The Gunners tasted FA Cup success on Sunday after a 2-1 win over a resilient Liverpool team at the Emirates; the club will now progress to the quarter final. Arsenal exacted revenge on Liverpool and went some way to forgetting last week´s crushing 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Anfield club. More importantly though the team showed signs that the loss had not caused confidence problems and the game hinted that the players may be getting back to their best.
It seems crazy that fans and the press have been getting on Arsene Wenger´s back this week, especially as a title challenge is very much still in motion. The Frenchman has showed unwavering belief that his squad and can recover from blips this season, and the players are repaying the manager by proving that to be true. With Liverpool arguably the most feared team in the Premier League at this moment in time, it was a win that positioned Arsenal as a real force for the remainder of the season.
As we suggested before the game, Wenger shuffled the pack and started with a team that had a touch of a cup selection about it. Lukasz Fabianski was drafted in to replace Wojciech Szczesny in goal, while there were also starts for Carl Jenkinson, Lukas Podolski, and Yaya Sanogo. Key to success was the return of Mathieu Flamini who brought some much needed organization and defensive strength into the midfield.
Liverpool always looked dangerous, especially as manager Brendon Rogers named arguably his strongest team, while the players that tore Arsenal apart a week ago were present and correct. This time though the Gunners seemed more organized and more prepared for what Liverpool threw at them, and during the first half Arsenal looked comfortable.
The Emirates had something to cheer in the 16th minute when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain continued his good form since returning from injury to put Arsenal in front. Mesut Ozil received a Liverpool clearance on the half way line and pumped the ball back into the box where it was greeted by the impressive Sanogo. As Wenger pointed out after the match, it was very much like a debut for Sanogo, and he did well in the circumstances and on this occasion drove a shot that was blocked by Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. Oxlade-Chamberlain collected the rebound and slotted home.
Arsenal doubled their advantage early in the second 45-minutes. Oxlade-Chamberlain was the architect of the goal with a silky run down the right wing that ended with a cut back to Podolski, with the German wasting no time in finishing for 2-0.
Liverpool improved greatly for the remainder of the game and there were moments where the Gunners were under pressure. The Reds halved the score when Podolski felled Luis Suarez in the area and Gerrard found the net with his penalty. Despite pushing for the rest of the game that would be as good as it got for Liverpool as Arsenal held on for the win.
Arsene Wenger and his troops will face Everton in the next round of the cup, but full attention turns to the Champions League and Bayern Munich this week.