So, we left two points at Anfield. I’m not terribly upset about it, though. I think the team played a fantastic game, although a bit shaky in some places. You can’t complain when your side plays that kind of beautiful football and manages the lion share of possession against a side like Liverpool. They did a pretty decent job of frustrating us up the middle, although it did seem like we were just knocking at the door all match.

Man of the Match has to go to Cesc Fabregas, for just finessing that ball past Reina (80′). Well done, and yet another awesome performance and beautiful pass from Alexandre Hleb to make it happen. I am most definitely getting a #13 shirt this year. Although, without having looked at the replay, I have a feeling that it was the void Cesc left behind that Gerrard put his free kick through at 8′. Things seemed a bit confused between the wall and keeper. I hope this doesn’t indicate that our little “Who’s #1?” drama hasn’t given rise to an authority issue between Almunia and the outfield. When the keeper tells the wall to do something, the wall had better damn well do it. It’s his job to line things up as he needs them in a set piece. He seemed to be yelling up a storm just prior to the shot. Despite that blunder, Manuel did a damn fine job between the sticks. He got stretched several times and made a couple of world class saves that would have sailed past a lesser man.

Another thing that sort of took me by surprise: I expected a physical game from Liverpool, but not a dirty game. Don’t get me wrong, they played well… it wasn’t all hijinks. Just the occasional shirt pull, elbow to the face, etc. Particularly (but not limited to) Mascherano and Carragher. Now, every game has its moments like this. It’s expected. I just didn’t expect that much of it from a team like Liverpool. I guess I thought they were above that. And by that I mean, a side like them shouldn’t have to resort to those sorts of things to play a side like Arsenal. They’ll give them a good run any day of the week. When we play a team like Blackburn or Bolton or Le Scum, you expect to get hikinks and you’re all ready to hate them for it. But I look forward to playing teams like Liverpool or Man U or Chelsea. Why? Because it’s going to be a great football match, not a brawl. Disappointing.