Carling Cup - Arsenal edge past Liverpool

Eurosport - Wed, 28 Oct 20:49:00 2009

Arsenal moved into the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup with a 2-1 win over Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.

Fran Merida arsenal celebrate (PA) - 0

There was plenty of attacking endeavour on show and the packed stands were treated to three top-class goals. Fran Merida netted his first goal in Arsenal colours on 19 minutes, but his excellent strike was cancelled out by an equally good finish from Emiliano Insua six minutes later.

Nicklas Bendtner restored Arsenal's advantage five minutes into the second half and the Gunners held on for victory.

Liverpool fans got their first sight of Alberto Aquilani and his 15-minute cameo was filled with promise, while Arsenal will have been buoyed by the sight of Samir Nasri playing 90 minutes for the first time since breaking his leg in the summer.

Liverpool made a bright start and a neat pass from Andriy Voronin to David Ngog saw the Frenchman release Philip Degen with a deft backheel but the full-back poked his shot wide with the outside of his boot.

Arsenal responded with a slick move involving Aaron Ramsey, Eduardo and Bendtner that needed Diego Cavalieri to dash off his line and smother.

The Carling Cup has been a stage for Arsenal to blood their youngsters and another player off the Arsene Wenger production line announced himself on the Emirates in stunning style.

On 19 minutes, Voronin gave the ball away in sloppy fashion and he was made to pay a heavy price as Merida advanced towards the edge of the box before thundering a shot from 18 yards in off the near post.

It was his first goal in Arsenal colours since making the move from Barcelona and it was nothing more than they deserved.

An inexperienced Liverpool team could have found the challenge of facing a dashing Arsenal side all too much, but they dug in and found a leveller from an unlikely source.

A long, diagonal ball was nodded down by Ryan Babel into the path of Insua who chested the bouncing ball into his path before lashing a dipping volley from 25 yards up and over Lukasz Fabianski.

Cavalieri almost handed Arsenal the initiative a minute before the break when dropping a cross into a crowd of players. A game of pinball ensued before the ball fell to Bendtner, but the Dane fired his shot straight into the arms of the keeper.

Liverpool threatened with a cross from Ngog at the start of the second-half, but it was Arsenal who edged ahead following another slick move.

Merida collected a pass on the left wing before rolling the ball in to Ramsey. The Welshman allowed Bendtner to take over and he created a yard of space on his left foot before slamming a shot into the roof of the net.

Arsenal continued to play slick and incisive football, but did not kill off the game. However, unlike the first-half, Liverpool's response was muted and Rafa Benitez threw on Aquilani with 15 minutes remaining.

The introduction of the £20 million man for his debut pepped up Liverpool and Ryan Babel should have levelled but made contact with only thin air from six yards.

Voronin and Aquilani shot straight at Fabianki, but the increased tempo also sparked Arsenal into life and Eduardo went close after breaking through three tackles.

Aquilani showed flashes of quality and had a penalty shout against Philippe Senderos waved away, but he was unable to make the fairytale debut as Arsenal held on for victory.

Alex Livie / Eurosport

Comment 172 - 191 of 191

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  1. Good performance 4 Youngers Gunners in d Carling cup at­ Emirate Stadium Arsenal 2 Liverpool 1. it is so that­ youngers Gunners is the Best. Arsenal still need more­ Player like, strikers, Diffenders not under fifteen­ player buy an experience player SIr wenger, GUNNERS 4­ LIFEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

    From Awosaya, on Fri 30 Oct 11:51AM

  2. better team won on the day well done arsenal (from a­ liverpool fan)

    From tomchudley, on Fri 30 Oct 11:25AM

  3. chrisjohnmitch

    HERE HERE !!

    From ANFIELD IAN, on Thu 29 Oct 7:46PM

  4. Does anybody who writes on here actually watch the­ football matches they comment on? From what I read on­ here the majority of it seems to come from the mindless­ 1 team biased hooligan that has blighted football in­ this country for years. As a neutral last nights­ Arsenal Liverpool game was a joy to watch, quality­ football with a balance of fresh young &­ exprienced players intent on providing entertainmaent­ for REAL football fans. No theatrics, diving, thugery­ or rounding on the referee by certain players if they­ felt they had been hard done by (Rooney & Co take­ note). Yes Liverpool deserved a penelty for the hand­ ball but only if the referee was in a position to see­ it, as did Arsenal for the challenge on Sanchez Watt­ but refs can only give what they see.
    For any so called­ football fan to be pleased that an opposition manager­ will lose his job is sick. (As Arsene Wenger told the­ press last year "if all clubs are owned by­ billionaires still only 1 club can win the Premiership­ title & 3 will be relegated") The Premier­ league is the toughest in the world to win &­ provides some of the most spectacular football to be­ seen anywhere in the world, with a host of world class­ players on show for 9 months of the year. As football­ fans we should embrace the quality of games that are­ available to us to watch every week whoever is playing­ & stop all the pathetic biased attitudes that­ appear on these forums all to frequently.

