The tie at the Emirates was a chance for the young and fringe players of Arsenal and Liverpool to take centre stage and stake a claim for first team football. Both sides started well passing the ball neatly, but it was the away side that carved out the best of the early chances. A swift move ended with Dirk Kuyt steering a volley towards goal as early as the third minute from Daivd Ngog's cross. The Frenchman was again the provider five minutes later when his back heel fell into the path of right-back Philipp Degen. The Swiss international burst into the penalty area, but his shot couldn't find the target.
Arsenal's best chance came after 10 minutes when Samir Nasri was upended by Martin Skertl. The Arsenal no.8, playing his first game since breaking a leg, stepped up to take the resulting free-kick and flashed a shot inches wide of the post.
Arsenal Edge in Front
It was the home side who broke the deadlock however, when Fran Merida fired an unstoppable left foot shot from the edge of the box into the top corner of Cavalieri's goal. Their lead didn't last long though and Liverpool were back on level terms seven minutes later. Ryan Babel headed a long punt up field into the path of Emiliano Insua and the Argentine struck a vicously dipping strike to register his first goal in Liverpool colours.
Ten minutes before half time Arsenal created another opportunity when they carved open Liverpool's defence on the counter. Eduardo knocked the ball past the onrushing Cavalieri but his goal bound effort was cleared by Skertl. Liverpool survived another scare just before half-time when Cavalieri came and missed a corner resulting in a goal mouth scramble. The ball eventually fell to Niklas Bendtner, but his shot on the turn was straight into the arms of the Liverpool keeper who had recovered his position.
Cavalieri made up for his early jitters within seconds of the restart when he dashed off his line to nick the ball of the toe of Bendtner. The big Dane got the last laugh three minutes later however after he found space in the Liverpool penalty area to lash a powerful drive into the roof of the net.
Alberto Aquilani Makes His Liverpool Bow
Liverpool were beginning to labour but the moment the travelling fans had been waiting for came after 76 minutes when Italian, Alberto Aquilani was introduced to the field of play. The 20m summer signing from Roma was involved immediately and was busy and instrumental in mounting Liverpool attacks and was involved in his sides best passing move of the match. Voronin was also heavily involved, but with the goal gaping, Ryan Babel was unable to make contact with the ball and turn it in.
The Reds then had a penalty appeal turned down late on when Aquilani's overhead effort hit Senderos on the hand, but the Arsenal man knew little about it and it was rightly dismissed.
Teams
Arsenal: LukaszFabianski, Phillipe Senderos, Mikael Silvestre, Kieran Gibbs, Craig Eastmond (Mark Randall 67), Kerrea Gilbert, Samir Nasri, Aaron Ramsey, Fran Merida (Francis Coquelin 87), Eduardo, Niklas Bendtner (Sanchez Watt 75)
Substitutes: Wojciech Szczesny, Kyle Bartley, Francis Coquelin, Emmanuel Frimpong, Mark Randall, Gilles Sunu, Sanchez Watt
Liverpool: Diego Cavalieri, Philipp Degen (Nathan Ecclestone 88), Sotirios Kyrgiakos, Martin Skertl, Emiliano Insua, Damien Plessis (Alberto Aquilani 76), Jay Spearing, Dirk Kuyt, Ryan Babel, Andriy Voronin, David Ngog (Yossi Benayoun 74)
Substitutes: Pepe Reina, Yossi Benayoun, Andrea Dossena, Daniel Ayala, Alberto Aquilani, Nathan Eccleston
Goals: Merida 29, Insua 26, Bendtner 50
Yellow Cards:
Referee: Alan Wiley
Attendance: 60,004
