Arsenal (6) – (2) Blackburn Rovers
Vermaelen (17′), Van Persie (33′), Arshavin (37′),
Fabregas (57′), Walcott (75′), Bendtner (89′)
The Emirates Stadium, London

Well despite going behind twice Arsenal showed great spirit and in the end comfortably won the game 6-2, with goals from 6 different goalscorers.

The opening goal from Blackburn really set the pace for the match and because they got it so early you almost expecting an onslaught from Arsenal. After only 3 minutes, a long freekick from Paul Robinson flew into our penalty area and Steven Nzonzi got ahead of Vermaelen and his header looped over Mannone and went in off the bar.

A quite fortuitous goal, but one we always seem to concede now and then.

After that it was attack against defence.

Arsenal were really pushing forward and minutes later a nice cross from Arshavin found Fabregas in the middle who looped a header over Robinson but it hit the bar.

Then on 17 minutes Arsenal got what they deserved.

A great interception by Vermaelen won back possession and despite being fouled, the referee played a decent advantage and waved play on. The ball found its way to Fabregas who fed Vermaelen who needed no second invitation to shoot, and he rifled a stunning left-footed shot right into the bottom corner.

Arsene has made some great signings in his 13 years at Arsenal, but this guy has to be right up there.

Fabregas was running the show at this point and he had a couple of decent long range efforts saved well by Robinson. But as Arsenal piled forward Blackburn took the lead again, this time from a well executed counter attack.

Everyone’s favourite player Diouf played a 50 yard ball to Brett Emerton, who ran 20 yards with the ball without a challenge and played in David Dunn. He cut inside and pulled the trigger and the ball deflected off Gallas and into the net. A lucky goal and there was nothing Mannone could have done about it.

That goal seemed to just galvanise Arsenal and Fabregas made another two assists – one for Van Persie and one for Arshavin – to put Arsenal in front before half time.

In the second half, Arsenal carried on from where they left off and an already fantastic performance from Fabregas was capped off with a stunning left-footed half-volley on 57 minutes. 3 assists and a beautiful goal, not bad for an hours work!

Walcott came on for Rosicky on 69 minutes for his eagerly-awaited return and he only took 6 minutes to make an impact and score a well taken goal.

Fabregas again fed in Arshavin on the left hand side and the Russian ran down the wing before playing Fabregas back in just outside the area. But instead of shooting, Fabregas just ushered the ball on to Walcott on the right who placed a shot right into the bottom corner.

And that signalled the end of Fabregas’ matching winning performance, and along with Arshavin they were replaced by Aaron Ramsey and Nicklas Bendtner.

In all honesty you didn’t notice Arshavin and Fabregas were no longer on the pitch, due to the sheer dominance of Arsenal. Ramsey played particularly well in his 20 minute cameo, creating excellent chances for Bendtner, Walcott and Van Persie. and it was his pass which setup Arsenal’s final goal which was another stunning strike from Bendtner.

In the end, you couldn’t ask for more from a football match. Plenty of goals, a great performance and all 3 points.

Player Ratings

Vito Mannone: 7/10
Despite conceding twice, I honestly can’t fault him for either of the goals. The first was a looping header which was – in my eyes anyway – very fortuitous, and the second was a heavy deflection. After the first goal he came out confidently for crosses and long balls so at least he learns from previous incidents. I don’t know what it is about this young goalkeeper but I feel confident when he’s playing – even more so when Almunia or Fabianski are playing. Is that strange?

Bacary Sagna: 8/10
Full of running yet again and solid at the back. Like Clichy, gives Arsenal that extra outlet when attacking and put in a superb performance in today.

William Gallas: 7/10
Maybe I’m being harsh, but I wasn’t too happy with his handling of Dunn for Blackburn’s second goal. We all know Dunn is right-footed so to not force him wide was a strange decision I thought. Unlucky in the way the ball came off him to finish in the net but maybe it shouldn’t have got that far in the first place.