    From chrisjohnmitch, on Thu 29 Oct 3:16PM
  5. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    ha ha ha liverpool losing again. Mr benitez thank man­ utd cause if it had not been that victory you are­ jobless today. first trophy is out for liverpool, the­ league surely is out . like all these 16 years,­ champions league is almost away too, maybe the fa cup.­ we see. hope liverpool won't win anything. COME ON­ MANCHESTER UNITED

    From ciccinna_f, on Thu 29 Oct 3:04PM
  6. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Feel free to find sexy sport babes' pictures @ Af­­­ roMi ng le @ c- o - m ... You will like it...........

    From Serena, on Thu 29 Oct 1:57PM

  7. right I'm off for my dinner, and before some smart­ ar5e types it , I'm not going to sign on ok

    From FoeyP, on Thu 29 Oct 12:23PM

  8. I'm out of touch. Is Wilshere hurt? Any reason he­ didn't make the squad?

    From hoagland3, on Thu 29 Oct 12:18PM

  9. no worries, don't like the mancs.

    From yorkie, on Thu 29 Oct 12:16PM

  10. Everybody was hoping, that Arsenal is going to drop­ from the super 4 this year. However, it's­ astonishing, that the gunners are beating people­ imagination. They are here again performing better ­ than ever,this is the time the whole world will see,­ that buying big players can only do little to improve­ a team.Arsenal has been proving this every year.They­ are yet to prove it again this time,which I'm sure­ they will do again.

    From Babatunde, on Thu 29 Oct 12:15PM

  11. yorkie I must point out that Liverpool invented the­ casual scene and the rest of the country copied. Shell­ suits are prada now amigo, evberything you see on the­ high street was spawned from the Liverpool casual scene­ so that makes all of you scruffy b'stards and copy­ cats

    From FoeyP, on Thu 29 Oct 12:12PM

  12. sorry about mentioning Peter Sutcliffe, its just with­ you mentioning clubbing wives and all that pal

    From FoeyP, on Thu 29 Oct 12:10PM

  13. and before you say that was years ago and I'm out­ of touch...emmm well its relevant to today, the only­ difference you now you tuck your shell suit bottoms­ into your socks, trendy.

    From yorkie, on Thu 29 Oct 12:04PM

  14. now now yorkie temper temper don't be going all­ pete sutcliffe on me eh?

    Only a bit of banter might­ tight wad yorkshire friend

    Our mutual enemy is­ Manchester so lets keep it light amigo

    From FoeyP, on Thu 29 Oct 12:03PM

  15. foey you have just described the scouse race there­ mate, Mr Rooney being a good example i don't know­ whats inside that skull of yours but its not a brain,­ as scousers dint have them, knuckle dragging inbred­ neanderthals that club their wives and girlfriend and­ drag them of to the chippy for a fish supper, you bunch­ of cholesterol filled lardies shell suit wearing toad­ speaking idiots.

    From yorkie, on Thu 29 Oct 11:57AM

  16. Yorkie Spends too much time on the internet and his­ local library consequently his missus is getting porked­ by every tom @#$% and Harry on his 5hithole Dewsbury­ estate that’s over run with backward people such as­ sharron Matthews, the estate in which he dwells is full­ of inbred yorkies whose eyes are too close together and­ their eyebrows meet in the middle

    From FoeyP, on Thu 29 Oct 11:44AM

  17. foey where are all your manc mate?

    From yorkie, on Thu 29 Oct 11:44AM

  18. foye not nice

    From yorkie, on Thu 29 Oct 11:42AM

  19. Yorkie didn't you used to go out with Sharron­ Matthews?

    From FoeyP, on Thu 29 Oct 11:27AM

  20. heads off to the gunners..... u are in form no doubt­ about it.. from dee

    From DERRICK, on Thu 29 Oct 11:22AM
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