Gunners denied

One of the characteristics I have always admired about the Reds’ recent teams is their grittiness and tough-mindedness. This is a team that seems to win more by will than by skill.

This is best illustrated by how their leader, Steven Gerrard, plays the game. Gerrard is not England’s most skilled player but he’s by far the one with the most will to win. He isn’t the flashiest of players either but he has a knack for scoring the most incredible goals at the most opportune of times. In other words, he is as clutch a player as they come.

Besides Gerrard, their best two offensive players are Torres, a truly gifted young Spanish player, and the workmanlike Kuyt, who manages to score some of the least aesthetically pleasing goals you’ll ever see. I’ve always liked Pepe Reina in goal (although he never crack the Spanish team), their defense line is unspectacularly steady, and the midfield led by Alonso and Mascheranno can best be described as combative lot who play the game like a collective Genaro Gatusso.

Liverpool’s style was in recent display in their recent tie against Arsenal in a UEFA Champions’ League quarterfinal. Even though Liverpool is always one of England’s best teams, they don’t have a recent EPL championship to show for it. Their more recent successes have come in the FA Cup (which they won in 2006) and also in the Champions League, where they have made the final 2 out the last 3 years. Arsenal, on the other hand, is at or near the top of the League, and has a host of very promising young players but not have had the Reds’ success in Europe recently.

In the first leg of their quarterfinal affair and first meeting of three meetings in 7 days, Arsenal could only tie while Liverpool managed to get the all important away-goal despite being badly outplayed the entire game, and especially in the second half where Arsenal had a decisive 20-25 percentage lead in possession and Liverpool could do nothing more than the occasional counterattack.

Arsenal has a stable of young studs such as the tall and rangy Adebayor, the sikly smooth and impeccably technical Fabregas, the slippery Hleb, speedy Walcott, and a very steady back line of Toure, Gallas, Eboue, Clichy, Senderos, and William Gallas.. Arsenal dominated this game from top to bottom but could only score one goal.

Arsenal started out flying in this game, putting the Liverpool under fire and constant threat early as Adebayor forced Reina to play defender outside the box, and van Percie’s shot went barely wide. Arsenal then went ahead on a header by Adebayor in the 22nd minute on a beautiful header where he seemed to hang in the air forever.

This early advantage was negated just 2 minutes later by Kuyt, who true to form, barely toe poked a cross from Gerrard and scored a truly ugly goal. The beauty in the play was Gerrard’s double drag fakes that allowed him to blast past two Arsenal defenders down the left side of the box before finding the opportunistic Kuyt.

The rest of the first half was fairly even with Arsenal always looking like the prettier (and therefore superior) team. The Gunners started off the second half flying as well and put the Liverpool goal under heavy duress with a shot by Wolcott, and another shot that forced Liverpool to clear the ball inches from the line.

Arsenal’s big break should have come in the 66th minute, when an incursion into the box forced a Liverpool defender to yank him down by a vicious tug of the arm. As is typical of referees in high profile games, the previously impeccable Dutch referee signaled nothing but a corner kick on the play. This was such an obvious penalty that I felt like Arsenal had been cheated. Denied the penalty, Arsenal still kept the foot on the accelerator but could not crack through. Liverpool could only manage the occasional counter-attack long ball to Torres, who ran himself ragged trying to beat 2 and 3 defenders all night. This proved to be enough to keep the pressure on the Liverpool from being so overwhelming forcing it to crack.

The Reds thus parlayed the classic bend but not break defensive sp rinkled with the opportunistic counter-play perfectly and came away with a very favorable tie going into Anfield. Arsenal proved the be the better team, but as is always the case in football, the better team doesn’t always win.