Thomas Vermaelen: 9/10
Excellent yet again. First to everything and Di Santo didn’t even have a sniff. Was unfortunate for the first goal but after that didn’t put a foot wrong. Great determination and desire to create the opening for his equalising goal and that strike was sumptuous. He really does give Arsenal that extra dimension, with his threat in the air and his long-range shooting ability. Could be one of the highest scoring defenders since Fernando Hierro. Possibly.

Gael Clichy: 7/10
Another solid performance, but still a bit rash when trying to win the ball high up the pitch. Supported Arshavin and Rosicky well on the left hand side.

Alex Song: 8/10
Another good performance from Song. Won the ball convincingly, always covered key areas and his passing was good today too.

Abou Diaby: 5/10
Too wasteful and indecisive. I never see him making a decent effort to help out the defence and when on the ball he insists on taking far too many touches. Missed a sitter when presented with an open goal to shoot at and I can’t count how many times he loses the ball when he’s not even under any pressure. Was lucky that everyone else was playing so well.

Cesc Fabregas (Captain): 10/10
What else can you say about his performance today? Just when you thought that he might be going off the boil he shows us all what he’s all about. 4 cute assists and an emphatic left-footed piled driver on the half volley. Was so good and made such an impact he was taken off with 20 minutes to go.

Tomas Rosicky: 7/10
Got involved in the play well and always wanted the ball. Also put in a solid performance defensively, making some decent tackles and closing down players. Came agonisingly close with a 20 yard effort which could have easily went into the top corner and can be happy with his 29th birthday.

Robin Van Persie: 9/10
I’ve been very impressed with Van Persie’s performances recently. Out of all the players, Robin has had the biggest change thrust upon him playing in the central role of the 3 attackers but he has really adapted well. He’s added new skills to his repertoire, and now holds the ball up well, links the play well and is much more intelligent in his passing. Totally deserved his goal and will be a massive player for Arsenal this season.

Andrei Arshavin: 8/10
Everything this guy does with a football just oozes quality and today was no different. His passing, movement and ability on the ball was decisive and took his goal very well.

Theo Walcott (Replaced Rosicky on 69′): 7/10
An ideal return for Theo, who scored a well taken goal just minutes after coming on. Almost added a second when played in by Ramsey but his scuffed effort was scrambled off the line.

Nicklas Bendtner (Replaced Arshavin on 76′): 8/10
Looked bright when he came on and always wanted to be involved in the play. Took his goal superbly and hopefully that goal will be the start of a few for him this season.

Aaron Ramsey (Replaced Fabregas on 76′): 8/10
It would be no exaggeration to say he did more in 20 minutes than Diaby did in the whole game. Created 4 fantastic opportunities for his team-mates with some great through balls and was composed and confident on the ball. Shows far more intelligence (as well as desire to help defensively) which is why I am stunned Diaby is ahead of Ramsey in pecking order. Ramsey is the far better option on every level.

Standard Liege (2) – (3) Arsenal
Bendtner (45′), Vermaelen (77′), Eduardo (81′)
Maurice Dufrasne Stadium, Belgium

Well how the hell do you analyse that?

Arsenal were simply diabolical in the first 5 minutes.

Vito Mannone was making only his second first team appearance in the Arsenal side tonight and he was literally left exposed as Arsenal decided to neglect all defensive responsibility and self destruct.

He must have been wondering where was the defence?

After only 2 minutes, a Standard Liege corner was headed away for Eduardo to try an audacious backheel into the path of Fabregas. It didn’t come off, and the ball landed at the feet of central defender Mangala to smash the ball into the bottom corner.

Not the best start.

Then only minutes later, Gallas hacked down Jovanovic just inside the area and the referee awarded a penalty. On first glance, I thought it was a blatant dive but replays showed Gallas made clear contact and that the referee had in fact made a good decision. Jovanovic picked himself up and coolly dispatched the spot kick.

So after 5 minutes Arsenal were 2-0 down. You had to watch it to believe what happened, and Arsene Wenger must have been absolutely seething.

Ironically before the game, I was wondering if Arsenal were capable of keeping a clean sheet. I was worried if we’d concede silly goals like we have recently and my fears were realised in dramatic fashion.

