-Arnold’s corner results in another lame delivery, which is cleared at the near post.
35 min: Matip strides forward and plays a one-two with Firmino at the edge of the area ... but Gabriel steps in to put an end to that fun.
34 min: Alexander-Arnold wildly overhits a cross. He’s had his sights misaligned so far today.
32 min: Arsenal have gone to a back five, with Holding joining White and Gabriel in central defence. Lacazette is on his lonesome up front. In theory, that is. In reality, he is spending most of his time in his own half defending as Liverpool try to exploit their numerical advantage.
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30 min: Holding’s first touch is a shank over the bar from the penalty spot, giving Liverpool a corner. It comes to nothing. “The red card was shame,” sniffs Charles Antaki. “They’d been doing pretty well - certainly a huge improvement over Forest. But once again it’s Chronicle of a Xhaka Foretold, episode 1098.”
28 min: Arsenal substitution: Holding on, Nketiah off. Arteta consoles the young striker on the sidelines, presumably explaining he had little choice by to sacrifice a forward.
26 min: Alexander-Arnold curls the freekick into the wall. The ball rebounds to him and he slashes it way wide. Meanwhile, Arteta is mulling over a reshuffle to help his 10 men stay level ...
RED CARD!
You’ll never guess who got it? Yes, it’s Granit Xhaka. Robertson sent a long pass pver the top for Jota. Xhaka, backtracking furiously, stretched out a leg to try to cut it out but he missed the ball and caught Jota in the chest, bringing him down at the edge of the box. It looked like an honest attempt for the ball but there’s no doubt it was a foul and a goalscoring chance. Off he goes again!
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22 min: After a slack pass in midfield by Milner, Nketiah releases Saka. He scoots down the right and sends in a cross that momentarily causes trouble in the Liverpool area before Alisson wellies clear.
19 min: Henderson gives the ball away in midfield. The ball breaks to Lacazette, who tries to catch Alisson out with a surprise-shot from 35 yards. It’s not a bad idea but the execution is lacking, as the ball sails wide.
17 min: Nice interplay between Xhaka and Tierney on the left. The Scot then hurtles past Alexander-Arnold and clips in a good cross. Van Dijk steps in to head the ball away.
14 min: Two chances in a minute for Liverpool! First, Minamino curled in an inviting low cross from the left. Firmino seemed certain to turn it goalward from close range until White lunged in to poke the ball off his foot! Moments later Robertson dodged his way into the area and let fly with his right foot from 16 yards, but Saka deflected the shot behind for a corner.
12 min: Panic in the Arsenal box as Henderson charges down an attempted clearing kick by Ramsdale! Henderson chases after it and retrieves it at the byline but the keeper manages to beat it out for a corner.
11 min: Arsenal substitution: Chambers on, Cedric off.
10 min: Cedric is down in need of treatment, for the second time already. He seems to have a problem with his left knee. Chambers is warming up ... no reprieve just yet for Nuno Tavares then.
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8 min: Arsenal are pressing very energetically, refusing to let Liverpool play their way out comfortably.
7 min: Sweeping attack by Liverpool. Henderson lays the ball out to Robertson, who spoons a tasty cross towards the near post. Firmino tries to glance it into the net but fails to make telling contact, leaving Ramsdale to gather without fuss.
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6 min: Gabriel needlessly concedes a corner, but White nuts the-incoming delivery away.
5 min: There’s a racing tempo to this game so far and plenty of attacking intent from both sides. Good!
3 min: Van Dijk sweeps a diagonal ball wide to AlexanderArnold, who nudges it first-time past Tierney and gives chase. The left-back recovers to put the ball behind for a corner before Alexander-Arnold can collect it. The corner is cleared at the bear post.
2 min: Arsenal’s positive start continues with Tierney hoiking over a useful cross from the right. Nketiah leaps to try to stop Alisson from clutching it ... and he fouls the keeper.
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1 min: Arsenal get this show on the road, Lacazette sending the kickoff all the way back to Ramsdale, who boots the ball downfield. Arsenal win a throw-in by the right-hand corner flag.
Arsenal emerge from the tunnel to boos, followed by Liverpool, whose greeting is warm and loud.
After confirming that Emile Smith Rowe is also injured, Arteta explains his selection for today: “These are the players we have and we have to compete in the best possible way.”
Jurgen Klopp guffaws loudly when the TV interviewer suggest to him that he has picked a team aiming to settle the tie in the first leg: “We know best that you cannot win the tie in the home game alone.” He also suggests he named the strongest available side because “semi-finals are not the time” to experiment.
“I fear this is the moment one of Arsenal’s young whippersnappers emulates a certain young Russian whippersnapper and puts four in our onion-bag only to do nothing much else ever after,” howls Ian Copestake, offering nothing other than a painful memory for that prediction. Saka and Martinelli are too good to be Arshavins, and Nketiah probably isn’t good enough.
“One thing I don’t understand is why Arsenal have let Ainsley Maitland-Niles go on loan to Roma just when Afcon deprives them of Partey and Elneny in midfield,” quibbles Michael Duggan. “The bench today looks very weak – surely AMN would have got game time.” Better for him to go play regularly than stick around in the hope of nabbing a few minutes over a few weeks.
Teams
Behold today’s cast. Looks like Klopp views today as an opportunity he doesn’t want to let slip: he’s sent out his strongest available side. Arteta probably has too, with Martin Odegaard (Covid) and Sead Kolasinac (hamstring) joining their list of absentees.
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson, Milner; Minamino, Firmino, Jota
Subs: Kelleher, Konaté, Gomez, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Tsimikas, Jones, Gordon, Williams, Morton
Arsenal: Ramsdale; Cedric, White, Gabriel, Tierney; Lokonga, Xhaka; Martinelli, Lacazette, Saka; Nketiah
Subs: Leno, Holding, Mari, Chambers, Tavares, Patino, Salah-Eddine, Hutchinson, Biereth
Referee: M Oliver
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to the first leg of the tie to decide who will face Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final at the end of February. For the first time since 2016, the trophy will be lifted by a team not from Manchester, and you can be sure that both Jürgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta want it to be their chaps. But how badly do they want it? We’ll soon find out.
If this match had taken place last week as originally scheduled before being postponed because of false positive covid tests among the Liverpool squad, then Mikel Arteta’s approach to it might have been easier to predict. But now the Arsenal manager finds himself wondering how much he can risk putting into this game. On one hand, the match has assumed greater importance because of last weekend’s elimination from the FA Cup, which leaves this thing as the only silverware Arsenal can win this season; on the other hand, they face Spurs on Sunday with north London pride on the line as well as points that could prove crucial in the race for the Premier League’s top four (and reaching that, according to late-era Arsène Wenger, is as good as winning a trophy). Considering that, and the uncertain fitness levels of players, it’s a tricky business trying to predict how Arsenal will line up today.
There’s uncertainty around Liverpool’s lineup too. We know they are shorn of their three best attacking players, with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané at the Africa Cup of Nations and Divock Origi injured (don’t bother writing in). But Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino is available again, as are Virigl Van Dijk and Allison at the other end. Andy Robertson may be, too. So Liverpool can be expected to try to tear into Arsenal and rack up a first-leg lead that Arteta’s team won’t be able to overturn a the Emirates. Whoever the managers pick, we can expect the teams to compete like billy-o today. So let’s just sit back and enjoy. Here we go.
