STEVEN HOWARD - Chief sports writer
Published: Today
JUST to rub it in, when it was all over and done with, the Liverpool players came out for a warm-down.
Just minutes after one of the most sensational European games — even by Anfield standards — they were jogging around the touchline as if what had gone before was little more than a stroll in the park.
Steven Gerrard chatted quietly on the run with Fernando Torres as the last few fans drifted away from a stadium that had once again staged a Champions League epic.
Meanwhile, in the Arsenal dressing room, an entire team were ready to slit their wrists.
Enormous credit, though, to Liverpool for the manner in which they refused to accept anything less than outright victory. Huge congratulations to them for writing another glorious chapter in the history of a team that refuses to die.
But your heart bleeds for Arsenal. What a cruel and unfathomable game football can often be.
Just when they appeared to have pulled off one of the most remarkable results in the history of the competition, fate ripped the carpet from under them.
Toure dragged down Babel
And then hit them in the face with a shovel.
With four minutes to go, they were in the semis. Thankfully, we thought, we had been spared another Liverpool-Chelsea war of attrition.
A spell-binding, box-to-box run by sub Theo Walcott, taking the clock back to 1998 and Michael Owen’s dazzling World Cup display against Argentina, had set up Emmanuel Adebayor to make it 2-2 on the night.
And that 84th-minute goal appeared to have put the Gunners through.
Liverpool were on their knees, their fans with them. The whole stadium — bar the 3,000 Arsenal fans going mental at the Anfield Road end — seemed to acknowledge that time and tide had finally caught up with them.
Then Arsenal’s whole world caved in.
The celebrating Gooners hardly had time to take in the enormity of Adebayor’s goal before Liverpool won a penalty when Kolo Toure dragged down Ryan Babel.
Up stepped Steven Gerrard. Bang. All over and done with. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Liverpool then added a fourth as Babel raced away to score in added time.
Arsene Wenger knew his season had finally imploded. Defiant talk 24 hours earlier that his side could still complete a Champions League and Premier League double was exposed as the fanciful talk it always was.
As the whistle went, the brilliant Cesc Fabregas somehow took himself over to applaud the away fans. His team-mates hauled themselves off, blood and sweat now joined by tears.
And as Liverpool’s players made their way off, Anfield broke into sustained applause. Rarely have two teams deserved it more.
Liverpool’s ‘reward’? Another marathon against Chelsea — this time with the pivotal second leg in London.
While Liverpool head in one direction, Arsenal go in another. First stop Old Trafford. Probably a place for a licking rather than to lick your wounds.
And then what? Well, all the old problems are still there.
Starting with Philippe Senderos who was hopelessly out of his depth last night.
He was criminally at fault for Sami Hyypia’s headed goal after Arsenal took a 13th-minute lead through Abou Diaby.
He wasn’t much better in closing down Torres as the striker shot past Manuel Almunia in the 69th minute.
Mind you, we can’t blame him for Adebayor’s astonishing miss five minutes later.
Senderos, though, should have been canned long ago. So a centre-half is on the shopping list. And two in midfield. And a striker.
Three seasons without a trophy. The cheque book has to come out. Wenger has missed out in the past because of his determination not to pay excessive wages or transfer fees.
Well, it’s time to change. Yes, he’s had injuries but they have been made to appear more costly by a slim squad.
Despite all that, his team put in a Herculean effort last night. On second thoughts, perhaps they HAD to put in that effort because of the handicap the manager has had them playing under.
Many Arsenal players should never have ended on the losing side last night. Chief among them was Fabregas, who produced a display of skill, vision and maturity way beyond his 20 years.
If only to preserve this outstanding talent — Wenger has to act.
Published: Today
JUST to rub it in, when it was all over and done with, the Liverpool players came out for a warm-down.
Just minutes after one of the most sensational European games — even by Anfield standards — they were jogging around the touchline as if what had gone before was little more than a stroll in the park.
Steven Gerrard chatted quietly on the run with Fernando Torres as the last few fans drifted away from a stadium that had once again staged a Champions League epic.
Meanwhile, in the Arsenal dressing room, an entire team were ready to slit their wrists.
Enormous credit, though, to Liverpool for the manner in which they refused to accept anything less than outright victory. Huge congratulations to them for writing another glorious chapter in the history of a team that refuses to die.
But your heart bleeds for Arsenal. What a cruel and unfathomable game football can often be.
Just when they appeared to have pulled off one of the most remarkable results in the history of the competition, fate ripped the carpet from under them.
Toure dragged down Babel
And then hit them in the face with a shovel.
With four minutes to go, they were in the semis. Thankfully, we thought, we had been spared another Liverpool-Chelsea war of attrition.
A spell-binding, box-to-box run by sub Theo Walcott, taking the clock back to 1998 and Michael Owen’s dazzling World Cup display against Argentina, had set up Emmanuel Adebayor to make it 2-2 on the night.
And that 84th-minute goal appeared to have put the Gunners through.
Liverpool were on their knees, their fans with them. The whole stadium — bar the 3,000 Arsenal fans going mental at the Anfield Road end — seemed to acknowledge that time and tide had finally caught up with them.
Then Arsenal’s whole world caved in.
The celebrating Gooners hardly had time to take in the enormity of Adebayor’s goal before Liverpool won a penalty when Kolo Toure dragged down Ryan Babel.
Up stepped Steven Gerrard. Bang. All over and done with. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Liverpool then added a fourth as Babel raced away to score in added time.
Arsene Wenger knew his season had finally imploded. Defiant talk 24 hours earlier that his side could still complete a Champions League and Premier League double was exposed as the fanciful talk it always was.
As the whistle went, the brilliant Cesc Fabregas somehow took himself over to applaud the away fans. His team-mates hauled themselves off, blood and sweat now joined by tears.
And as Liverpool’s players made their way off, Anfield broke into sustained applause. Rarely have two teams deserved it more.
Liverpool’s ‘reward’? Another marathon against Chelsea — this time with the pivotal second leg in London.
While Liverpool head in one direction, Arsenal go in another. First stop Old Trafford. Probably a place for a licking rather than to lick your wounds.
And then what? Well, all the old problems are still there.
Starting with Philippe Senderos who was hopelessly out of his depth last night.
He was criminally at fault for Sami Hyypia’s headed goal after Arsenal took a 13th-minute lead through Abou Diaby.
He wasn’t much better in closing down Torres as the striker shot past Manuel Almunia in the 69th minute.
Mind you, we can’t blame him for Adebayor’s astonishing miss five minutes later.
Senderos, though, should have been canned long ago. So a centre-half is on the shopping list. And two in midfield. And a striker.
Three seasons without a trophy. The cheque book has to come out. Wenger has missed out in the past because of his determination not to pay excessive wages or transfer fees.
Well, it’s time to change. Yes, he’s had injuries but they have been made to appear more costly by a slim squad.
Despite all that, his team put in a Herculean effort last night. On second thoughts, perhaps they HAD to put in that effort because of the handicap the manager has had them playing under.
Many Arsenal players should never have ended on the losing side last night. Chief among them was Fabregas, who produced a display of skill, vision and maturity way beyond his 20 years.
If only to preserve this outstanding talent — Wenger has to act.
1 comment:
If you're going to use articles from any newspaper, you should quote it: this is taken from The Sun, and as you rightly quote, by Steven Howard
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