Liverpool – Arsenal

Bill Shankly once rapped about turning Anfield in to a bastion of invincibility and Rafael Benitez would appear to have heeded his words. Liverpool will be hoping to carry on their hugely impressive home form against Arsenal in today's biggest cup tie.

Peter Crouch and Dirk Kuyt will be spearheading their attack with Craig Bellamy on the bench. Ex-Gunner Jermaine Pennant starts for the home side. Arsenal will be hoping that the return of Thierry Henry compensates for the absence of Cesc Fabregas. Arsene Wenger has opted for Manuel Almunia in goal.

The teams emerge. The Kop end are holding up red and white banners in an apparent protest at a certain ex-editor of a certain tabloid which is non too popular in these parts.

Arsenal are in their changed kit of yellow, Liverpool in their traditional red. And lovely they both look. Even Peter Crouch.

Thierry Henry is clearly intent on a spot of burglary afterwards as he is wearing gloves. Or perhaps he is just a big girl. We're off!

Liverpool win a free-kick and they are attacking the Anfield Road end. Toure got himself in a bit of a muddle and the ball almost bounced in to the parth of Crouch. Almunia collects.

Pennant wins a throw out on the right. Liverpool spray it around and Gerrard tries to get on the end of a high ball but it is too long. And too high.

The Liverpool fans have been singing non-stop since the game began and are still holding their banners aloft. Meanwhile, Arsenal keep possession for a while before playing safe and getting it back to Almunia.

Agger's ball up to Crouch is miles away from the lanky striker and goes out for a goal-kick.

Pennant wins a good header and then plays a nice one-two with Finnan. Liverpool have a throw-in.

Carragher plays a ball towards Crouch but Arsenal deal with it. The singing which was part of the protest has now finished after six minutes, the end of which is marked by a deafening cheer from the Kop.

Van Persie feeds Gilberto but he gets the ball trapped under his feet and the move breaks down.

Nice tackle by Rosicky on Pennant.

Pennant hustles Clichy in the Arsenal penalty area but Senderos is on hand to help out and boot the ball away.

Pennant wins a header against Clichy and it looks as if the Liverpool winger is going to have some joy against the Arsenal man today.

Garcia whips in a ball towards Crouch but Toure gets to it first and clears.

A typically lung-bursting piece of midfield dynamism from Gerrard who wins a tackle in the centre circle and heads towards the Arsenal goal before a non too typically poor shot at the end which goes about ten yards wide.

Van Persie does well to win a challenge with Alonso but he in turn is then dispossessed.

Jermaine Pennant is caught just offside and is rightly punished. Not four months in jail punished, this time his reprimand comes in the form of a linesman's flag.

Nice feet from Crouch before he finds Pennant. The Liverpool man's cross is poor though but he gets it back and wins a corner.

Alonso's corner is towards the near post but Van Persie gets back to clear.

The Liverpool fans are being told to sit down. Tsk tsk. Imagine that? People standing up with excitement at a football match. They'll be singing songs next!

Gerrard's header finds Hleb andhe passes to Henry who then tries to feed Rosicky who is clean through on goal. He is also, sadly, offside.

Henry is fouled by Gerrard in the middle of the pitch.

Flamini attempts a wild shot but Gerrard bravely puts his body in the way to put him off and the ball flies well wide.

Van Persie tries to be clever and trick Danny Agger with a back-flick but the Liverpool man is wise to his cunning ruse and responds with his own piece of trickery - a hefty punt up the park. Beat that!

Riise's cross is not dealt with convincingly by Arsenal and it breaks to Alonso on the eighteen yard line. He should have hit it first time but takes too much time and his shot is smothered.

Oh dear, not content with that miss Alonso decides to take a dive in the Arsenal penalty area. The referee is so impressed he rewards him with a yellow card.

Riise's long throw finds the lengthy cranium of Peter Crouch but his header has neither pace not power and actually is rubbish.

Van Persie has caught Danny Agger but the ref waves play on. Kuyt then gets a great cross in which has Almunia scrambling back to claw the ball away for a corner.

Arsenal clear the ball but then Liverpool come again. Crouch receives a pass and controls it with his chest before hitting a decent volley which is not a million miles away.

