Arsenal (Mammoth) 1 Liverpool (Red Socks) 1
The first clash between these American owned institutions and a Hollywood finish to boot.
For Mammoth – you could read Rams, Nuggets, Avalanche, Rapids. These are the names belonging to teams of Kroenke Sports Enterprises. Mammoth, named after a Colorado lacrosse team seems the most appropriate after today\’s showing.
This was a watershed game. Danny Fiszman was remembered well in a minute\’s silence. One stadium camera panned on the media shy US capitalist who is taking over the reins.
There are strong links between Arsenal and Liverpool. The guy who runs the Liverpool Museum told me a few years ago the Liverpool directors like coming to Arsenal best of all. “They are a real football clubâ€. Those links will no doubt be reinforced with the Americanisation of both clubs.
Now they were linked with memories of the departed – Danny Fiszman for Arsenal; the Hillsborough victims for Liverpool 22 years ago this week.
Today was like saying a real final bye to an English institution and memories of Highbury and welcoming internationalisation, globalisation and more commercialisation.
Is that something Arsenal fans want? It is the world we live in – changed times where the new world order is not in Europe.
But the natives are restless, Stan.
The question is: Do you want your new sports outfit to win something? Or are you content with just a Champions league place year in, year out?
In many ways that question has already been answered.
“Same old, same old†was a phrase coming out more and more as frustration grew.
But same old, which has been the mantra coming out since the share offer, is what Arsenal fans don\’t want.
Oh for a modern version of a Malcolm Macdonald, who would take the forward play by the scruff of the neck and drive on. Oh for a Geordie Armstrong, who could send in an accurate cross. Oh for a John Radford who would rise and hang and give it some regardless of the consequences. Or better still, the late great Joe Baker who packed a fantastic punch, pound for pound.
But we have tippy-tappy, technical without the aggression and muscle. Arsenal need both. Witness Yaya Toure taking United apart yesterday.
There was a clash of styles, here. Liverpool played more English, with a traditional centre forward. Arsenal relied on angled runs and through balls, particularly from the right.
Diaby, who had one of his better games, was unlucky with a Nasri cross, heading just past the post.
Liverpool had a succession of corners with Carroll prominent but not particularly threatening.
But it was Arsenal who nearly broke the deadlock aerially, as Koscielny headed against the bar after a succession of van Persie in-swingers.
Fabregas who seemed slow and off the pace, with some wayward passes at first, grew into the game, and at times the best hope of a goal was his searching forward, probing passes for van Persie.
The Dutchman had three good chances. One was cleared. One went wide. The other went straight at Reina.
Suarez, who looks a player, had a couple of dangerous shots as the Arsenal midfield backed off.
But the game was disrupted by first Carroll\’s leg injury and then Jamie Carragher\’s collision with Flanagan.
Such long injury breaks threaten the theory that Arsenal\’s neat interplay wears teams out, giving them a greater chance of scoring in the last few minutes.
As it happened, Fabregas\’s guile and physical nous, ensured Arsenal were awarded a penalty for Spearing\’s foul, which van Persie dispatched well and low.
Only for the team to immediately show its Achilles heels, as Song failed to clear the ball twice, and then giving away a dangerous free kick after eight minutes of injury time.
The ball hit the wall. But Eboue, like the headless Ivorian chicken which he sometimes is, ran as if his head was not co-ordinated with his body, into Lucas in the area, who automatically went down.
Kuyt dispatched the penalty with equal panache, effectively extinguishing any momentary hopes of Arsenal realistically clawing back the points tally from Man United. Another defensive cock up denying Arsenal silverware?
Welcome to the brave new world. Same old, same old……..
Arsenal: Wojciech Szczesny, Emmanuel Eboue, Laurent Koscielny, Johan Djourou, Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott (74), Jack Wilshere (74), Abou Diaby (80)Robin van Persie
Substitutes: Jens Lehmann, Kieran Gibbs, Sebastien Squillaci, Andrey Arshavin
(74)Alex Song (80), Marouane Chamakh, Nicklas Bendtner (74)
Liverpool:Jose Reina, John Flanagan, Jamie Carragher (61),Martin Skrtel FabioAurelio (20), Jay Spearing, Leiva Lucas, Jose Raul Meireles, Andrew Carroll
(71),Luis Suarez, Dirk Kuyt
Substitutes:Peter Gulacsi, Sotirios Kyrgiakos (61), Jack Robinson, (20), Joe Cole,
Rodriguez Maxi, Jonjo Shelvey (71), David Ngog
Referee: Andre Marriner