Liverpool were undone by three precise puncture wounds from the dagger that came inevitably from behind the Arsenal shield. It is one thing knowing how Wenger's side are going to play, another avoiding the dangers; at Anfield, spurred by an emotional crowd, Rafael Benitez's team had a duty to come forward but lacking the penetration to go with their welter of possession, it followed that punishment would come. Tomas Rosicky, with his first domestic goals for Arsenal, set up the victory with two lovely strikes but it was Thierry Henry's late third that hurt.
Henry's celebrations told of frustrations unleashed. “Players are not machines and sometimes they need to be refreshed. It was a great run,” said Wenger, “and Thierry's getting his legs back.”
Benitez blamed defensive mistakes for the defeat. He said: “We must be disappointed. We controlled the game for the first 35 minutes and then made two mistakes and conceded two goals, the second one right at the end of the half. The third was another mistake. But when you are losing you try to keep attacking, keep the ball and go forward. It is always a risk.
“When we scored I felt we were in the game and it was very close. But when you make another mistake, the third was a killer, you are punished. We deserved more in the first half. But to win you must score and not concede. We won the FA Cup last season and wanted to do the same this season.”
This was yet another defeat by a fellow “Big Four” side and another, when Arsenal return to the stadium on Tuesday in the Carling Cup semi-final, is unthinkable. “It will be a different game,” said Benitez through gritted teeth.
With yesterday's game shown live by the BBC it started with the Kop leading a protest against Kelvin MacKenzie, recently hired by the corporation, who was editor of the The Sun during its notorious coverage of Hillsbrough. It was extraordinary, a six-minute repetition of a single chant: “Justice for the 96”. So little happened on the pitch at the time it was as if the players were waiting respectfully for the crowd to stop.
When a picture finally emerged, Liverpool dominated. Luis Garcia was skittish, Jermaine Pennant marginal, Kuyt surrounded and Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard muzzled by Gilberto and Mattieu Flamini. Openings wouldn't come and when did, Peter Crouch chested expertly but volleyed into the stand. Alonso surprised Manuel Almunia with a 30-yard volley from a corner that dipped wide.
Alonso was harshly treated by Steve Bennett, who booked him for diving when he jumped over Gilberto's challenge in the box. It may not have been a penalty, since there was little contact, but since Gilberto lunged at the Spaniard with both feet up, Alonso had to leap the tackle.
Arsenal had done little for 36 minutes before Gilberto sent a pass from deep up to Robin van Persie on the halfway line, and he fed Alexander Hleb. The Belorussian gave the ball to Rosicky and veered away to the left flank to take Rosicky's return pass. The pair's movement stretched Liverpool and when Hleb returned possession to Rosicky with a lovely swish of the side of his foot, the Czech was on the edge of the area with the red guard strung out. First time, Rosicky plopped a lob over Jerzy Dudek. Liverpool had been mugged in the most velvety manner.
John Arne Riise had a free kick 20 yards out but bludgeoned it against the wall and as if to lecture Liverpool about the merits of being subtle, Wenger's craftsmen went upfield and fashioned a second goal. “Rosicky would never have scored the second if he hadn't scored the first,” said Wenger. His midfielder's sudden confidence was evident when he took the ball from Henry and advanced to send a carefully angled shot into an unguarded sliver of goal to Dudek's left, but that only tells the Arsenal side of the story. For Liverpool the strike was a disaster of defending. Kuyt and Garcia both tracked back, but let Rosicky run away from them and Steve Finnan unintelligently shadowed the Czech across the edge of the area and on to his favoured right foot. Finally Gerrard, offered Liverpool's final opportunity to tackle Rosicky, meekly declined.
Liverpool went straight in to face Benitez and his pique and whatever was said in the dressing room proved galvanising. Liverpool continued hurtling forward — there was no other option — but with greater pace and purpose, with Gerrard prominent. Swapping Fabio Aurelio for Riise also lent them propulsion and even Pennant began getting involved. It was his corner, in the 70th minute, that set up the high-octane finale. Crouch rose above Senderos to direct a header at goal that was unusually powerful by his standards. The pace on the ball left Kuyt, unmarked four yards out, with the job of directing the ball glance off his yellow mane, past Almunia and in. Then Aurelio shot close, but then Henry announced he is back.
The Arsenal captain hailed his teammates afterwards, particularly the way they dealt with the siege of their penalty area. “The commitment was spot on. The last 20 minutes they were bombarding us with crosses,” he said.
Two-goal hero Rosicky admitted his second goal only came when the Liverpool defence backed off him. “My first idea was to pass back to Thierry but then I shot,” he said. “I think everybody knows how good Thierry is. It's a great win for us.”