But in a strange way, the 2 goal deficit actually worked in our favour.

Champions League new boys Liege couldn’t believe their luck, and understandably sat back and were intent on defending their lead. And that helped us.

From then on Arsenal bossed the game.

It was literally attack versus defence and you have to give the Belgians credit they defended well for the most part, and could be considered unlucky on all 3 goals.

The first Arsenal goal came from great work from Diaby, who showed great strength to beat several players before feeding Bendtner with a top quality goal before the Dane finished well. Up to that point, Standard Liege had defended well and I couldn’t remember their goalkeeper Borat Bolat making a notable save.

Talk about getting out of jail.

So that goal set-up the second half perfectly. Arsenal were chasing and Liege were going to be even more content on sitting back and protecting their lead. There was a lot of huffing and puffing but we couldn’t get the final ball right. We had a lot of set-pieces but Fabregas couldn’t find his range and all of his deliveries were over hit. The crosses (as usual) from Clichy, Eboue (and Sagna when he came on) were very poor. I don’t know why they bother crossing it to be honest.

But the pressure paid off and Liege were fouling more and our equalising goal came from a Fabregas freekick which was for once on the money.

The ball was floated in and found Song on the back post who scrambled the ball into the path of Vermaelen who capped off a fine performance with a goal from 2 yards. Replays showed that Song was not offside (as Eduardo made no contact) but he did seem to handball it. Standard Liege were livid with the linesman but I’ll take it!

From then on Arsenal’s tails were up and only 5 minutes later they scored another.

A corner from Fabregas wasn’t dealt with and Eduardo coolly poked the ball into the net inside the 6 yard area with his knee. An unorthodox finish but classy and deliberate all the same.

So a hugely entertaining game where Arsenal left with all 3 points.

I don’t think I can really say more than that…

Player Ratings

Vito Mannone: 7/10
Can’t fault him for any of our goals and therefore can’t fault his overall performance. He was let down and completely exposed by his more experienced team mates but wasn’t really troubled after the quite frankly crazy first five minutes.

Emmanuel Eboue: 7/10
Full of running and always there to support the attack but was shaky when defending.

William Gallas: 6/10
Looked nervous in the first half and the unnecessary hack to concede the penalty was silly at best. Settled as the game went on but still looked shaky at times.

Thomas Vermaelen: 9/10
Man of the Match for me. By far the best defender tonight and a solid performance overall. Saved Arsenal’s bacon a few times from mistakes from Clichy and Gallas and didn’t put a foot wrong. Scored that vital second goal and minutes later almost scored another with a beautifully executed backheel.

Gael Clichy: 7/10
Full of running but was caught out a few times on the break. Guilty of letting a few crosses into the box when he was in control of situations but on the flip side made a couple of vital last minute interceptions in the second half which could have put the game beyond Arsenal.

Alex Song: 7/10
Had a mixed evening tonight. Seemed to suffer from the side’s collective ‘shell shock’ in the first few minutes but still managed to have a relatively solid performance. Was exposed heavily but fellow midfielders such as Diaby which didn’t help.

Abou Diaby: 6/10
Apart from the run and pass for Bendtner’s goal very poor. You know he has the ability but his decision-making at times is woeful. Will hold onto the ball and lose it instead of making a simple pass and never really makes an effort to get back and help out his defence.

Cesc Fabregas (Captain): 7/10
Didn’t really make the impact he usually can and his delivery on set-pieces (apart for the ones for the two goals ironically) were all over hit. Kept the team flowing though which was important and never shirked responsibility.

Tomas Rosicky: 8/10
Very impressive considering it’s his first start this season. Followed on from his influential performance on Saturday and was the one who was making things happen. Played in Bendtner in the second half with a stunning 50-yard ball which really should have been our equaliser. Encouraging signs for Arsenal if he can stay fit.

Nicklas Bendtner: 8/10
Found it tough tonight against a Standard Liege side that defending deep but was enthusiastic and always willing to run for the side. Took his goal superbly and that gave Arsenal a platform to build on in the second half.

