Congratulations to LFC

No doubt that everybody who watched Liverpool face off against then-PL leaders Arsenal on Saturday would have been wondering how exactly the un-fancied Mersey Reds managed to beat the Gunners. It was particularly surprising that Arsenal were beaten by a seemingly convincing score-line.

With many questions hanging in the air, it seemed appropriate to clear a few things up.

Firstly, of course Liverpool deserve a modicum of credit for claiming a win against a superior outfit. The facts are, that Arsenal hadn’t lost legitimately at Anfield since March 2007 and had won 3 of their last 4 PL road games vs LFC. Wenger’s men had turned LFC’s out-of-date stadium into a second home. In fact, in January of 2007, Arsenal scored 9 goals at Anfield in the space of 3 days - becoming the first team to score 6 goals in game there since 1930.

But while recent history was on Arsenal’s side, Lady Luck most certainly was not. Arsenal’s performances lately have been severely hampered by the absences of Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey - two of AFC’s three best players (along with Ozil). Without Walcott’s pace and scoring ability and Ramsey’s industry, through-balls and raids into the penalty box, Arsenal’s offence is too predictable. Too much then rests on the shoulders of Mesut Ozil and with the German’s form having dipped over the last few weeks, Arsenal don’t have enough goal threat. As the old saying goes, the best defence is a good offense - so no real surprise that AFC leaked a few goals.

Liverpool may have had some injuries of their own; Sakho, Agger, Lucas, Johnson etc. but these players are all extremely poor and/or easily replaceable.

Regarding the game itself, it wasn’t anything we haven’t seen before. LFC were very lucky. Two fortuitous set-piece goals broke the game and Arsenal decided to save their energy. Then Arsenal pushed their defensive line too far up-field and got caught with a couple of standard round-the-corner passes. Nothing special.

Clocking out was certainly the smart move, given that Arsenal have bigger fish to fry in the near-future. While many will disagree, the truth is that Arsenal didn’t have anything to prove on Saturday. This is a team that beat both Munich and Dortmund away from home within a calendar year. Liverpool away is merely a formality in comparison.

So how much credit do Liverpool deserve?

Well, a small amount. They defended well, sprung in numbers on the break, had their finishing boots on & weren't psychologically daunted by their more illustrious opponents. The only real negative from LFC’s viewpoint was another poor display from Luis Suarez against elite opposition. This most recent blank takes his combined record to a sorry 5 goals in 25 games vs AFC, CFC, MUFC & City. This could be the reason why Madrid supremo Florentino Perez has his eyes set on Falcao, instead of Suarez, in the summer.

But let’s keep it real. If it’s Munich or Chelsea then yes, it’s going to be a war. But why give any serious credit to any of these other teams? The Aston Villas, Liverpools & Stoke Cities of this world. Sure, they pull off their little upsets - but they don’t really belong. Okay fine, Liverpool got Arsenal on a bad day. #Congratulations.