Liverpool FC Forum

[HacksawJimDuggin]

I must admit to being a little worried when I saw the line up. There was also an element of understanding as to what Rafa was doing as Crouch had done so well at the weekend. I wouldn't play Gerrard on the lefy again though (although as the game went on he played more in the middle).

Arsenal started far better than us and a better side would have capitalised. The mistake by Senderos and superb header by Sami was, for me, the turning point. From then on we were on top and bossed the game.

For me it was fitness and determination that won the day (plus the odd bit of class from Torres and Babel of course). I read the SSN stats this morning and the one that stood out for me was the distance covered stat. We had 4 of the top 5 for distance covered last night in Gerrard, Carragher, Kuyt and (I think) Mascherano and that tells a story. In the 2nd half apart from Walcotts superb piece of play we were well on top.

[stmichael]

as good a footballing side as arsenal are they don't have any leaders on the pitch and that's the difference in these big european games. where as we have gerrard, carragher, hyypia and even alonso who can lead from the front, arsenal don't have anyone in this ilk. gallas is an embarassment of a captain after his show of petulance at birmingham the other week.

[Thingy]

For me Kuyt had his best game in a Liverpool shirt last night, but I still think hes no where near Liverpool standard. No way am I Kuyt bashing, im just saying people may change there minds on him because of a few good performances, when the truth his hes not good enough. " He works his socks off" " Never stops running" When Gerrard and Alonso both ran more than he did, why arent they getting that praise? Im not sayin this being a depressing fan and doom mongrer, im saying it so people dont think he can be first choice next season, cos if he is, well I pity us.

[Ace Ventura]

I've said this in another thread but i think the formation change was down to rafa assuming that Arsenal would also play two strikers so he didnt envisage we would be getting overran in midfield.
One thing that did surprise me is that Rafa didnt swap Gerrard and Kuyt around during the game at all, i would of fancied Gerrard going at Clichy alot more than Toure, and if we wanted to ping any diagonal balls to the right he would easily of won every header.

[kunilson]

Fantastic night. Had to watch it in a pub full of gooners so heard all the usual bollox during the game........so glad we beat that "total football" team cos im sick of hearing that, short memory or what eh?

But the boys done well last night, never put their heads down and were constantly trying to pressure the arsenal players.....apart from the first 20 or so minutes and a period just before the Torres goal in the 2nd half i think we were on top in the game and im glad we were going for that extra goal constantly........great night. bring on chelsea

[Seano Kop]

For me Kuyt had his best game in a Liverpool shirt last night, but I still think hes no where near Liverpool standard. No way am I Kuyt bashing, im just saying people may change there minds on him because of a few good performances, when the truth his hes not good enough. " He works his socks off" " Never stops running" When Gerrard and Alonso both ran more than he did, why arent they getting that praise? Im not sayin this being a depressing fan and doom mongrer, im saying it so people dont think he can be first choice next season, cos if he is, well I pity us.

His last 2 months have been grouse. It's not just 'a couple of good games'.

He's been working on his game, and now he's delivering for us. Why not stay as a first choicer?

[Toffeehater]

Liverpool Highlights vs Arsenal 4-2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_tQ62WLVCc

cheers lad

[Bad Bob]

I'm not even remotely surprised that Wenger's thrown his toys out of the pram regarding the penalty decisions and that some in the press have followed suit.  What makes me laugh, though, is that, suddenly, the Lucas-Fabregas tussle on Saturday has become a 2nd 'stonewall' penalty that Arsenal were denied.  Here's an excerpt from a football365 article today:

"Twice in a week Arsenal were wrongly denied penalties at home - penalties that were obvious to all but the men who mattered. And then Liverpool were awarded a penalty of their own.

So much for Wenger being calm in post-match interviews. "I think that's a good present...It was a great gift," he said. "Disgusting," he added, before attempting to blur what exactly he thought had been disgusting.

The contact at Anfield was not a grab, in the manner of Dirk Kuyt or Lucas Leiva at the Emirates. But unfortunately for Wenger, Kolo Toure buffeted Ryan Babel from behind, in no position to play the ball, and Gerrard was able to help himself from the spot. A third wrong doesn't make a right.

On Saturday the challenge by Lucas on Cesc Fabregas was late enough that a converted penalty would surely have been decisive. But across the Champions League tie as a whole, an incident with around two hours left to play was not decisive - we do not know how either side would have reacted to a 2-1 home advantage."

-----

Funnily enough, I don't recall Philip Cornwall or many other pundits make much of the Lucas/Fabregas incident on Monday?  Yet now it's a penalty that was "obvious to all but the man that mattered"?  A little revisionist history, methinks.

LINK To FULL ARTICLE

[Sabre]

See if I care. Arsenal will be like Spain in summer, hearing all the time that they play great football but wondering why they're out of the competition always. Oh, we also do the bitter ref thingy from here aswell.

Let them have the great football praises, I know how they must feel right now and I know how sweet it tastes to be in the next round

[Seano Kop]

Wenger needs to grow up too.

The better team won.

[metalhead]

Wenger needs to grow up too.

The better team won.

[Igor Zidane]

Feck me i was p!ssed last night, who was that splat nobby anyway.

I thought the match was a cracker, it had everthing.
Didn't like gerrard on the left ,but it all worked out in the end didn't it.
The defense was great again ,and what about carra bombing forward all the time . Skrtel and Hyypia were great again and aurelio done well .
The midfield were overrun for the first half hour or so ,but they got to grips with them in the end. Once Flamini went off it seemed to give alonso alot more space,and he played much better because of it.

I thought crouch and torres done ok as apartnership but it doesn't really seem to work for me.

It was defo a pen and stevie stuck it away with aplomb,good lad.
Walcotts run and set up for adebayor was amazing , should have been put on his @rse though .

What can you say about torres's finish ,world class that's all .
Babel done very well when he came on , very direct and very well taken goal.

All in all another amazing night for the mighty reds in europe.

[god_bless_john_houlding]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

says it all really.

Carra - man of the match of for me. up and down that line reminded me of Phil Neal. Great play.

Hyypia - what a bullet header just to prove man marking is no better than zonal laugh: his defensive duties were spot on as well.

 

How other fans must watch the emotions of our games and be green with envy . Thats what football is all about, heart racing, Gut wrenching, pumping adrenalin, and then feeling done in at the end and were only watching. But theyll never get to experiance it , 

Im still taking up bowls next season though me heart cant take no more of this,

dont know how to tell you this nanny, but Liverpool have just made a bowls team 

nah spot on there though love, no other fans in the world can come close to ours in terms of love and passion for their club. I'm waiting for the second leg against Chelsea when Glenn Hoddle and Ray Wilkins or Andy Townsend depending on which station has it to say "on a european night, the atmoshphere here at Stamford Bridge is second to none. The crowd will see Cheslea home"     

I want us to win so much though, so Phil Thompson can pick Ray Wilkins up and kick the outta him. I hate that garden gnome little . Always had it in for us.

What are the odds on Hicks and Gillett turning up at Stamford Bridge but not Anfield? I'd say pretty good.

[woof woof !]

A great game , must admit when the got their 2nd goal with just minutes left to play I thought we'd blown it, jumped out of my chair and started nutting the wall , moaning "no no no no no noooooooooo" . Only Babel earning the pen saved me from doing myself some serious injury

[Igor Zidane]

A great game , must admit when the got their 2nd goal with just minutes left to play I thought we'd blown it, jumped out of my chair and started nutting the wall , moaning "no no no no no noooooooooo" . Only Babel earning the pen saved me from doing myself some serious injury

and at that point the wife say's "it's only a friggin game"