Warthog At Large

Finally. After two draws in this harrowing trilogy, Liverpool came out on top and dashed Arsenal’s hope of a Champions League cup. The first goal of the match from Abou Diaby was a painful lapse in Liverpool’s defense as the Arsenal midfielder capitalized on a wide break in the line of defenders to get a goal in. There was no hope for a quick equalizer; the Gunners went on an attacking frenzy while Liverpool again suffered from a torturous stretch of inaccurate passes. Watching the 15 minutes of play after that Diaby goal was like a colonic session gone wrong. The Reds were a mess.

Fortunately, things turned around in the 30th minute as Sami Hyypia converted Steven Gerrard’s corner into a goal. Hyppia’s brilliant header proved to be the energizing force that woke the Reds up from their potentially disastrous stupor. With 1-1 on the scoreboard, Liverpool took control of the game, miraculously improved on their passes, and maintained possessions of the ball.

The second half started with Liverpool still dominating the match. Peter Crouch managed to take a couple of shots but it was Fernando Torres who took the Reds on a lead when he expertly swiveled past Philippe Senderos and sent the ball flying into the top corner. The youthful Spaniard was awfully quiet in the first leg of the quarterfinals and didn’t show much action in the first half of this match that I was starting to wonder whether he has died or something. Glad to see him back in the limelight.

Liverpool clearly had the upper hand after that second goal and I was just about ready to write off Arsenal even after Arsene Wenger brought in Robin Van Persie and Theo Walcott in a desperate effort to salvage their Champions League hope. Well what do you know, in the 84th minute, Walcott nabbed ball possession, made a stunning run from the far end of the pitch to Pepe Reina’s domain while managing to evade four Liverpool players, and delivered a cross to Emmanuel Adebayor. It was one of the best plays you could ever hope to see.

Arsenal wasn’t able to bask in their glorious advantage for long though. Seconds later, the Gunners conceded a penalty after Kolo Toure fouled Ryan Babel. Gerrard then coolly brought the Reds back into the lead with a successful shot. With the final minutes winding down and the Gunners all piling forward in a last-ditch attempt to squeeze a goal in, Babel managed to take the ball away with only Cesc Fabregas trailing him and delivered the final score that sealed Liverpool’s awesome victory.

Great game. Great win. We’re taking Chelsea down.