Eduardo: 7/10
Things didn’t really come off for him tonight but was there to bury the chance when it came his way. That was the first real opportunity he had throughout the entire game and he finished it like we know he can.

Aaron Ramsey: 8/10 (Replaced Rosicky 70′)
Looked bright and unlike his Arsenal team mates wasn’t afraid to shoot. Disposed a Standard Liege defender to create a shooting opportunity and did the same again later, but his pass to Bendtner in the middle was over hit. Solid shift though.

Bacary Sagna: 7/10 (Replaced Eboue 80′)
Solid enough for a 10 minute stint.

Jack Wilshire: 6/10 (Replaced Eduardo 83′)
Not enough time to make an impression.

Celtic (0) – (2) Arsenal
Gallas (43′), Caldwell OG (71′)
Celtic Park, Scotland

Not the free flowing football from Saturday, but an impressive, frustrating and fortunate game tonight. And it’s very rare to have all of those contrasting components in a football match!

The impressive was our defensive unit.

I’ve said for a long time that while we would have a good defence on paper, the fact was we couldn’t defend as a team. Too many times we would be exposed, and we saw what happened – nights like the one we had against Spurs in that 4-4 draw. Too many times we’d get caught out.

But tonight, we were excellent.

Vermaelen is sensational. I can’t speak highly enough of this guy. I’m almost speechless.

Nevermind that he’s only playing his second game with Arsenal, he is a godsend. He was stunningly good tonight and for me, the Man of the Match. He is great in the air, his tackling is breathtaking and the number of interceptions he made was mind-boggling.

F*ck me Wenger has done it again.

He did it with Sagna, and now he’s done it with Vermaelen.

But with him, Gallas, Clichy and Sagna all had excellent games. Gallas looks totally different alongside the Belgian and the fullbacks had very solid games as well.

And very encouragingly, Denilson and Song look to have come on leaps and bounds.

They were fantastic as well. They both played the best I have ever seen them play in an Arsenal shirt.

Their tackling (along with Fabregas’) has improved ten fold. Tonight, Song didn’t put a foot wrong. He was quick, solid and his passing was accurate and not sloppy in the slightest (which it has been over recent seasons). Denilson was almost equally as good, although there were a few stray passes now and then.

And we know Fabregas is quality.

The captain was roughed up quite a bit, but still managed to get hugely involved with the play and he covered the most ground from all the players on the pitch tonight.

Now on to the frustrating.

We had a decent amount of the ball but were very wasteful in front of goal, and in particular in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

We kept swarming forward with the ball but the end product was severely lacking. Bendtner, Van Persie and Arshavin all had decent opportunities to test the keeper but most of the shots were dragged wide. If they had been on top form, we could have really had something similar to the Everton game.

But it was the same problem as the weekend. Eduardo (who was injured tonight) was the only forward who actually scored against Everton and tonight the strikers drew blanks again. Of course it’s a good thing that the midfield and defence are chipping in with goals but sooner or later the strikers need to get the ball into the net. But after winning tonight I suppose I’m just nit-picking.

It’s just that with such a brilliant performance from the defence and midfield, the icing on the cake would have been if the strikers could show that killer instinct in front of goal. We had a lot of shots towards goal but the Celtic goalkeeper only had one save of note to make, and that was from a Fabregas shot in the second half.

And the fortunate?

Well all the Arsenal critics (like the ones from the weekend) will say that Arsenal were lucky again tonight.

The fact is though that you make you own luck in football. Arsenal deserved their goals on the balance of play, and while it’s fair to say Celtic didn’t do much wrong in conceding those goals they rarely tested Almunia in all honesty.

The first goal was deflected freekick off William Gallas. He’s our top scorer at the moment alongside Cesc.

And the second was after good work from Clichy on the left, whose cross was put into his own net by Celtic captain Caldwell. Bendtner was lurking behind anyway so would have scored if the defender missed it.

Overall, a fantastic result and impressive team display without the killer instinct. But they say a sign of a quality team is one that still win without completely playing well, so I’ll take more of these kind of wins alongside the pretty ones.

