MATCH REPORT: Arsenal 0 – 2 Liverpool

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Arsenal (0) 0 Liverpool (1) 2

Carabao Cup Semi-Final (Second Leg)

(First Leg result: Liverpool 0, Arsenal 0)

Emirates Stadium, Drayton Park, London N5 1BU

Thursday, 20th January 2022. Kick-off time: 7.45pm

(4-1-4-1) Aaron Ramsdale; Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben White, Gabriel Magalhães, Kieran Tierney; Albert Sambi Lokonga; Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith-Rowe, Martin Ødegaard, Gabriel Martinelli; Alexandre Lacazette.

Substitutes: Thomas Partey, Rob Holding, Nuno Tavares, Eddie Nketiah, Ryan Alebiosu, Karl Hein, Mika Biereth, Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand, Charlie Patino.

Red Cards: Thomas Partey

Yellow Cards: Alexandre Lacazette, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Thomas Partey

Arsenal Possession Percentage: 46%

Referee: Martin Atkinson

VAR Team at Stockley Park: VAR Darren England

Attendance: 59,360

For this critical match against Liverpool, we will be without Mohamed Elneny, Nicolas Pépé and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (due to AFCON commitments), whilst several other squad members will need to be assessed over injuries or COVID-19 concerns before the game. However, their collective absences from the squad mean that some of our “Young Guns” will get an opportunity to be on the substitutes’ bench this evening, which is heartening to see. Granit Xhaka is also unavailable due to suspension, of course, and let’s hope that despite all this, and the unusual 4-1-4-1 formation, Lady Luck will be kind to us here.

The visitors kicked off the match here tonight, and with the Emirates crowd in great voice, we took the match to the visitors straight away. Within minutes, a free-kick awarded to us on the edge of the Liverpool penalty area led to Alexandre Lacazette’s beautiful curling shot bouncing off the crossbar with goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher getting the smallest of touches on the way. We have started the match with both purpose and desire, with the early exchanges taking place within the Liverpool half. Totally against the run of play, Joel Matip got the ball in our net from a corner, but thankfully VAR deemed it to be offside. The 4-1-4-1 formation is pinning the visitors back, and as such they cannot find any rhythm to their play, and it seems that our midfield four are dominating proceedings so far. However, completely out of the blue, a diagonal ball across the pitch found Diego Jota deep in our half, and he cut inside and scored a rather soft goal with his right foot to open the scoring for Liverpool. It is to be remembered that no away goals count tonight, so if the tie is level at full-time, we head to extra-time and possibly penalties too, and nobody really wants that stressful scenario. After the shock of the early goal, the match started to settle down and although we had a penalty appeal denied when Gabriel Martinelli went down in the visitors’ penalty area after a tackle by Fabinho, there started to be gaps appearing in our play which is not good. Bukayo Saka was unlucky not to score when his shot was blocked by Joel Matip, and at this point in the match, we are finding things difficult, although it has to be said that we are not playing badly, but we lack the zip and fire of the opening stages of the game. Alexandre Lacazette received a yellow card for a late tackle on Curtis Jones, and despite the one minute addition of injury time, we finished the first half one goal down.

