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ARSENAL V LIVERPOOL: THE FINAL WORD
Liverpool won't be sorry to see the back of Highbury after the Gunners condemned them to a fifth Premiership away defeat of the season in a match that was full of incident. Here's the best of the post-match reaction.
The Liverpool Manager
"For me it is clear and Xabi slipped. It was unbelievable and I don't understand these things. That was the turning point of the game because when we equalised I thought we could win. We didn't play that well in the first half, but we controlled the second half. But with 10 men it is more difficult. We made a mistake for the winning goal, but Steven knows that and he has scored 18 goals for us this season.
My concern now is to recouperate the players and look for three points against Fulham."
Rafael Benitez
The Arsenal Manager
"I feel overall we deserved to win the game. When Liverpool equalised I was a little bit scared for a while that we could lose it because we looked like we had a mental blow after having so many opportunities to score before. When they went down to 10 men they got scared to lose the game, and basically that made us win. We dropped points like that this year, and that's part of the learning process of the team. That's why I say that the psychological part played a big role today."
Arsene Wenger
The Liverpool Player
"It was just like France all over again. I was trying to take up time. I did not see him. The last player you want the ball to go to is the best player on the planet. It was completely my fault and I hold up my hands. It was a stupid mistake that has stopped us from robbing a point because we did not play well at all."
Steven Gerrard
The Opposition Player
"I just saw that Gerrard didn't unfortunately notice I was waiting and I gambled. I do it every game but it's only the second time in my career it's worked for me. After missing a chance, I said to myself I'm going to have to do something before I leave the pitch. Overall, no disrespect to Liverpool, I think we did deserve to win."
Thierry Henry
The Broadsheet Newspaper
"Steven Gerrard, the architect of the crucial move - Thierry Henry the finisher. It may read like a Roman Abramovich transfer fantasy, but instead it was the decisive moment in an extraordinary match that handed Arsenal the initiative once more in the race for the fourth Champions League place. And it was a twist in the season that Liverpool's inspirational captain will want to forget.
"There had been drama enough before Gerrard collected the ball in the 83rd minute, turned back to his own goal and sent the ball towards Jose Reina a split second before realising that Henry lurked in wait. It was a moment that replicated his mistake in England's Euro 2004 first-round defeat to France in all but the conclusion. Then Henry was fouled by David James and Zinedine Zidane converted the winning penalty; this time the Arsenal striker completed the job himself.
Collecting Gerrard's calamitous back-pass, Henry accelerated past Reina and slipped in his second goal of the game to take Arsenal to within two points of Tottenham Hotspur in fourth place."
Sam Wallace, The Independent
The Tabloid Newspaper
"There was a sense of shock around the ground when Liverpool's first strike on target brought the equaliser, Lehmann fisting Gerrard's swerver up into the air and Garcia reacting quickest to nod home. Liverpool appeared to have stolen a point, but the twist was almost immediate. As Gerrard tried to fill the deeplying role there was no mercy from Henry as he latched on to the England midfielder's mistake. It has not been a week Gerrard will want to remember. For Arsenal, though, things are getting better and better and if they can get Henry round the table soon, it could be the perfect time.
Martin Lipton, Daily Mirror
The Liverpool Supporter
"Season 02/03 64pts
Season 03/04 60pts
Season 04/05 58pts
Season 05/06 55pts (29 games)
Personally I see us dropping around 7 more points this season - draw at Newcastle, lose at Blackburn and draw at West Ham. That would give us a final total of 75 points. Comfortably in third, not far off second and our best points since the 80 we picked up in 01/02.
And we may win the FA Cup.
All those who think we are not progressing under Rafa might want to forget the peripheral issues and just look at the numbers. 75 points would leave us around 10-12 points off a real tilt at the league - achievable with a bit of dosh and 2 or 3 signings which come off in the summer. Chins up everyone!" |
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