I do have to mention that it seems like Arsenal have changed their approach and game this season. Along with the ‘new’ formation, it’s clear that they play the ball around with much more purpose and play a smoother one-touch passing game. It is strange (but also refreshing) that players like Song and Denilson are so comfortable with one-touch play, as you are used to them controlling the ball before playing it. The only player that still takes 2, 3 and even 4 touches (in the entire team) is Nicklas Bendtner.

Player Ratings

Manuel Almunia: 7/10
Didn’t have anything to do really.

Bacary Sagna: 8/10
Up and down the right side again and solid at the back.

William Gallas: 9/10
Excellent. Made tackle after tackle and always looked in control. Made a fantastic interception from a cross in the second half when the game was carefully poised at 1-0. A mistake there could have changed the game, and it was a decisive moment. Looks much more comfortable alongside Vermaelen.

Thomas Vermaelen: 10/10
As I’ve already mentioned he was the Man of the Match for me. How many times have we seen Arsenal not quite click up top and then pay for it by conceding sloppy goals? In times gone by that could of happened but this guy is rock solid. I can’t really describe how good he was tonight. He was everywhere, and on top of being a brilliant defender he can pass the ball too. Take a bow son.

Gael Clichy: 8/10
Solid, and like Sagna full of running. There were one or two moments where you questioned his decision-making but overall had a good game and he made the second goal which could prove to be hugely important.

Alex Song: 9/10
I’ve been one of his harshest critics but he was right up there with Vermaelen for me tonight. He did not put a foot wrong, and if performances like this are what he’s capable of this season then we should be very excited. Looks like a different player – quicker, more intelligent and much better with his tackling.

Denilson: 8/10
He looks to have stepped up his game as well. His passing has improved, his positioning has improved and it looks like his fitness and pace have too. Still prone to a sloppy ball now and then (Fabregas and Arshavin won’t be thanking him for a couple of suicide balls) but I’m sure he will improve on that as well.

Cesc Fabregas (Captain): 8/10
The hub of the team yet again, and pretty much dictated the game. Slightly wasteful on occasion but probably fatigue from the weekend.

Andrei Arshavin: 6/10
Not really in the game, and seemed to struggle. I expected him to explode tonight but it never happened, and you wonder if he’s struggling with the new system. Was on the periphery of the game in the first half and disappeared in the second. His passing and shooting just seemed off tonight as well.

Nicklas Bendtner: 7/10
Full of running and held the ball up well at times. You sensed that he’s getting used to his new position on the right, as well as being a regular starter for Arsenal. As the season goes on you know he’ll improve.

Robin Van Persie: 7/10
Always wanted to be involved but just lacked that little bit of quality (which he has in abundance) at the vital time, whether it was a final ball or shooting opportunity. On his day, he would have scored a brace tonight.

Manchester United (1) – (0) Arsenal
Old Trafford, Manchester

Overall a disappointing performance but in the end a 1-0 defeat isn’t catastrophic, considering what could have been.

For the first half an hour United were all over us and we had to rely on Almunia to make some really fantastic saves; from Tevez and Ronaldo in particular.

The fact was United were much better. We lacked any urgency which was surprising considering this is the Champions League Semi Final. Once again Adebayor was infuriating as he lacked any energy or desire, and added to his poor touch it’s clear the form of last season has completely disappeared. For a 5 man midfield to work the striker needs to hold the ball up well and while Adebayor did this fantastically last year, this season he has been a shadow of his former self.

Diaby and Walcott were on the whole ineffective, and as an attacking force we didn’t click at all. Lots of pretty passing triangles but no real penetration or goal threat. Fabregas was lost and you couldn’t help thinking he would be far more dangerous playing deeper where he can control the game, and play those brilliant through balls.

Nasri was okay, but along with Fabregas struggled to make any real impact because of the lack of intelligent running from Diaby, Walcott and Adebayor.

It was hugely disappointing considering Porto and even Spurs scored twice at Old Trafford recently and Liverpool managed four. But we didn’t have the man who bailed us out at Anfield – Andrey Arshavin.

