Arsenal 4 Liverpool 2: Henry's humdinger puts us back on track

Last updated : 09 April 2004 By Brian Dawes

Henry scores, Hyppia watches
A lunch time kick off of 12.30 despite many Gooners being convinced that it was a high noon start saw the Scousers kicking off towards the North Bank and taking an early lead after a succession of early corners for Liverpool. Kolo had headed clear a Kewell cross, Pat had cleared a corner and Riise had shot wide before a Kewell corner on their right was met by Gerrard who headed across goal and Hyypia threw himself forward and got on the end of it with another header. 0-1 Liverpool and only five minutes on the clock, a piss-poor start.

Liverpool played the match with Owen up and their main ploys, as ever, were the tedious long punt and the predictable long throw. Route one aerial sums them up. Paddy drove us forward, Kewell faked an injury, Carragher tripped Cole, and the ref, for want of a better word, got in the way as Arsenal clawed their way back into the match. We were not flowing but we were getting it together. Lauren and Freddie saw off Gerrard. Owen broke through when he looked offside but Sol’s tackle was brilliant and maybe a match-winner.

Henry went close but was offside. Henry then found the net, with Dennis and Freddie involved in the build up, but the offside flag had been up for a while. Dennis very nearly found Pires in another decent Arsenal move, we were back in the match. Diouf backing into Lauren but Alan Wiley was off with the fairies. Pat was fired up and powerful throughout. Dennis tried a long ball to Thierry and Pool sliced clear following another move involving Vieira. Dennis to Freddie, to Pat, but it was just a tad too far. We were bossing the match but Kewell had a shot deflected for a corner in a rare Scouse break. Carragher blocked Vieira but Wiley acted the **** he is. Pat broke again. Heskey offside, play on says Wiley. Arsenal were moving it around again as Thierry found Freddie who squeezed through and fired one in from an angle that was saved by Dudek.

Cole picked up a yellow for a tackle on Hamann as Liverpool started their time wasting early. Owen got through again to fire over the bar but we were responding quickly now and Pires, who had done nothing previously, found Henry who went on to slot home the equaliser. 1-1 and moaning from the Scousers. We were fired up now and had a shot blocked, a decent Cole cross and then Bergkamp won a corner. We pressed well; Dennis hit a peach of a pass onto Freddie who almost did the business with a header as he got behind their back four. Two handball appeals, the first from Arsenal was discounted by Wiley and he gave the second against Dennis.

An evil foul on Pat by Gerrard was played on till Pires was fouled. The lack of a yellow card incensed the crowd. Henry went on a fine solo but over hit his diagonal ball to Dennis. Long throw by Riise, one of about two million in the match. Henry aimed one at Freddie but Dudek took it. A low through ball against the run of play saw Owen run through and slip the ball under Lehmann just three minutes before the break. 1-2 to the boring team which was a real choker as we were well on top at the time and the only team playing any football. Jens was also called upon to palm away a shot from Kewell before Lauren hoofed clear in classic Liverpool style. It was a rather subdued Library at half time.

I’ve no idea what Arsene said during the break but we were certainly up for it as we kicked off towards the North Bank. Another big handball appeal in Pool’s box as Arsenal fired one just wide from an angle. Dennis v Hyypia and the free kick was given to them, the East Stand were totally unimpressed. Freddie to Pires, a good ball and he was nearly through. Lauren broke but at the other end Kewell shot wide. Kewell was good in the air in the first half but he didn’t impress me, I’m glad we didn’t buy him. Henry wide left played it in for Freddie who was central, Ljungberg flicked it forward first time and Robert Pires coming in from a left channel won his race and rolled it past the keeper to make it 2-2. We’d been on top before for most of the match but this goal came with a government health warning for the Scousers. We wanted the points and by **** we were going to have the points.

