© EuroFootball.com
On Tuesday, the last quarter-final match of the Carling Cup tournament was played, which had been postponed from December 20 due to thick fog at the time. In these matches, Liverpool and Arsenal clubs met for the second time in the last three days. However, if Arsenal triumphed 3-1 in the FA Cup third round match on Saturday, then on Tuesday they simply knocked out the hosts of Anfield stadium with a score of 6-3 and moved on to the semi-finals.
3 - 6 27‘ [0 – 1] Jeremie Aliadiere 31‘ [1 – 1] Robbie Fowler 40‘ [1 – 2] Julio Baptista 45+2‘ [1 – 3] Alexandre Song Billong 45+6‘ [1 – 4] Julio Baptista 60‘ [1 – 5] Julio Baptista 68‘ [2 – 5] Steven Gerrard 80‘ [3 – 5] Sami Hyypia 84‘ [3 – 6] Julio Baptista
In the eyes first and foremost, it was noticeable that many reserve players came onto the pitch for both teams due to the right to play in the semi-finals.
Already after 5 minutes, Liverpool defender Mark Gonzalez suffered an injury and was carried off the field, replaced by Luis Garcia.
The start of the match did not promise anything bad for the hosts. They began the match actively and attacked constantly, keeping Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia busy.
However, despite that, the first to score were the visitors. In the 27th minute, Jeremie Aliadiere, not often appearing in Arsenal's lineup, received a pass from Kolo Toure and directed the ball into the goal. But just 5 minutes later, the score became equal. After a pass from L. Garcia, Anfield legend Robbie Fowler almost from the goal line sent the ball into the net – 1-1.
Not long after, Arsenal restored their lead – with a great penalty shot from a distance of about 25 meters, Julio Baptista, who had transferred from Real Madrid to the London club in the summer, scored.
The end of the first half was nightmarish for the hosts and seemed to reflect the whole game. The referee added even six minutes, wasted at the beginning of the match due to M. Gonzalez's injury. During this time, Liverpool managed to concede two goals. First, Alexandre Song scored after a corner, then Julio Baptista made a precise shot from 12 meters. The first half ended with the shocking score of 1-4. But that was not the end.
After the break, Liverpool took control of the ball and tried to attack more decisively, but the nightmare at Anfield continued. In the 56th minute, Sami Hyypia committed a foul on J. Aliadiere in the penalty area, but Jerzy Dudek saved the penalty shot taken by J. Baptista.
In the 60th minute, J. Baptista corrected his mistake. Another accurate long shot and the score (5-1) became more than indecent.
Finally, Liverpool managed to score as well. In the 68th minute, Steven Gerrard scored precisely from the penalty area, and in the 80th minute, Sami Hyypia scored with a header – 3-5.
But Arsenal had the final say in these crazy matches. In the 84th minute, after a pass from J. Aliadiere, J. Baptista scored the fourth goal in this match from a few meters – 3-6. A few minutes later, Liverpool defender Lee Peltier also responded with a goal, but it was scored from an offside position.
Arsenal players impressively crushed Liverpool, and in the semi-finals of the League Cup, they will face Tottenham in a two-match series. The other semi-final pair will start the battle on Thursday – Chelsea will host the League 4 leaders, Wycombe.
