Boring Boring scousers, boring boring Arsenal. That used to bug the shit out of me.
Well the former more so, I had one of them great feelings on day 1 this season, a game that is built up to be the be all and end all, and you buy into and it is even better than you thought. That is how I felt day 1 of the season, I knew I was about to be entertained and I was.
I knew not because of sky hyping the shit out of it, but because there have been so many great Liverpool Arsenal games down the years that left a mark. I just love it when these two teams go hell for leather at each other, I felt we sometimes did it under Houllier, definitely under Benitez, Rodgers too and definitely Klopp. I don’t know what goes on behind the scenes but I get the impression if we think of sitting back against Arsenal we will lose anyway, so fuck it if we go down, go down swinging. Like watching two heavyweights abandon defence and just go hell for leather.
It really is just a marvellous fixture, and both teams have reason to enjoy it. There has been everything, goals, last minute goals, drama, hat tricks, away wins, red cards, cups and titles.
Ill kick it off with titles, ok you won’t like it but you have to admit Arsenal’s win at Anfield in 1989 was pretty amazing. A brief description for those too young, Arsenal come to Anfield, it’s the final league game of the season, and it’s all or nothing. They need to beat us by two goals or more or Liverpool win the league title to add to an FA cup they won the previous week. An early second half header from Arsenal striker Alan Smith puts the game on an absolute knife edge and deep into injury time his team mate Michael Thomas seals the deal with the all-important second, Arsenal snatch the closest league title ever contested, on goal difference.
To be honest the drama only kicked off in most recent years for this fixture, the above was dramatic but it was a few years before things really kicked up a gear. There was some brilliance in the mid-90s and it was all about one man. In August of 1994 Robbie Fowler, at the age of just 19, scored a sensational hat-trick in less than 5 minutes to lead us to a 3-0 win, a truly phenomenal personal achievement. A year later in the same fixture Liverpool won 3-1 with Fowler amazingly bagging another hat-trick, this time it took a little longer but all 3 goals were set up by Stan Collymore, it was also a perfect right foot, left foot and headed hat-trick. That’s why we call him God.
Fast forward to the new millennium, two French Gaffers, Arsene Wenger with Arsenal, Gerard Houllier with Liverpool. Both these clubs were often unfairly labelled boring, the new millennium has changed it for me, in December 2000 Liverpool walloped Arsenal 4-0 at Anfield and a few months later they stole the FA cup right out from under their noses when two late Michael Owen goals won Liverpool the trophy.
There were many trophies won by both clubs in this time, between 2001 and 2006 both clubs between them won 2 leagues, 5 Fa cups, 2 league cups, a Uefa cup, a Champions league and Arsenal also went one season unbeaten in the league. That season 2003-4 saw another brilliant personal accolade as Arsenal downed Liverpool 4-2 at Highbury, the Gunners came from behind twice to win with Thierry Henry bagging a hat-trick.
The years when Benitez and Wenger managed the clubs lead to some fantastic matches, who could forget Neil Mellor’s day of days in November 2004 when his last minute goal gave Liverpool victory? There were unsung heroes too that have long been forgotten about, in January 2007 both sides played out an insane league cup tie that saw Arsenal beat Liverpool 6-3 at Anfield with Julio Baptista scoring 4 times. Two months later Liverpool (who had lost 3 games to Arsenal already that season) gained revenge when Peter Crouch scored a perfect hat-trick in a 4-1 Liverpool win.
The 2007-8 season served up 4 wonderful games, I remember the match at Anfield in the league ending 1-1 and it could have literally been any score after a magnificent match. Later on that season the two sides played out two further 1-1 draws before the main course and dessert came in one marvellous Champions league night. With the tie finely balanced at 1-1 from the first leg, Arsenal took the lead at Anfield through About Diaby in the second leg. A thumping header from Sami Hyypia and a wonderful Fernando Torres finish gave us the lead. Late on, Emmanuel Adebayor made it 2-2 but just as Arsenal though they were going through on away goals a late Steven Gerrard penalty and a very late Ryan Babel strike gave Liverpool a 4-2 win on the night and a 5-3 aggregate win. It was an amazing night.