We kicked off proceedings for the second half, and quite bluntly, we have forty-five minutes to turn our season around as far as cup competitions are concerned. Three minutes after the restart, Alexandre Lacazette received a great ball from Albert Sambi Lokonga, but his effort went flying over the bar. As in the first half, we started off very well, pressing Liverpool back into their own half; however we got caught cold when Diego Jota beat Ben White out on the left, and passed the ball to Kaide Gordon, who thankfully blasted it over the bar from close range. This led to a period of Liverpool pressure, and eleven minutes after the restart, Takehiro Tomiyasu received a yellow card for a silly challenge on Diego Jota. Thankfully, the resulting free-kick from Andy Robertson went nowhere, and we nearly conceded a second goal when Ibrahima Konate’s header hit the post, but Aaron Ramsdale saved the follow-up shot from Jordan Henderson. On the hour, a Gabriel Martinelli corner which was punched away by Caoimhin Kelleher eventually found Emile Smith-Rowe, whose half-volley shot travelled way over the visitor’s bar. Both teams are making use of “smash’n’grab” tactics which is catching the defenders of either team cold. We don’t seem to be able to find a way through the Liverpool midfield, who are standing solid despite our constant efforts. Gabriel Martinelli had a superb effort saved by Caoimhin Kelleher, but the corner that followed went nowhere. Mikel Arteta made a double substitution with eighteen minutes left of the match; Eddie Nketiah and Thomas Partey replaced Alexandre Lacazette and a fatigued Emile Smith-Rowe. Almost immediately the two lads with fresh legs showed desire and pace, but again we got caight cold and Andy Robertson’s shot flashed across Aaron Ramsdale’s goal; a minute or so later our hearts were broken when Diogo Jota ran onto a long ball, getting to the ball ahead of the advancing Aaron Ramsdale and chipping the ball into the net. Initial thoughts were that he was offside, but VAR confirmed that he was not, and so we were two down with twelve minutes of the match remaining. Thomas Partey received our third yellow card of the match with a couple of minutes to go, and unbelievably two minutes later, he received a second yellow card for a late challenge on Fabinho and he was dismissed by referee Martin Atkinson. In the five minutes’ injury time played, it was merely a game of containment for Liverpool, and so it was journey’s end for us, sadly.

So very disappointing. After all the good work of a week ago at Anfield, tonight’s result was a complete and utter kick in the teeth. We now desperately need to get into the top four to be able to make signings in the summer that will allow us to get to the next step of development, but in the meantime, Mikel Arteta has to try to sign players in the next ten days to help push for the top four position, as I am not sure that we can stand another season without European competition. But first things first; the next step is is for us to defeat Burnley on Sunday afternoon, and over the next few days, Mikel Arteta and his backroom team have to pick them up for that match. After all, if we don’t win at Turf Moor, then top four will seem like a million miles away.

Remember everyone, keep the faith, get behind the team and the manager, as this season is going to be crucial for our future success in all competitions. Stick with the winners. Our next match: Burnley at the Emirates on Sunday, 23rd January at 2.00pm (Premier League). Be there, if you can. Victoria Concordia Crescit.

Steve

Too Dearly Loved To Be Forgotten: Arsenal v Racing Club de Paris 1930-1962 by Steve Ingless (Rangemore Publications, ISBN 978-1-5272-0135-4) is now available on Amazon.

Arsenal set to field “full strength” team

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The headline is a bet of a test. See who on social media actually takes the time to read the blog and who comments without reading.

We know Arsenal will not put out a full strength team. Mohamed Elneny is still in Africa.

It will actually be enjoyable to watch those on social media and the good and great of her majesties written press (and spoken) rant and rave today. It will all be so predictable.

When the team is announced, we will see all those bitter fools say “but they could not put a team out at the weekend”.

And whilst they do have a point, the issue is the fact they are only talking about Arsenal.

On Tuesday, Burnley’s Premier League match with Watford was postponed as Burnley “only had 10 fit players”. The news was released with barely a murmur.

There was no hours on end debate on TalkSport. No discussion on Sky Sports News. No one going through their Premier League A & B lists, counting them up, and saying “why can they not play their U23s.

It is only The Arsenal that seems to be on the end of that sort of criticism.

So onto tonight.

Martin Odegaard, who missed the first leg after a positive Covid-19 test, is set to be available after isolating, while the likes of Kieran Tierney, Calum Chambers, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Magalhaes are expected to be fit.

Granit Xhaka is still suspended whilst Cedric Soares is out injured. Elneny and Thomas Partey are still on international duty (the Ghanaian might be back for the weekend) whilst Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is back at the club but undergoing heart tests.

Emile Smith Smith Rowe and Takehiro Tomiyasu have still not returned to training, whilst Bernd Leno is expected to keep his cup-place ahead of Aaron Ramsdale.

The knives will be out today, with everyone ignoring the fact that we are only playing because Liverpool successfully got the original tie postponed due to 13-billion-to-1 false positives.