We can afford to play badly if you have a genius like that in the side but not with jokers like Adebayor.

But despite the poor attacking display, there were some positives.

As I’ve already mentioned we only lost 1-0, which is quite frankly a miracle considering the chances and possession United had. Almunia was excellent and Ronaldo hit the bar in the second half – trust me we were lucky to only concede the one goal.

And despite the terrible defending for the corner from which United scored, overall our defence was good.

Kieran Gibbs was sensational, and along with Toure and Almunia was possibly our best player. Even Ronaldo was reluctant to take him on and tended to drift inside instead. His composure and overall performance was excellent and he was one of the few positives tonight.

Toure was another player who had a great game, and I lost the amount of times he cleared up at the back. He made some brilliant tackles and put in a fantastic shift tonight. Even Silvestre (who setup the United goal) did well at times, as did Sagna on the right.

So despite a poor performance tonight, we have a second chance at the Emirates in 6 days time, and we have to step it up at home and I have no doubt we will. We have to make sure that we make United regret not finishing us off at Old Trafford, because trust me they could (and probably should) have.

It will be a completely different game at The Emirates, but the danger is if United nick one then we need three. But we got past Roma (just) with a 1-1 aggregate score in the 1st round knock-out stage so anything is possible.

Bring on the second leg.

Liverpool (4) – (4) Arsenal
Arshavin (36′, 67′, 70′, 90′)
Anfield Stadium, Liverpool

What a crazy game.

And what shambolic defending, from both teams.

The bottom line was that tonight too many players (possibly because of an FA Cup Semi Final hangover) weren’t in the game at all. Denilson was particularly dreadful, and Cesc Fabregas wasn’t in the game at all. Bendtner was lazy and couldn’t even be bothered doing the simple things such as closing down or making runs, and then we have our defending.

And somehow we drew the game 4-4.

On reflection, we didn’t deserve anything from tonight’s game. We were very sloppy at the back, we were completely beaten in midfield and upfront Bendtner was toothless. So how the hell did we score 4 at Anfield?

Two reasons; Fabianski and Arshavin.

Fabianski had to be called upon so many times it was ridiculous. Liverpool dominated throughout and he really kept us in the match. And Arshavin had 4 attempts, 4 of which were on target and he scored 4 goals.

This guy is world class. All 4 goals were superbly taken and he was our best player by a country mile. I cannot tell you how good this player is – without him we would have left Anfield with what we deserved – absolutely nothing.

Make no mistake, tonight was a smash and grab in every sense of the word.

So you wonder why the hell Arshavin didn’t start against Chelsea at the weekend. The mind truly boggles – what was Arsene Wenger thinking? This guy has been our best player since he arrived and not to play him in the FA Cup was a travesty – I still can’t get over it. If he can score 4 stunning goals against Liverpool at Anfield then what could he have done against Chelsea?

Arshavin didn’t just embarrass Liverpool tonight, he embarrassed Arsene Wenger.

Because all he needs is one chance. He proved that tonight.

Liverpool’s first equalising goal came from a shocking ‘clearance’ from the usually solid Sagna, who looked a bit jaded after only just coming back from injury. Kuyt had two chances to cross the ball and he finally found Torres for a well taken header.

The second was from a deep cross which somehow made it over the line, and the third wasn’t great either. Torres did well to make the space and score but it was far too easy, and once again Fabianski was exposed.

And the fourth was in injury time.

As a defensive unit we weren’t comfortable all night. Liverpool were on top for the majority of the match and throughout the game made chance after chance. It was almost the Fabianski show and he had to make a lot of decent saves to keep us in it.

But against the run of play Arsenal amazingly managed to take the lead. Fabregas did well to nick the ball away from Mascherano on the edge of the box and find Nasri. Then the little Frenchman played a brilliant reverse pass back to Cesc who squared for that man Arshavin to smash the ball into the net.

We lead 1-0 at half-time and collapsed in the second. Silvestre seemed hell bent on playing short back passes which put us under pressure time and time again. Toure was trying to do what he could but he couldn’t cover for the hopeless Silvestre, who in all honesty is past it and I am really worried about playing Manchester United twice with him in the side because it will be a massacre.

