Arsenal 0 Liverpool 2
It’s no Partey for Arsenal as a Diogo Jota double fires Liverpool to Wembley
It’s no Partey for Arsenal as a Diogo Jota double fires Liverpool to Wembley
During today’s meeting of the football brain’s trust at my local convenience store predictions were split as to the final score in tonight’s encounter. John plumped for a 2–1 win in favour of the London hosts Arsenal and Bobby followed his Red hearted loyalty to Liverpool and predicted a 2–1 win for his team. This left me in somewhat of a perfect position as I figured (and predicted) that tonight’s game would be a tense and tight Semi-Final Second Leg and I couldn’t foresee too many goals. I therefore bid my footballing pals a cheery farewell with a 1–0 prediction to the Mighty Reds of Liverpool and hoped a rare prediction of mine actually, and finally, came true.
I’ve always loved this particular English cup competition because firstly I was always enchanted by that beautiful 3 handled trophy and secondly because my formative years as a very young Liverpool fan saw the Reds win this particular competition four years in succession. They dominated this much derided secondary cup competition between 1981 and 1984 winning that beautiful trophy in cup final replays over West Ham and Everton and at Wembley at the first time of asking versus Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. I was too young for these finals but I watched in horror as Charlie Nicholas won the League Cup for tonight’s opponents Arsenal in 1987 with a scruffy Wembley goal, breaking both Ian Rush’s scoring record of never being on a losing Liverpool side when he scored, and my 15 year old heart in the process.
Since this 1980’s streak in the League Cup the Reds have reached the Final a further six times, winning on four occasions and each when I’ve been lucky enough to follow Liverpool and attend their games throughout the season. I missed the heartache of the Steven Gerrard own goal winner for Chelsea (this season’s opponents at Wembley next month) in 2005 and watched the 2016 Final in a local pub, heavily outnumbered by Manchester City fans and left heartbroken as the Blues triumphed over the Reds in a penalty shoot out.
My first League Cup Final was at Wembley in 1995 when the trophy was rebranded as the Coca-Cola League Cup and Liverpool defeated 2nd Division Bolton Wanderers 2–1 and Steve McManaman stole the show, the Man of the Match trophy and the three handled trophy itself in a deserved Reds victory against a plucky and tenacious second tier Bolton. 2001 was the crazy Final with Birmingham, now held at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium and now rebranded again, this time The Worthington League Cup. Robbie Fowler’s early wonder goal was cancelled out right on full time by a penalty from Birmingham’s Darren Purse, the Blues of Birmingham should have had another penalty in extra time before the Final ended with the lottery of a penalty shoot out and the Reds triumphed in front of my disbelieving eyes just a couple of hundred yards away and below me. I was in virtually the same seat two years later when Liverpool defeated their arch rivals Manchester United 2–0 in the still Worthington League Cup Final, with Michael Owen’s clinching goal again right in front of my eyes (I couldn’t have had a better view) and I’ve barely celebrated a goal more ever since. 9 years later and with the Final now re-homed back at Wembley and now re-branded (again!) as the Carling League Cup Final, I was lucky enough to see the Reds triumph in a topsy turvy and angst ridden game 3–2 in a penalty shoot out with Cardiff City after the match finished 2–2. Steven Gerrard lifted that beautiful trophy from atop the Wembley steps and the Reds had silverware in the trophy cabinet during another tempestuous season.
So I rather love this particular trophy and cup competition and can only chortle with laughter at those who say it’s a (football cliché alert!) “Mickey Mouse Trophy” and of no real importance. Tell that to any player or perhaps more importantly, team, that’s won this competition and I’m sure they’ll give a more rounded appreciation of the feat. Football Clubs exist to win trophies, so I’ve always found it amusing when this competition is so derided, and especially so when you get to loft that beautiful and unique three handled trophy high into a Wembley Stadium night sky.
Liverpool are now just one game from doing such a thing and unfortunately they have their 2005 conquerors Chelsea to deal with at the end of February. I say unfortunately as I never have a good feeling when playing those lovely chaps from London in the Blue and White and they, along with the Reds of Liverpool, are the second and third best teams in the English League behind Manchester City. It’ll be a tight, drawn out Final, the atmosphere will be spitefully bubbling and no doubt full of incident, but that is for the future and we must cover the present and their defeat of Arsenal this evening, and a brilliant and comprehensive defeat it was too.
