Writing

So I have not been posting in the blog as much as I should be, but I have been writing a good amount. In this post is a copy of the match report that I wrote for the Arsenal v. Liverpool game I attended today. Keep in mind it was written on deadline, which means it was written during the game and then completed within 30 minutes following the press conferences. Below it is another play review. I will try to do a "real" post sometime tomorrow.

LONDON--Sandwiched between two Champions League fixtures, this Premiership match pitting Arsenal against Liverpool at the Emirates was never supposed to be this meaty.

With Arsenal’s title hopes still faintly beating and Liverpool’s away-goal advantage going into the second leg of the Champions League match between these two sides, there was reason to believe that Arsenal would chase this one harder.

Rafael Benitez perhaps never saw it that way.

“For both teams this was a very important game,” the Liverpool boss said.

And although his side had seemingly less on the line, it was Benitez who pressed more in this 1-1 draw, bringing leading scorers Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres into the game when it was level midway through the second half.

Arsene Wenger did bring in his leading scorer Emmanuel Adebayor in the 58^th minute. The striker looked sharp, despite his tender ankle, possessing the ball long enough to travel from the left side of the pitch to the right side on his first touch.

Wenger, however, waited too long to call on the rest of his stars in a game that mattered so much to his team’s title hopes. Arsenal now sit five points below Manchester United with only five Premiership matches remaining.

After the match, Wenger, who was particularly animated as the final minutes ticked away, staunchly refused to admit this draw ends Arsenal’s championship ambitions.

“It depends on the result of other teams,” Wenger said. “In my brain it is not over because mathematically it is not over.”

Despite both side’s leading scorers sitting on the bench for the entirety of the first half, this match was filled with chances.

Both teams battled equally early, each generating a few good opportunities, but it was Arsenal who seemed more merciless as the game opened up. The Gunners barrage of attacks started in the 34th minute when Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel egregiously misplayed a ball coming to his head. It reached Cesc Fabregas, but his effort missed to the left. The Gunners were not done firing, however, and seemed to have a new chance every minute.

Arsenal’s best opportunity of the first half came immediately after Fabregas’s failed attempt. Working the ball from the left flank, Fabregas passed it to Nicklas Bendtner, who was 12 yards from the goal. The striker shot hard, but it rifled into Pepe Reina’s hands.

In the 37^th minute, Emmanuel Eboue had the ball with no one in front of him. He crossed it low to a diving Fabregas, but the Spaniard was not able to make contact with it.

Arsenal were not able to capitalize on the seemingly incessant efforts in the first half.

It was Liverpool who struck first, shocking the Emirate faithful. In the 42^nd minute Reina took a long goal kick, which came to Peter Crouch. The striker chipped it to Yossi Benayoun on a give-and-go maneuver. Benayoun reacted quickly and dealt it neatly to Crouch, who was making his run. The Norwegian sent it between the posts to put Reds up one-nil.

“I am confident he will sign,” Benitez said about Crouch in relation to the striker’s recent contract offer.

After the break, Manuel Almunia decided to play a quick restart to Mathieu Flamini. The Frenchman worked the ball well up the center of the pitch and gave it to a streaking Theo Walcott. Walcott’s shot earned a corner. On the effort from Fabregas, Kolo Toure got to it first, but his header landed wide left.

But Arsenal would quickly have another chance. Fabregas took a direct free kick that curved right to left. Nicklas Bendtner saw it the whole way and beat his man, Peter Crouch, to the spiraling ball. The striker reached it and calmly headed it behind the left post, leveling the score in the 53^rd minute.

Benitez’s subs were more effective as the game progressed. Andriy Voronin in particular made the most of his minimal minutes.

In the 80^th minute, Crouch worked effectively against Kolo Toure and chipped it to Voronin. Voronin’s shot landed on the top of the net. The striker had another chance a few minutes later when he had space as Almunia mistakenly came out of his box. Fortunately for the Gunners, the keeper had help as defenders William Gallas and Kolo Toure closed in on Voronin’s space.

These two tired teams will meet again Tuesday at Anfield, where a definitive decision is a guarantee.

“If you are always depending on the same 11, it doesn’t work as well,” the Arsenal boss said. Wenger said he will feature his strongest side for Tuesday’s match.

And despite his team’s current advantage, Benitez realizes the quarter-final will be a difficult fight.

“Maybe the only option now [for Arsenal] is the Champions League, which makes them more dangerous for us.”

Comments Welcome,
Andrew