Liverpool 1 (Kuyt 41) – Arsenal 2 (Johnson OG. 50, Arshavin 58)
Match Report | Highlights

Manuel Almunia – To say Almunia was a bit shakey tonight is an understatement. Gifted Liverpool their opener when he punched the ball directly into the path of Dirk Kuyt and was hesitant throughout the match, looking like he had no faith in his defence despite their solid performance. Distribution was also sub-par. Good low save from Torres, though. 4

Bacary Sagna – Solid throughout the match. Made some great interceptions on the right flank and while he could have done a bit more in attack, he performed his primary task of defending with aplomb. It was no coincidence that Yossi Benayoun (arguably Liverpool’s best player this season) did nothing all evening. 7

William Gallas – Solid throughout and comfortable dealt with Fernando Torres for the majority of the encounter. He was an authorative figure at the back, and although he had a couple of sloppy ill-timed tackles, his performance was commendable. 7

Thomas Vermaelen – Absolute beast in defence. Monstered Liverpool for the entire fixture, and was relentless in the tackle. Torres and Gerrard did absoluely nothing all night, and that was mostly due to Vermaelen’s herculean performance at the back. He was awesome in the air also, winning nearly every header he contested and providing a danger from set pieces. Man of the match for me. 8.5

Armand Traore – Was a bit suspect defensively early on, but grew in stature as the game progressed. Dirk Kuyt did get the better of him on a couple of occasions, however he was not helped by the fact that Samir Nasri offered him no protection on the left. Needs to work on his defensive positioning, however he dealt with most of what the Scousers could muster. 6.5

Denilson - Failed to make a significant impact on the match despite being on the pitch from the outset. Didn’t really put himself about and was largely anonymous throughout. When he did receive the ball he did little wrong – his passing was precise and his movement was good – however he was a bit lax in his efforts. 6

Alex Song – Workmanlike once again in the core of the Arsenal midfield. Song’s dogged nature has won him many plaudits in the last year (myself included) and performances like yesterday’s make me think he is truly one of the most underrated players on the planet. He was always around to win the ball and kept Gerrard in his pocket all night. 8

Cesc Fabregas – Failed to control the tempo of the match as he would have liked, however his class was evident throughout. He was quiet in the opening stages but emerged in statures as the game went on, and showed his amazing passing range in the second half. Unfortunately not much came off for the Arsenal skipper, however is workrate is admirable. 7

Theo Walcott – Didn’t receive a lot of service however his pace was electrifying when he got a chance to show it off. He was a threat when on the ball, however he often failed to get into good positions. Liverpool defenders did get the best of him physically though and he demonstrated a lack of composure with some awful final balls, however he did have a hand in both goals. 7

Andrey Arshavin -Put in a quality performance up front despite his small size. The crafty Russian schemer made an abundance of clever runs and opened up space not only for himself but for his teammates. Deservedly got on the scoresheet with a stunning goal, and was truly one of the best players on the field. 8

Samir Nasri – Offered the inexperienced Armand Traore no protection on the left flank, failing to track back often. He was lazy and did not show for the ball as much as he could have. Arsene must have gotten up him at half time as his performance was far more energetic in the second period, and Nasri showed the craft and guile that we all know he is capable of. 6.5

SUBSTITUTES
Abou Diaby, Mikael Silvestre, Aaron Ramsey – All 6.5.

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