The Carling Cup game between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday Oct 28 2009.
Arsène Wenger may just have unearthed another gem. With all eyes on the arrival in English football of Liverpool's Alberto Aquilani, it was actually another midfielder – Fran Merida – whose presence lit up the Emirates and tipped the scales in favour of Arsenal! .
Flawless in possession, Merida was also incisive going forward, scoring an outstanding goal and then helping to create Nicklas Bendtner's winner.
Having followed in the footsteps of Cecs Fábregas by controversially trading Catalonia for North London as a teenager, it was telling that the watching Arsenal captain led the standing ovation when Merida was substituted in the final minutes.
His performance was all the remarkable for the fact that only a late change of heart from Wenger ensured that he remained with Arsenal this season. With the club playing a pre-season friendly in Valencia, Merida travelled with enough luggage for a planned loan spell at Levante until Wenger simply decided that the 19-year-old had too much quality to be lost for the season.
Arsenal are condemned for some of their ticket-pricing but, credit where it is due, the Carling Cup policy of entry starting ! at £5 and £10 continues to ensure a virtually full Emirates! Stadium even when the players on show are not always among the most recognisable.
Indeed, between them, there were a total of 20 changes from the respective teams that featured in the Premier League on Sunday, with Arsène Wenger resting every player from the deflating 2-2 draw against West Ham.
Even so, the Arsenal team contained rather more experience as Samir Nasri, Eduardo and Nicklas Bendtner all returned from injury, while Mikaël Silvestre and Philippe Senderos were given rare opportunities at centre-back.
The position of Arsenal goalkeeper also remains intriguing. Wenger has said that Manuel Almunia now faces a three-way fight with Vito Mannone and Lukasz
Fabianski for his place but, at present, he cannot even get into the team for the Carling Cup. Fabianski was making his first appearance of the season following knee surgery and, initially last night, was the goalkeeper that looked most likely to come unde! r pressure. Dirk Kuyt was particularly lively and shot one chance wide before combining with Ryan Babel to put Philipp
Degen clear on goal. Degen, though, tried to be too clever with his finishing and guided the ball narrowly wide with the outside of his right foot.
With Nasri and Bendtner pushing forward in support of Eduardo, Arsenal carried the greater threat when they did gain possession. Nasri looked sprightly on his comeback following a broken leg, while Kieran Gibbs, in front of a watching Fabio Capello, also linked up encouraging down the left with the returning France international.
Gibbs still needs to displace Gael Clichy at Arsenal to have a realistic chance of making Capello's World Cup squad as Ashley Cole's understudy and was involved as Bendtner almost forced an opening following a quick exchange of passes.
Wenger had suggested that Arsenal over-complicated their passing against West Ham o! n Sunday and, when they did take the lead last night, it certa! inly owe d most to a rather more direct approach.
Liverpool had lost possession inside their half and the ball broke to Fran Merida, who simply glanced up and fired a vicious swerving shot inside Diego
Cavalieri's near-post. It was a wonderful finish, but Liverpool's equaliser was of a similar quality. David Ngog had cushioned a long clearance into the path of Emiliano Insua and, perhaps sensing that Fabianski had drifted just a few yards off his line, the Argentine unleashed a powerful volley that dipped perfectly at the last minute to nestle into the Arsenal net. It was
Liverpool's first goal away from Anfield since they beat Leeds in the previous round of the Carling Cup over a month ago. Arsenal, though, had several opportunities to restore their lead shortly before half-time, with
Bendtner most culpable when he shot straight at Cavalieri following a goal-mouth scramble.
Yet while his finishing might som! etimes be erratic, confidence is not a quality that Bendtner lacks and, when another chance came, he was rather more clinical. Merida, once again, was involved and his cute cross glanced off Aaron Ramsey and into enough space for the Dane to shoot beyond Cavalieri.
As Liverpool searched for an equaliser, the lack of strength in depth appeared evident. Kuyt was occasionally threatening but, with Senderos commanding, Babel and Andrei Voronin were largely toothless.
The closest they came to an equaliser was when Kuyt broke down the right, but Babel was just unable to convert his cross. Even the long-awaited appearance of
Aquilani for a brief late cameo did little to galvanise Liverpool who, after the euphoria of Sunday's win against Manchester United, have now lost five of their last six matches.
Match details
Arsenal: (4-2-3-1) Fabianski; Gilbert, Silvestre, Sender! os, Gibbs; Eastmond, Merida; Bendtner, Ramsey, Nasri; Eduar! do
Subs: Bartley, Coquelin, Frimpong, Randall, Sunu, Watt, Szczesny
Liverpool: (4-2-3-1) Cavalieri; Degen, Skrtel, Kyrgiakos, Insua; Plessis, Spearing; Babel, Voronin, Kuyt; Ngog
Subs: Reina, Aquilani, Benayoun, Darby, Dossena, Eccleston, Ayala
Referee: A Wiley
