Arsenal v Liverpool: When lady luck lost her way..!

A splendid week was on the cards for football lovers when arsenal took on liverpool in the first of the trilogy.. all in the space of just seven days.. The emirates was buzzing with expectation after that morale boosting back from the dead victory against bolton a week earlier when arsenal had rallied from 2-0 down.. a man down to beat the trotters 3-2 to renew their premiership hopes.. a season which so very much promised to be the one which would fill their trophy cabinet after 3 long years but now has started going all wrong and at the wrong time..

recent slump in form and 4 back to back draws and a loss against chelsea in the premier league albeit a remarkable result in the champions league against defending champions ac milan.. had sent the gunners to third position after leading for most times of this season..

Champions league glory was still a reality.. and Arsene Wenger put up a strong side to face the liverpool team which had won 7 of their last 8 games in all competitions.. fernando torres in sublime form and gerrard.. no mention..!

the game started off at a decent pace... and here i was watching with great interest listening to the expert commentary from andy gray and rob hawthorne.. arsenal started to press liverpool who looked happy to sit back and defend.. and after a few good moves, the break through finally arrived through adebayor who seems to have lost his form since his haircut..

van persie's short corner to fabregas before putting it in with a delightful ball was met by adebayor who was left quite free in a liverpool penalty box which has been quite used to poor marking..

and just when arsenal were settling in again to go for another.. came the killer blow.. gerrard weaved into the box.. and his wonderfull ball across the box was met by a flurry of sliding bodies but in the end it was the hard runner dirt kuyt with the delightful touch which silenced arsenal.. liverpool had got their crucial away goal..

arsenal never really came back from that blow and were quite ordinary for the remainder of the first half.. though neither did liverpool show any interest of a serious attack..

halftime.. and then the second half.. and on came theo walcott.. replacing van persie who had supposedly strained his thigh..

the substitute cut inside from the left and let one fly like a rocket but it was just outside the far post.. but walcott's pace was threatening as ever..

then came one beautiful chance to equalise.. adebayor ran inside the box.. but he was muscled out by the defenders.. the defenders thought that the ball was going out but in raced walcott from nowhere and flashed it across the goal only for eboue to hit a mistimed shot which was cleared off the line..!

the worst for arsenal was yet to come..!

hleb collected the ball outside the penalty box.. and weaved his way through inside with his amazing speed and skill.. only to be tugged down by kuyt..! penalty?.. i thought so.. so did mr.gray.. but not the referee.. he gave a corner instead..!! it was a clear penalty..!

arsenal really wanted the win because they deserved it..! the ball had been in the liverpool half throughout the second half..! possession 69:31 to arsenal..!

then the villian arrived.. bendtner.. was the next arsenal substitute and he was on to replace eboue..! and immediately adebayor was off into the box and sent a cross.. only to be cleared away by reina.. and in flew fabregas to meet the ball.. and the ball was on target until one mr.bendtner stepped in the way to block his own teammate from scoring..! what on earth was he thinking?!?

now.. everything was going against arsene wenger's team.. the referee was against them.. and now their own substitute was against them..!

it never got any better for the team in red and mr.gray rightly said.. "Advantage Liverpool!"


we will have to wait and see if arsenal can pull another impossible result.. at anfield.. in front of the kop.. the liverpool faithful which is probably the best place to be on an European night..! we have to wait and see if lady luck joins arsenal by then.. at the least..! its now or never for arsenal.. its make or break..!