Arsene - Something to applaud at last
Within a minute Henry was deep in the left-hand channel not far from the half way line when he picked the ball up, what followed was magical. He started slow, speeded, slowed, twisted, jinked, dummied, charged forward, changed pace, changed direction but always kept the ball under tight mesmerising control. He worked a passage through the massed ranks of white shirts that only he could see and scored the sort of goal that wins championships. It was awesome, a gob-smacking goal of the highest order. It was a we-are-not-worthy-to-be-in-the-same-stadium-as-this-god sort of goal. It was Henry at his most emphatic. It was ****ing magic. 1-2 down 3-2 up within a minute – not surprisingly we were on a high and flying.

Pat was everywhere, there was only one way to stop him as when he was tripped by Kewell and we waited for a deserved yellow card that never came. Arsenal slowed the game, but Dennis still got through even though the offside flag was raised a couple of months late, the lino was as poor as Wiley. Diouf managed to beat Cole in the corner but Sol was fast across to concede a corner. Corners at this stage looked the only way through for Pool. This particular deep corner was no problem though. Kewell hit a shot into orbit, Cole saw off Owen. Arsenal pressed in style. More crap decisions as when Henry on Hamann was deemed to be a free kick and Hamann’s late tackle on Pat didn’t get a card.

Dudek was laughable, earlier his time wasting was a joke, and now his fast-forward motion was just as laughable. Dennis did well to win the ball back, if he’s playing for a contract you feel sure he’s going to get one. A long passage of play that was played on saw it end with a belated booking for Pat. Vieira was kicked in the air all game and the **** Wiley booked him. Baros replaced Heskey but they still played like they wanted a nil-nil. A perfect cross from Lauren to Henry who just stood his ground and headed over, a bad miss and amazing that the jolly Scouse giants let the ball get as far as the world’s best player. Biscan hauled down Henry on halfway, no yellow. Baros backing in, unnoticed. Diouf took out Henry near the touchline, no yellow.

Pires was replaced by Edu. Lauren given off side, he looked onside to me but was given a yellow for dissent. Speaks volumes for the priorities of Alan Wiley, dispute a crap call by the lino and it’s a card but you can kick Pat all day long if you want. We were moving it well and controlling the match, there were no problems other than Alan Wiley. Baros fell over a blade of grass and won a free kick on the edge of our box but Gerrard played it off our wall for a corner. Twenty-one players in our half but not for long. Dennis got it to Henry and Thierry notched his hatrick at the second attempt, maybe off his knees. I didn’t see the replays as I was celebrating a great comeback and a great performance.

The lads salute the crowd
Liverpool wasted another free kick before Vieira stopped a run by Gerrard. Freddie to Henry, to Edu in a sweeping move that should have resulted in a corner but was given as offside. 83 minutes played and Liverpool picked up their first card when Diouf hacked down Cole. Dennis and Edu combined, then Freddie went close with a shot from left on a really tight angle. We were on fire. Silva back to block, he had a steady game. Diouf replaced by Murphy but no sense of adventure from Pool despite being two goals down. Gerrard shot well over from well out. Edu lost a ball and Henry won it back. Lauren was still bombing forward. Freddie had a fire solo run after intercepting well. Henry passed to Lehmann as Arsenal went on a mega-passing move that had piss-take written all over it. On about the billionth pass it went to Dennis in their box who shot on the turn and claimed a handball. The gulf between the top three teams and the rest is a chasm. Martin came on as a very late substitute for Freddie, another four such late substitutions could well result in another medal for Martin.

It looked a bit tits up at half time despite us being the better team but overall this was something of a slaughter in the end, with Thierry showing all his class and Pat showing all his power. It was a really great team performance.

There were tons of Police in full kit at Finsbury Park prior to the game for non-football related reasons. When you think about it this was probably the reason why the match was put back until 12.30.

And just to remind you in case you’d forgotten, our unbeaten League run that started against Everton and continued with Boro, Villa, Manchester City, Pompey, Manure on St Keown’s day, the Newkie Broons, Pool, Bluescum, Charlton, Leeds, Scum, Brum, one f in Fulham, and Leicester, Blackburn, Bolton, Wolves, Saints, Everton again, Boro again and again, Villa, the real Mancs, wobbly Wolves, Saints, Chelski, Charlton, Blackburn, Bolton, Manure and now Pool is still going strong.