Let’s make it noisy, make is us against the world, and earn a trip to Wembley.

Keenos

Everton warn Arsenal to “be careful what you wish for”

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“Be careful what you wish for” became synonymous with Arsenal towards the end of the last decade.

Often used by those who backed Arsene Wenger and feared change.

Without opening up old wounds at a time when our fanbase is the most united for decades, I began thinking of the statement on yesterdays commute home.

It happened whilst I was reading about the demise of Everton.

In February 2016, Farhad Moshri announced that Moshiri had sold his stake in Arsenal Football Club to Red & White Holdings partner Alisher Usmanov in a bid to raise capital required to launch a takeover at Everton.

That sale included him relinquishing his joint ownership of Arsenal shares alongside Usmanov.

Two weeks after the Premier League confirmed that Moshri had purchased a 49.9% of Everton.

It was felt that he was the front of a deal that would eventually involve Usmanov, and the Uzbek billionaire would also end up involved on Merseyside; spending the money he always talked about spending at Arsenal.

Some Arsenal were up in arms. They wanted Usmanov and his billions involved at Arsenal, backing him over he Kroenke’s. Where Moshri led Usmanov was surely to follow.

In his first summer as major shareholder, Moshri went big overseeing £73.5million of signings as Everton finished 7th.

2017 would see USM, a holding company owned by Usmanov, agree an initial” five-year naming rights deal which saw club’s Halewood training ground renamed USM Finch Farm.

The deal was worth £20million and indicated that Usmanov would become more heavily involved in the financing of Everton.

2017/18 would see another £160m spent across two windows. “Oh what could have been” some Arsenal fans crowed “to have an owner that was not afraid of bankrolling the club to success”.

In 2018 Kroenke bought out Usmanov. At around the same time it was announced that USM had secured the naming rights of Everton’s unbuilt new stadium for £30million.

Usmanov did not own a single share and had already pumped £50million into the club.

Arsenal fans were beginning to get worried. A team in decline on the pitch, it was only a matter of time until big spending Everton, with our former shareholders at the helm, took our place as a top 6 club.

Everton’s big transfer spending did not stop.

In 2018/19 it was again over £100milllion; bringing in some great young talent including Richarlison, Yerry Mina and Moise Keane.

The £100million mark would be breached again in 2019/20. But whilst that took Everton’s spending under Moshri to well over £500million, the club finished 12th. And Usmanov seemed to have disappeared.

The summer or 2020 would see Everton’s transfer spending almost half under new Carlo Ancelotti. But in came the big names like of Allan, James Rodriguez and Abdoulye Dacoure on huge wages.

Something was clearly not right at Everton and Ancelotti returned to Rea Madrid at the end of the season, with Everton finishing 10th.

Despite protests, Everton then gave the managerial job to Rafa Benitez. As we all know he was a former Liverpool manager.

It was a bad appointment, and to compound what was happening the money seemed to have dried up.

In the summer of 2021 Everton’s only outlay was £1million on Demarai Gray. He was joined by journeymen free transfers Android Townsend, Salomon Robson and Askir Begovic.

Moshri has overseen £660million worth of signings. But it didn’t matter how much you spent when you continually overspent on the wrong players.

In the last decade, Everton have gone from being one of the best run clubs in English football with David Moyes at the helm to one of the worst.

In 6 years of ownership, he has got through 6 managers. Each has performed progressively worse than the last.

Whoever relaxes Benitez will be his 7th manager.

What sums up the situation at Everton is the club have spent £37million full backs in January, only to sack the manager.

Those Arsenal fans that spent nearly a decade crying out for their Moshri / Usmanov dream team to take control of the club have gone very quiet.

The situation at Everton has soured very quickly. Despite millions spent the club is sailing in the wrong direction.

Meanwhile it feels like Arsenal, under the stewardship of Edu and Mikel Arteta, are finally on the right path.

The Kroenke’s might not put their hand in their pocket, might stay too quiet for some; but there is a warning in the way Everton have been run under Moshri.

And that warning is be careful what you wish for.

Keenos