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MOTD- Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool

By on February 16, 2014

It might not seem that critical of a result on paper, considering Liverpool have only been knocked out of the FA Cup with the loss to Arsenal away in London, but the result of the match should eventually have a big effect on Arsenal’s and Liverpool’s form coming into the Premier League run-in.  Arsenal, who are in the middle of a tough run of matches, went into the match looking to redeem themselves following a 5-1 loss to Liverpool just eight days ago in the Premier League, while also casting eyes onto the massive chance of actual silverware they would get so much closer to touching with a spot in the quarterfinals.  Even though the Gunners aren’t expected to rise up to the occasion when a chance at silverware flashes, the Londoners scraped out the win, which will also give them a handy boost in their morale coming into more tough fixtures against Bayern Munich, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur  in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, yet another poor result for Liverpool will leave a side teetering dangerously close to the edge of disaster in very poor form coming into one of the most important parts of the Premier League season.  Brendan Rodgers’ side are probably wondering how they lost, having played fluid attacking football and not defending too atrociously as they have in recent matches, but that doesn’t mean the result isn’t what it is, a loss.  However, the visitors still have a point.  Liverpool nearly took the lead in the FA Cup Fifth Round match less than one-hundred seconds into the match through some awfully wonderful plan as Steven Gerrard slipped a brilliant through ball into the run of Daniel Sturridge down the right channel.  Yet one-on-one with Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski the English international could only slap a low shot straight at the Pole, who scrambled it wide.

Liverpool continued to push forward before Arsenal could even establish a real foothold in the match, with The Reds coming so close to taking the lead in the sixth minute when Philippe Coutinho scooped a stunning ball over the Liverpool defense towards the diagonal run of Sturridge.  The 24-year-old latched onto the ball before rounding Fabianski, only to once again fail to take the lead as he cut his shot from a tight angle on the left into the side netting.

Arsenal began to string some passes together, coming into the match at a slight lesser pace than Liverpool, although the visiting fans, and everybody else for that matter, still found it quite shocking when the home side took the lead.  Mesut Ozil clipped a cross in from the left from the aftermath of a promising Arsenal free-kick and Yaya Sanogo rose up, guiding the ball down on his chest before slicing a volley into the path of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain off of a Liverpool defender.  The Ox slammed a half-volley into the ground from twelve yards out, watching as the shot bounced into the bottom corner, scoring a crucial goal that Liverpool were slow to respond to.

Luis Suarez volleyed an amazing measured ball towards Fabianski, who palmed the shot away, from the right side of goal, but Liverpool didn’t really get things moving again until the second half began.  Joe Allen squeezed Suarez in down the right side of the Arsenal box moments into the second period, and although Fabianski only just managed to kick the Uruguayan’s low effort away Liverpool fans would yet again find themselves in for a heart-breaker just seconds later.  Oxlade-Chamberlain was released down the right flank, and after breezing by Daniel Agger cut a low ball back into the box, where Lukas Podolski came in to tap it into the bottom of the far corner of the net from ten yards out.

This time, Liverpool response was quicker.  Sturridge curled a shot from the edge of the box at Fabianski in the fifty-seventy minute, and right before the hour mark Podolski hacked at Suarez’s legs just inside the penalty area, which was all the contact the 27-year-old needed to take a ridiculous fall and win a penalty.  Gerrard coolly slotted the penalty into the bottom left corner of the net, and although Liverpool pushed for an equalizer in the final minutes of the match, it just wasn’t their day, ending with the 2-1 loss sending them out of the FA Cup.
Man of the Match: Lukasz Fabianski

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.