Throw records out the window. Forget about the injury report. Rivalry games are their own animals and the beast showed up for a good one between Liverpool and Arsenal. This game opened up fast and furious, with the Reds in control of the first quarter hour. Liverpool had the bulk of the possession and looked like the side that crushed Manchester City 4-1 instead of the one that has struggled at times.
Adam Lallana came close to finishing off a good bit of play in the 6th minute, only to clash with a defender that as correctly not called a penalty. Only four minutes later, Liverpool would strike. After bounding around with several cracks following a corner kick, Roberto Firmino finished off a left footer through the wickets of the defender and past a helpless Petr Cech. Unfortunately instead of turning into a one-way affair, it turned into a boxing match straight out of Hollywood.
Arsenal answered in the 14th minute when Aaron Ramsey struck on a play from nothing. Arsenal had had almost no attack at all and then when the ball just slipped through the defenders, Ramsey made Liverpool pay at the near post. The pendulum swung back the other way in the 19th minute.
Firmino, like his Brazilian compatriot Coutinho (who is out injured), after it had bounced around like a hot potato outside the box and spun a brilliant curling shot into the upper 90. It was a fantastic goal and a fantastic finish to a run of play that Liverpool had shown up to that point. Alas, things would turn sour from then on.
In the 25th minute, Arsenal almost equalized but Sakho cleared the initial attempt over the bar only to see an even worse goal go in directly off the ensuing corner kick. Everything went wrong on that corner kick. Simon Mignolet did not react well to the deflection from Olivier Giroud, the defenders watched the ball with little reaction until it was too late and Liverpool had nobody on the near post when one body would have easily stopped the attempt.
Liverpool had a few runs and chances before the end of the half, but could not capitalize and would be made to pay soon after the half. Not even ten minutes into the second frame, Giroud would again strike against shoddy Liverpool defending. With bodies just flailing around and flopping on the ground, the Frenchman had a brilliant first touch and then spun against the grain to strike one past the defenders and behind a helpless Mignolet, who was left no time to react.
Liverpool, again, were not without chances. Jordan Ibe made a good run on the right only to be unrewarded and berated by Benteke, who was in no position to receive a pass due to so many players in between. Then, much like their opponents, Liverpool pulled one from nowhere. Again, taking advantage of failures to clear, Liverpool kept the ball alive. Benteke headed one across the box in stoppage time and the recent sub, Joe Allen, smashed one in off the fingertips of Cech.
The final whistle would go not long after with a 3-3 scoreline as the final of this midweek clash. It was an insane contest. The Liverpool that dominated the game for so long early, deserved much more than what they got. In contrast, the Liverpool that was floundering in the rain and snow while Arsenal consolidated the momentum deserved much worse than this result. Everything taken as a whole, it was a fair result to both squads.
Arsenal will be disappointed because they are now tied on points, instead of in sole possession of the top spot in the table. Liverpool will be disappointed because three points would have drawn them much closer to the top four. Instead, both will be satisfied because they could easily have lost as they could have won. Both will take positives out of this game due to their team's tenacity. Liverpool have another crack at glory as they take on the hated Manchester United on the weekend. Given the two clubs' positions in the table, that contest holds even more importance. For now, they must rest and focus on the things they did right on this night.
Random Thoughts:
- In an effort to not be two-faced, I will not say that this one goal does enough to put Joe Allen in a good light in my eyes. That said, as anyone who follows the club, you celebrate good performances by any player and even if only for one brief moment, Joe Allen was a huge factor.
- As a goalkeeper, I will always side with my fellow union members. I have constantly said that Mignolet is a great shot stopper and unless you can find a keeper who is better at everything - not just better at defending corners - then you don't make a change. That said, Mignolet seems to make a case against me repeatedly. There were several things that could have gone differently on that initial Giroud goal, but Mignolet was not blameless by any stretch.
- On a personal note, it was a fantastic result for me personally. I desperately wanted the win, but given the cloud of doom and feeling of unworthiness over the St. Louis area after the Rams left in the manner they did, it was nice to be distracted for a few hours and see some good football as well. For those that want further insight into my feelings on that matter you can see my YouTube show here: https://youtu.be/kcTno6Ir4qY
- For fans, two points out of six against Arsenal isn't great, but the way each individual game played out it was more than enough. Now, onto the weekend.
Walk On
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