At the other end Hleb has a shot which Jamie Carrragher blocks in the penalty area.

Pennant's cross from the right is poor and Senderos sticks out a leg, almost derisively dismissing his attempt.

Eboue appeared to elbow Luis Garcia there but the ref decides it's a man's game and all that and merely has 'a word' with them.

Senderos though IS booked for tackling out Peter Crouch from behind. It's getting a bit feisty. Steady on boys!!

Now Henry bumps in to Alonso whilst in mid-air and the Spaniard is on the floor as if he is seriously hurt. He isn't.

Henry's pas is cut out by Carragher and he is then challenged by Clichy who is very late with the tackle. Clichy is booked. Hmm, Arsene Wenger was moaning about how hard players go in on his poor innocent little lambs earlier today.

Toure got in a right muddle in the Arsenal penalty area and has to be quick to clear for a corner. When it comes in Alonso shows great technique to execute a wonderful volley from twenty yards which is just wide.

GOAL - A wonderful strike from Rosicky. Rosicky and Hleb almost crept up the right wing, playing a series of one-two's before the former lifts the ball in to the net from twenty yards out. A fine goal.

Alonso advances but is fouled and the ref blows as there is no apparent advantage.

Clichy shakes off a challenge before charging down the left wing but he goes and spoils it ALL by delivering a poor cross in to the Liverpool box.

Clever play between Henry and Flamini who held back his pass to allow his forwards to get back on-side. However, his delaying tactics allow Liverpool to get back and crowd Van Persie out.

Gerrard's long ball towards Pennant is too hard and Clichy gets it away.

Some nice play between Kuyt and Gerrard in a confined space and Liverpool have won a free-kick twenty yards from Arsenal's goal.

Alonso lays it off to Riise whose fierce shot is blocked by the possibly-illegally advancing Flamini. Liverpool then waste the corner.

GOAL - Thomas Rosicky has scored another fantastic goal. He goes on a mazy run and despite the presence of half a dozen red shirts he slots home from just outside the penalty area. Liverpool are in big trouble here.

Luis Garcia takes down Hleb and Arsenal get the free-kick.

Eboue fancies a bit and finds himself in the Liverpool penalty area. His cross is hard and troubles the Liverpool defence but Dudek calms their nerves by making the save.

HALF-TIME - Guys, Liverpool are in BIG trouble here. The holders COULD be going out. Arsenal COULD be going out. I now CAN go to the toilet.

Liverpool are now attacking the Kop end and IF it were possible for humans to suck a ball in to a net with their mouth, well, perhaps then that is what is needed here.

Long ball up from the back from Carragher and Garcia is first to it when Eboue heads it clear. He darts in to the box but Arsenal are able to get it away and start an attack of their own. It breaks down and now Kuyt finds Gerrard. His back-heel is blocked by Senderos when the Liverpool man was in a good position.

Excellent cross in from Pennant which is inch perfect for Kuyt. It's a hard header though because of Toure's presence and his attempt goes wide.

Crouch is well offside there but Liverpool are showing a verve which suggests Arsenal could be under some pressure in this half.

An almost carbon copy ball in from Pennant which this time finds Crouch who controls well then shoots but guess what? He's only gone and shot wide.

Senderos gets across to cover and Liverpool have a throw.

Luis Garcia is down after Hleb bashed in to his head.

Oooh, what's that? Craig Bellamy running up and down the touchline purposefully in his lovely grey training top? Nervous glances exchanged between Kuyt and Crouch? Yowzers! What could this mean?

Crouch is fouled by a tag team of Gilberto and Senderos and, with the Kop howling for a free-kick, the ref has waved play on resulting in 'only' a corner being given. Which ain't THAT bad really.

The corner is poor and Arsenal clear the danger.

Agger's long ball finds Crouch who heads it down in to the path of Gerrard. Senderos wins the ball and Arsenal counter attack with Van Persie who shows some nice pace to force a corner.

Van Persie crosses it. Liverpool get it away. This scenario is repeated once more.

Rosicky does his job at the other end of the pitch, standing by to boot the ball away from Arsenal's penalty area. Sterling work.

Eboue concedes a corner as Garcia was breathing down his neck.

