I'd planned to write a full match report for the Arsenal vs Liverpool Carling Cup game I went to last night, but there's not much to write. For a League Cup fixture it wasn't a bad game at all, with two excellent goals and quality throughout. But most of the things I could write about either side have been written plenty of times before.
Arsenal had lots of pretty possession but the crab-like nature of their passing only
emphasised the importance of Fabregas. Liverpool fought hard and created a few chances, but their weakness up front only emphasised the importance of Torres. But considering these two were sitting things out and the age of many of the players, the quality of play was pretty high.
There was a nice sub-plot to the game: who was crapper, Bendtner or Voronin? Before the Dane's goal it was neck and neck. Voronin adroitly managed to avoid the ball for almost the whole game, unfortunately the one time he did touch it he gave it away for Merida's goal. Bendtner saw plenty of possession but seemed determined to fuck things up in increasingly annoying ways, including losing Insua for Liverpool's equaliser. He did redeem himself though with a neatly taken winner.
Merida's strike was a beauty, but probably outshone by Insua's. My Missus missed the second - asked how, she explained 'I was watching some of the fans bobbing up and down'. Errmm...
The Emirates continued the Highbury tradition of keeping the neighbours happy by not making too much noise. A few Japanese tourists did raise their voices when Gunnersaurus ran on the pitch at halftime, but otherwise it was noise free affair. Gunners fans need to try a touch harder though, if they're to reach Chelsea's heights. The last game I went to at Stamford Bridge felt like a wake rehearsal.
Ramsey stood out for the Gunners, as did debutant Eastmond, while Plessis looked sharp for the Reds. Aquilani didn't get enough time to make a real impression, though one sublime cross pitch pass will raise Pool's hopes.
Although not long in England Aquilani has quickly learnt how to insult the ref. -TSB
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