Alex Song also had to stay deep as Suarez was murdering Arsenal defence with his movement. Dirk Kuyt and Charlie Adam offered support down the middle which kept Song and Mikel Arteta pinned back for the entire first half. Jay Spearing won his battle in midfield as he showed good anticipation and reading of the game by making several good interceptions and tackles. This is where Arsenal lost the battle. The midfield trio couldn’t keep possession nor could they stop Liverpool’s passing and with Benayoun anonymous, Van Persie had very little support upfront, thus causing any problems for Liverpool’s centre-backs.
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Arteta suffered a serious injury early in the second half and was replaced by the returning Abou Diaby. I was expecting either Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or Gervinho to come on and Benayoun to take Arteta’s place as we were completely lacking any kind of attacking threat. But Diaby’s presence really brought us back into the game. He is much more skilful than any Arsenal midfielder apart from Jack Wilshere and it was evident in the thirty minutes he played. He created space, moved very well, provided options for his team-mates and made the job tougher for Spearing and Adam in midfield. He looked sharp in dribbling and had a decent shot at goal as well. He was later replaced by Chamberlain after an impressive cameo, but this hamstring injury is a real concern. He is such a good talent and a dedicated professional, and I certainly believe he would have made a huge difference to Arsenal’s creative strength if not for his injuries.
Now to the goals. Laurent Koscielny wasn’t unlucky, he completely lost his mind. From the time Liverpool started the counter, Koscielny made all the right moves. He had a good look around and with Suarez being Jordan Henderson’s only option in the box, the Frenchman moved inwards without attempting to stop Henderson’s run. This put off Suarez, who also had Vermaelen on him. Koscielny took up a great position at the near post to intercept the cross but why in the hell was he clearing with the outside of his left foot? That was really poor technique and the awkward bounce made it look even more embarrassing. The natural choice was to use the inside of his foot to clear the ball as any mistake when clearing with your laces would have spelled trouble.
Arsenal’s equalizer came against the run off play. That was Sagna’s first meaningful foray forward and Enrique was too slow in closing him down. But the cross was wonderful. Had Daniel Agger been present, Van Persie wouldn’t have had that space, but Jamie Carragher allowed too much room for the Dutchman and he punished them. Carragher’s lack of match sharpness was evident, but take nothing away from Van Persie, who showed he is an all round player by scoring with his head.
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