The game left a strong feeling that Arsenal, the absolute record holder of the season for unfulfilled moments, finally started in his training sessions practicing shots on goal. All 7 shots inflicted by the “gunners” hit the target of Liverpool. Of the 4 scoring chances, Londoners immediately realized 3, and the only unrealized one took place already at the score 3: 0, when the Reina neutralized Adebayor's one-on-one exit. And everything else - that which precedes the blows - is obtained by Arsenal, in general, for quite some time.
Arsenal immediately took possession of the territory, but the hosts took 41 minutes to select a master key to the Liverpool defense. Gleb screwed into it on the right, gathered Riise and Gonzalez around him, removed both with one feint and put the ball brilliantly into the goalie Fabregas, who was flying up to the corner. 19-year-old Spaniard, the best assistant to the Premier League this season (5 assists) pas in touch responded to the synchronized run of Flamini, and he at the speed brought the ball into the goal - 1: 0.
The second goal of Londoners, 15 minutes later, also came out in a branded arsenal. Henri and Fàbregas, carried away by a complex cross-over in the center of the field, did not miss van Persie’s accelerations. He, in turn, redirected the ball to Colo Toure, who had rushed synchronously with him. And the Ivorian (central defender!), Recalling his experience of playing in attack at a youthful level, outplayed Reina with some inhuman composure - 2: 0. In addition to exemplary synchronicity, in this attack, Arsenal demonstrated its exemplary speed - the highest today in England, if not Europe. Even the Arsenal doctor, when help was needed for the referee's sprained muscle Mark Clattenburg, arrived in time with his suitcase before his Liverpool colleague.
The third goal was born out of a mistake by Sami Hyyup, who missed Gallas when cornering in the 80th minute. Benitez, with a score of 2-0 trying to activate Liverpool’s counterplay by rearrangements in the attack (Pennant and Bellamy were thrown into the battle), had already spent his third replacement on punishing the guilty. Instead of a Finn stumbling on the bench on the field, Daniel Agger was delegated, hardly able to influence the balance of power.
Sunday evening at Emirates, which drove the team of Rafael Benitez to 9th place, will certainly catalyze a new wave of discussions regarding the rampant rotation imposed by the Spaniard in Liverpool. The match against Arsenal was for Liverpool the 99th in a row, started with an updated roster! For the extreme, in particular, midfielder guests, Gonzalez and Zenden, this game was only the third in the championship, held in the "basis". Perhaps, it will be late to make a general assessment of this Benitez strategy before the end of the season (after all, at the end, it seems, the advantages of this rotation should appear). But a single Sunday match vividly demonstrated its current disadvantages. Beside a synchronicity that reached a telepathic understanding with Arsenal, Liverpool seemed hopelessly upset like a grand piano in a provincial school.
There is another possible explanation for his easy surrender to Arsenal. Liverpool, dashing and assertive at the native Anfield Road, in the current championship of England is incomprehensibly helpless on the road. Having taken the only single point in August from Sheffield, Liverpool do not score and lose in five away games in a row. Explanations of this trend, which are never peculiar to Benitez’s teams, I don’t have. Versions are accepted.
ARSENAL - LIVERPOOL - 3: 0 (1: 0)
Goals: 1: 0 - Flamini (41), 2: 0 - Kolo Toure (56), 3: 0 - Gallas (80).
ARSENAL: Almunia, Eboue, Colo Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Gleb, Gilberto Silva, Fabregas, Flamini, Van Persie (Adebayor, 85), Henri.
LIVERPOUL: Reina, Carragher, Finnan, Hupia (Agger 82), Riise, Xabi Alonso, Zenden, Gonzalez (Pennant 61), Gerrard, Crouch (Bellamy 71), Kate.
Warnings: van Persie (2), Carragher (33), Flamini (42), Xabi Alonso (68), Pennant (77).
November 12th. Emirates, 19.00.
Judge: Mark Clattenburg.