Robin van Persie has scored 45% of Arsenal’s league goals this season.
And Wenger says he’ll do all in his power to keep him.
But Arsenal were lucky to win 2-1 at Anfield.
Perhaps predictably, the difference was Van Persie, who said, ” I don’t think we deserved it, to be honest.”
But RVP was happy to nick the result in the 93rd minute with a volley from Song’s killer chip into the six yard box.
Lucky Arsenal? Just a bit.
Lucky after 10 minutes when Suarez beat Koscielny and Szeczesny came out of his penalty area and headed to Downing, who scuffed his volley into the ground, allowing the keeper to head away again.
That incident alone suggested this wasn’t going to be one of Arsenal’s better days. But Sagna produced a brilliant challenge to deny Downing when he was one-on-one.
As co-commentator Matt Le Tissier said, ref Mark Halsey was guessing when he gave a penalty against Szczesny when Suarez dived over his leg, as Gareth Bale did last week.
The keeper saved Kuyt’s penalty with his right hand and then dived across his 24-foot wide goal to save with his left when Kuyt scuffed the rebound shot into the ground.
Liverpool’s finishing was dire and they needed a Koscielny own-goal to give them the lead in 23. The defender was beaten by a measured bouncing cross from Jordan Henderson, which scooted against Koscielny’s left shin. That attempted clearance could have beaten the post but it went into the net.
It was almost 2-0 on 25 when Charlie Adam linked with Kuyt, broke on the left, passed infield again to Kuyt, who found Jordan Henderson unmarked in a shooting position.
Henderson didn’t have the bottle to put his foot through the ball and his careful shot was pushed away by Szczesny to Suarez, who hit the near post as Koscielny closed to make the block.
Then Sagna hit David Beckham’s finest dipping cross into the six-yard box and Van Persie headed past the stationary Reina for 1-1.
If the on-form Agger had played, not Carragher, that would not have been a goal.
That’s my opinion but it’s hypothetical now : we’ll never know.
Last week, when Sagna planted that header into the back of the Tottenham net, he raced into the goal to pick up the ball, like hungry Manchester United players invariably do. Sagna was saying, “Come on! We can beat this lot!”
More people should realise that Bacary Sagna is one of the good guys in football today.
Maybe he’ll get back into Lauren Blanc’s team.
As we know, Luis Suarez is, like Carlos Tevez, a spiky one-man army who can take on a whole defence on his own and invariably get something : a goal, a free-kick, a corner or a throw.
Suarez now replied with a twisting dribble. The nasty Uruguayan beat Vermaelen, evaded Song, left Sagna unwilling to go near a diver, dummed Koscielny, and poked a low shot that Szczesny saved.
Then Charlie Adam crossed and Kuyt hit the ball against the far post.
Then Walcott got a ball and ran into three red shirts. Just pitiful.
Arsenal were being completely outplayed.
On 69, another Kuyt cross reached the far post but Martin Kelly panicked and missed a sitter. His right boot actually scuffed the ball onto his left heel. What a let-off for Arsenal!
It was amazing that Dalglish didn’t bring Bellamy on until the 88th minute, when his team had missed so many chances.
Then Robin Bang!Persie rocked Anfield again when his mighty left foot connected with Song’s sublime and penetrating chip.
An expert finish for Goal No.31 of the Dutchman’s wonder-season
Lots of other action, subs and injuries too.
But you saw it all, I’m sure.