There was more drama the following season when the two sides played out a sensational 4-4 draw with Arsenal’s Andriy Arshavin scoring all 4 of Arsenal’s goals which pretty much ruined any chance we had of winning the league in 2009. So two years later we got revenge, Liverpool now under Kenny Dalglish had little to play for, Arsenal hung on to small hopes they could win the title. The match had a long allotted amount of injury time after Jamie Carragher suffered a head injury. Robin Van Persie scored a penalty with something like 99 minutes on the clock yet remarkably there was still time for Dirk Kuyt to score from the spot with the last kick of the game for a 1-1 draw ending Arsenal’s league challenge for another year.
It was hard to find something to talk about many years ago, it is now harder to find fixtures to not talk about. Let’s fast forward to February 2014, Arsenal lead the league, Liverpool threatening to join the race, and one glorious afternoon saw Liverpool go goal crazy in a mind blowingly explosive performance that has my head spinning just thinking about it. It was seriously that damn good!
Liverpool were ahead inside a minute through Martin Skrtel and remarkably by the 20th minute, Skrtel, Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge had shot Liverpool into a 4-0 lead, in that time Luis Suarez hit the post and Sturridge wasted another chance. The game ended 5-1 with Sterling adding another but it was truly one of the finest performances I have ever seen from a Liverpool side and under Brendan Rodgers we would eventually take the title race to the final day before finishing second. (Though we really should have won).
Last season also saw two brilliant games, a 0-0 draw at the beginning of the season which was one of the best scoreless games you will ever see with both Petr Cech of Arsenal and Simon Mignolet of Liverpool excelling between the posts, however the two keepers have had a fair bit of goals to contend with since. There have been 13 goals in the last two games!
January of 2016, Roberto Firmino and Olivier Giroud helped themselves to braces as the teams traded the lead throughout the night and late on Joe Allen bundled home an equalizer which was no more than Liverpool deserved in a thrilling 3-3 draw. I am now going to bring my review full circle, as we end with how I started, with the opening day of the season.
This summed up the drama of the fixture for me, Arsenal came close to taking the lead when they were awarded a penalty but Simon Mignolet brilliantly thwarted Theo Walcott, though sadly for Mignolet it was wasted a minute later when Walcott scored after yet another mistake from Alberto Moreno who had given the spot kick away. Just before half time we exploded into life when Phillippe Coutinho rifled home a marvellous free kick. In the second half it got even better for the reds, Adam Lallana slotted home brilliantly before a wonderful move was rounded off by Coutinho’s second. Liverpool debutant Sadio Mane then got in on the act with a blisteringly quick run down the right before he cut back inside and smashed an unstoppable shot into the top corner. To Arsenal’s credit they fought back through goals from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Callum Chambers making it a very nervy last few minutes but Liverpool held on for a win. Incidentally 5 of the 7 goals came from ex-Southampton players. Useless fact of the day.
Both sides are losing touch with the top runners, Liverpool’s brilliant start to the season has been undone by some very poor form since Christmas, Arsenal have become restless under Arsene Wenger who after 20 years at the helm is rapidly losing the faith of some supporters (some rather ungrateful ones I might add). Arsenal recently lost to both Watford and Chelsea while they were also hammered in the Champions league by Bayern Munich.
I again envision two sides who will just come out swinging, given that we seem to struggle against teams that sit back that type of opponent might suit us down to the ground, here is hoping.
Team news: Dejan Lovren will hopefully shake off a knock, while Daniel Sturridge may also return, Marko Grujic is back in training but is unlikely to feature as unfortunately is skipper Jordan Henderson.
Arsenal: Laurent Koscielny is a doubt meaning Arsenal will probably go with Shkodran Mustafi and Gabriel at the back. Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla remain out.
A win for Liverpool will see them leapfrog Arsenal to 4th although the Gunners have a game in hand. A win is now a must for us as we struggle to get back the momentum that saw us take everyone’s breath away on the opening day of the season.
BETTING ODDS (via 888 Sport)
• Liverpool to win: 19/20
• Arsenal to win: 29/10
• Draw: 51/20
EDIT: SPECIAL THANKS TO TITI CAMARA FOR THE GRAPHICS