There was no sign of such a comprehensive win inside the first twenty minutes tonight as the home team “Gunners” of Arsenal had the majority of the ball but lacked another footballing cliché, that of a “cutting edge”. Brazilian Gabriel Martinelli came close to being so as he pestered and chased the Liverpool defence all night and was Arsenal’s star player by some distance. French striker Alexandre Lacazette rattled the Liverpool crossbar from a free kick inside 6 minutes but this was far and away Arsenal’s best and clearest goal scoring chance of the evening. Joel Matip scored for Liverpool on 12 minutes but his goal was disallowed for offside and the score remained 0–0 for a further 7 minutes before Liverpool got into their stride for the first time this evening, and scored a “PlayStation Football” goal.
GOAL! Arsenal 0 Liverpool 1 (Diogo Jota 19 minutes)
Liverpool’s first goal stretched the entire length of the field and from literally one goal line to the other as they toyed with the Arsenal strikers and sucked them further and further upfield before an incisive pass with beautifully flicked on by Brazilian striker Firmino and into the path of Trent Alexander-Arnold who in turn fed Portuguese striker Diogo Jota. Jota turned inside the defender and ran central to the goal before unleashing a weak effort that bumbled it’s way through an off balance Arsenal defence and passed goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. It was a scruffy strike on goal but the move prior was majestic, sweeping one touch football all around their own penalty area before a quick pass into midfield set Alexander-Arnold clear and the rest was history. From incisive pass to the ball hitting the net was roughly 7/8 seconds and the ball never left the green grass of The Emirates Stadium in the process.
The remainder of the first half was a scruffy affair and wholly befitting an underwhelming 45 minutes of football. Liverpool had the lead but they had to thank their Brazilian midfielder Fabinho on 38 minutes as he brilliantly snuffed out a probable and dangerous Arsenal attack in the Liverpool penalty area but the second half was much more the end to end contest we hoped we’d see in this Cup Semi-Final. Lacazette shot over the bar from close range for Arsenal on 49 minutes before youngster Kai Gordon did the same for Liverpool but from even closer range. Ibrahima Konate, on as a substitute for Joel Matip hit the base of an Arsenal post with a thumping header before on 70 minutes Trent Alexander-Arnold was again in the centre of the action for Liverpool as his wicked cross led to an almighty scramble in the Arsenal penalty area. Martinelli forced a good save from Liverpool goalkeeper Kelleher before the Reds countered with a fizzing cross shot from Andy Robertson. A minute later, and the game was over.
GOAL! Arsenal 0 Liverpool 2 (Diogo Jota 77 minutes)
Yet again it was the mightily impressive Trent Alexander-Arnold with the curling defence splitting pass that set Jota away who controlled the ball before deftly lifting it over the advancing Ramsdale in the Arsenal goal. The goal was initially disallowed due to offside but on the (in)famous and often infuriating VAR (Video Assistant Referee) the goal was correctly given and Liverpool had an unassailable 2 goal lead and the game petered out aside from yet another half chance for the busy and impressive Martinelli and Thomas Partey being sent off for two dreadful yellow carded challenges resulting in a red.
Liverpool are at Wembley (or “Anfield South) as we Reds prefer to cheekily call it and thoroughly deserving they are of reaching the Final too. You may wish to read below my match report from the earlier League encounter between these two teams as despite the 4–0 score line that day I posited the notion that Arsenal, as well Liverpool’s arch rivals Manchester United, are in their “Graeme Souness Managerial Years” and both teams have a long way to go to catch up with League Cup Finalists Liverpool and Chelsea, let alone pacesetters Manchester City. Martinelli was fantastic this evening and with Lacazette, Smith-Rowe and Thomas Partey they have the spine of a good team. But they are a long way from chasing the game’s top honours and it showed again this evening.
“London Bridge is falling down
Falling down. Falling down
London Bridge is falling down. Poor old Arsenal”
So goes an old song from the Liverpudlian songbook. Here’s hoping that my Red comrades will be substituting and singing Chelsea rather than Arsenal in the Final come the end of February.
Liverpool 4 Arsenal 0
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Postscript
Should any Liverpool fans read this brief ramble and perhaps come by an extra ticket for the Final — I’m your man!
100% record. 4 Finals. 4 Wins. 4 lifts of that beautiful three handled trophy. Get me into Wembley Stadium my friends, and the trophy is as good as being in the hands of Jordan Henderson.
Trust me.