But after Liverpool took the lead Arshavin popped up again.

Arbeloa got dispossessed by the little Russian and he ran towards goal before smashing the ball into the side netting for 2-2. Simply a stunning strike by anyone’s standards and amazingly we were back in it.

The third was terrible defending from Liverpool as Aurelio decided to do a Sagna and give the ball straight back to the opposition from a cross. Unfortunately for him it fell to Arshavin who duly smashed the ball under Reina for his hattrick!

Don’t be mistaken, no-one else in the Arsenal side would have scored that goal.

And to really put the cat among the pigeons his fourth was another sumptuous strike. Walcott went on one of his slalom runs after a Liverpool corner and played in Arshavin, who smashed the ball passed Reina with his left foot.

4 attempts and all of them went in.

This guy is unbelievable. Two goals with his left foot, and two with his right.

If we had him available to play in Europe I’d be confident of going all the way. Because Bendtner and Adebayor aren’t good enough or clever enough to out fox defenders like Vidic and Ferdinand.

Player Ratings

Lukasz Fabianski – 8/10
Put the nightmare of the Chelsea game behind him, despite conceding 4 goals. He made some excellent saves throughout the Liverpool barrage and you couldn’t fault him for any of the goals, which were all caused by shocking defending. Kept us in the game because you wouldn’t have argued if Liverpool scored 7 or 8.

Kieran Gibbs – 8/10
One of our better players despite only being the youngest in the side. Coped well with Kuyt for the most part but wasn’t helped by Silvestre’s antics at the back. Very energetic and always wanted to attack although he was caught out defensively a few times during the first half.

Kolo Toure – 7/10
Made some excellent tackles and tried to keep the defence together the best he could. Torres caused him problems all night but managed to keep him down to 2 goals when it could have been more.

Mikael Silvestre – 4/10
Truly terrible. Slow in body and mind, Silvestre is sadly past it. Struggled at the weekend and struggled tonight – 2 games in 4 days is probably asking too much but the number of lazy passes (both to the goalkeeper and other team-mates) was unbelievable. He was always in trouble once a Liverpool player was running towards him and has Fabianski to thank for keeping it down to only 4 goals.

Bacary Sagna – 6/10
The usually reliable Sagna looked a shadow of himself tonight, making several mistakes. But you can put that down to a return from injury because he hasn’t played that badly since he’s worn the Arsenal shirt.

Samir Nasri – 6/10
Floated in and out of the game but ineffective overall. Had a tidy game but hardly influential.

Cesc Fabregas – 6/10
Well he has kept his unbeaten league run going as Arsenal captain but bar the assist for the first goal was pretty anonymous. Moved the ball well but couldn’t get control of the game which was disappointing considering Steven Gerrard wasn’t even playing.

Alex Song – 6/10
Did okay, and was much better than Denilson. Made some descent tackles and passes but at times wasn’t interested in helping the team defend. Too many times Liverpool players had shots from distance and he would just stand there and watch instead of closing down.

Denilson – 4/10
I’m not sure if he’s tired or in his comfort zone but he was terrible tonight and contributed nothing. Actually, that’s not strictly correct since he did manage to give the ball away several times in dangerous positions. His ‘pass’ to Torres after 4 minutes to set up a shot sums up his performance.

Andrey Arshavin – 10/10
He didn’t get much of the ball throughout the game from his team-mates but that didn’t matter. He took all of his goals superbly and showed the quality he is, which is world class. He’s been our best player for the last 4 months now and it was a shame his team-mates didn’t show the same desire tonight, because despite playing badly overall we could have even won the game because of this guys brilliance. It is not an exaggeration to say he carried us tonight.

Nicklas Bendtner – 6/10
Pretty lethargic and like most of his team-mates didn’t seem bothered. For a player who is supposed to be hungry and fighting for a first team place he didn’t even attempt to close down defenders or make runs for his midfield which is something you have to do if you’re the lone striker.