Riise is coming off for Fabio Aurelio.

The corner comes in and Thierry Henry pops up to remind us he is playing after all and head the ball away.

Pennant has now moved over to the left and Garcia is now operating down the right. A tactical switch, you see. Cunning.

'Left, right wherever mate' says Jermaine Pennant whose ball in from the opposite flank is troublesome but nobody can apply the finishing touch.

Almunia races from his line, and from the safety of his penalty area, to enter the land where hands are not allowed to get the ball away.

At the other end, Van Persie tees up a shot but he can't do it with his right foot see so he ends up fluffing his lines somewhat and has to settle for a corner.

Which Liverpool clear.

Eboue goes in hard on Garcia and, in a totally transparent attempt to deflect attention from his own guilt which is surely gnawing at him like some nightmarish beaver-like creature, has gone down injured. He is then booked.

Great control from Garcia who takes it on his chest whilst in motion before Eboue gets back to make a good covering tackle. Eboue's only gone and gone down again though! Just do it when you've done a foul mate not when you do something good. Liverpool have a corner.

Err, Eboue is off and Hoyte is on. Possibly a tactical move, altough there IS the possibility that I was being a little harsh and Eboue is actually injured. Unlikely though.

Poor touch from Thierry Henry (not an oft used phrase I'd warrant )allows Garcia to get back and tackle him.

Lord love us now Van Persie hits the deck (although he is up again quickly).

Aurelio's ball towards Crouch is headed away by Senderos.

It is somewhat surprising that we have not seen Craig Bellamy on yet.

Aurelio comes down the left but his path is blocked by a fine Toure tackle. Corner to Liverpool.

GOAL - The corner comes in and Crouch heads the ball towards goal but Kuyt, standing right in front of Almunia, delflects the ball in to the Arsenal net with HIS head. That is what you call using your heads Liverpool.

The excitement has proved too much for Van Persie who has exited to make way for Julio Baptista.

Aurelio's shot skims just past Almunia's left hand post. The Kop sense an equaliser here. And who am I to argue with seventeen thousand football fans?

Aurelio's pass picks out Gerrard who delivers a nice back-heel but Toure reads it well.

Thierry Henry now appears to be limping.

Would you believe that in the last fifteen minutes Liverpool have had seventy per cent of the possession? The real question is, how much have Arsenal had?

Aurelio, who is having a big impact, gets a good ball in to Kuyt who flicks the ball on with his head but none of his team-mates are on hand to help him out.

Pennant beats Gilbeto then plays it to Finnan whose cross in is cleared by Arsenal.

Finnan plays a poor ball which sails over his strikers heads.

Senderos stands firm to tackle Crouch but gives away a corner.

Liverpool have a free-kick after Rosicky takes down Pennant. When the ball is played in Carragher's header is well wide of the goal.

Gerrard shows tenancity down the right but Toure is equally up to the task and manages to put in a challenge to stop him getting the ball up to Crouch or Kuyt.

GOAL - Another fantastic goal and Liverpool are going out. Thierry Henry starts a run from inside his own half then gets to a ball which Jamie Carragher should have dealt with before cutting inside to make himself some room. The finish is exquisite from ten yards out and Arsenal are home and dry.

The travelling fans now are in full voice and they are singing about going to Wembley. Well, if they can find a skip then perhaps GUYS.

Kuyt takes a tumble in the box but he is ignored by the ref.

Great effort from Crouch, spooning a ball at least fifty yards over the bar.

Thierry Henry is coming off and his heir apparent Theo Walcott enters the fray.

Walcott races on to a ball but in his youthful haste he has run off the pitch.

The Liverpool fans, not to be out-done by these upstarts from the sarf, are singing YNWA with the forlornness of beaten men (and women. And children).

Senderos nearly scores an own goal but instead mis-kicks it just enough to breach the Arsenal crossbar.

Craig Bellamy is still warming up which, unless it is for the next game, seems somewhat pointless. He doesn't look happy. His non-appearance this evening is something of a mystery, it has to be said. Perhaps 'something' has happened. It usually does with Bellamy.

Aurelio's free-kick goes straight in to the Arsenal wall.

FULL-TIME: Bye bye Liverpool. Shame really.