This weekend’s been really tumultuous. With two of the top clubs – and fiercest rivals – in the premier league going head to head, and one of the most surprising races of this year, there was certainly much to thank for the sports enthusiast (though that also depends on which side your loyalty lies).

Let me start with football. Liverpool vs Manchester United is a fixture that gets everyone excited every single time. This time the prelude was dominated by the transfer (and possible debut) of Dimitar Berbatov for Man U and the possible absence of the home heavyweights Gerrard and Torres. Both the rumours were vindicated as Sir Alex went for an aggressive 4-3-3 formation placing Berbatov alongside Rooney and Tevez; while his opposite number played safe by placing his aces on the bench and not risking injury. The veteran manger had the first laugh – and an early laugh at that – as Berbatov deceived Carragher along the right goal line to set up Tevez who stormed the ball past Pepe Reina. With just 2 minutes on the board, it seemed that the Kop were in for another humiliation by the hands of the red devils as so often in recent years. Man U were connecting well in the first half with the defence keeping solid to deny the home side any major attempt for the initial stages. The first sight of goal to the Merseysiders was gifted by Edwin Van Der Sar who miscued a corner and tapped it right into the feet of Dirk Kuyt. The Dutchman however could not capitalise as his weak shot rebounded off Paul Scholes at the line.

The Kop however had their lucky break at 27 minutes when a swerving kick from MOTM Xavi Alonso from 20 yards deflected off Patrice Evra and Van Der Sar could not deal with it well, only knocking it into the way of the retreating Wes Brown. The defender watched helplessly as the ball ricocheted off him and trudged into the net. If this was supposed to liven up Liverpool, it had that effect on the visitors instead with Tevez shooting over form six yards to let the home side off the hook going into the break.

There must have been some strong words said during half time, but it dint bring the change that the crowd was hoping for in the Liverpool ranks. Their mighty two were still on the bench, while Man U opted to bring on Giggs for Carrick possible owing to a knock the mid fielder received during the first half. But by now Liverpool were enjoying the extra space in midfield (courtesy United’s aggressive formation) with Masherano and Alonso troubling the United backs with regularity. They did not come close but were certainly enjoying more possession and thus control of the game. Finally as Gerrard came on for Benayoun amidst much cheer, one hoped this would just be the factor to tilt the balance (even as Hargreaves came on for Scholes). Gerrard seemed to have done just the opposite as a mistake from him almost cost his side a goal, only for Reina to smartly tip over Ryan Giggs’ lob.

Benitez decided to get more firepower by substituting Babel for Riera who had had an impressive debut, and it turned out to be a master stroke. With Liverpool already dominating, the impressive Mascherano managed to eke out a mistake from the usually faultless veteran. Giggs’ failed attempt to let the ball run out for a goal kick was pounced upon by Masherano, and Kuyt deftly sent it across to his compatriot Ryan Babel, who standing free at six yards stormed the ball into the net. As United poured forward with Nani (brought on for Anderson) providing extra impetus there were yet more counter attacks by the home side. Keane got clear in the mid field and Rio Ferdinand had no option but to bring him down and was duly shown a yellow card. Things however got ugly as substitute Nani and Vidic too received yellow cards in quick succession.

The misery for the visitors was complete when Vidic went for a rash header, elbowing Alonso hard on the face and knocking the mid fielder out. The referee had no option but to show a second yellow to the Man U player and give him his marching orders. But the add on effect of the lapse by Vidic means, he will miss the all important match against Chelsea which is up next. When even Sir Alex accepts after the match that his team were indeed outplayed by a stronger team on the day, then you really feel that Man U played badly. But there were goals galore on the day as Arsenal knocked four past Blackburn playing away with Adebayor getting a hat trick. Everton too won a five goal thriller against Stoke City.

Time to move on to Formula 1 then. The conditions at Monza were stormy – keeping in tune with the events about to come up north – and this worried the field as everyone opted for extreme wets during qualifying. But as much as the hot lap, it was the timing of the lap which seemed to count on the day. As Vettel timed his to perfection, the biggest losers were Kimi and Hamilton who did not make it to Q3 and finished 14^th and 15^th respectively. Meanwhile Fisichella had a minor triumph leading Force India F1 into Q2 for the first time in the current season. But all eyes were on the lad hailed to be the successor of Schumi, as one the smallest team on the grid captured pole at their home race. Title contender Massa meanwhile was way back in 7^th, but more pertinently quite ahead of his nearest rival Lewis Hamilton.

By the time of the race start conditions certainly did not improve and hence the organizers had to go for a start behind the safety car. The start itself was not as exciting as it may have been had it been a standing start. However with the incessant rain much was to follow. Poor Fisichella after having qualifying his best of the year and hoping for a points scoring finish, hit Coulthard in the 12^th lap and had to retire. While Kovalainen could not implement his plan of jumping Vettel at the start or in the initial laps, his team mate was driving as a man possessed. In his bid to keep his position in the championship intact he made short shrift the defending champion, Kimi Raikonnen. While Kimi would end the race with the fastest lap to his name, he could not match the aggression of the Brit in that phase of the race.

The first round of pit stops did not jumble things up much though some drivers did stop very late. The big names among the late stoppers were Hamilton and Kubica. BMW seemed to have timed their stop to perfection and it enabled Kubica to come out with fuel sufficient to take him to finish and intermediate tyres in the same stop. Hamilton chose to stick to the extreme wets and initially his choice seemed to be going well as he climbed upto second in the standings. With a little luck (namely rain) he could have challenged for a podium place surely if not a victory, and that would have been an amazing feat considering where he started the race. He however, later had to stop and change to intermediates, and that dropped him behind Massa again.

No such problems for Vettel who had the added luxury of driving amid no spray on an empty track. Even then he needed to be on his toes not to commit a mistake leading to a spin or crashing into the barriers, which would have been such a shame. Talking of which none of the other drivers (other than Fisichella) committed any mistake either, and all made it to the finish line. In the end it finished with Vettel emerging as the youngest GP winner in the history of the sport ahead of Kovalainen and Kubica. The two top title contenders finished 7^th and 6^th enabling Massa to chew off Hamilton’s lead to a solitary point. McLaren on the other hand edged closer to Ferrari in the constructors championship with just five points separating the two powerhouses now. The day though belonged to Vettel and the tiny Italian outfit, Scuderia Torro Rosso who proved that size does not matter always.

So that brought an end to a truly enjoyable “sports” weekend with upsets in both the main features. The race could be termed slightly more fun as that broke the duck for a team and a driver (and may be remembered as the day when a champion was born). Practically speaking Torro Rosso cannot hope much in the season ahead, but the title race is absolutely scalding hot heading into the most anticipated circuit of the year – the first night race in the history of the championship, at a brand new venue, on a brand new circuit. As for football, Man U have tougher times ahead and they just cannot afford to lose to Chelsea and trail their main rivals this early in the season. Chelsea too have their troubles with Terry being unavailable courtesy a red card during the weekend. All this is good news for sports fans who have really had a ball this year and the party just seems to go on and on……..

Harsha Bhogle recently said that the thrill and excitement of unscripted drama can never be replaced by scripted drama. There was abundant proof of that in this weekend’s clash between Arsenal and Bolton Wanderers. In the see saw battle one was moved from tears to hysteria and vice versa (depending on which side of the pitch your allegiance laid). What was to be a very important match for both the teams – albeit for different reasons – started off as a disaster for one and ended as the same for the other. What came out of it was the never-say-die spirit of the Gunners and the restoration of their self belief – which many may say has come a little too late, but I would rather say better late than never.

To begin with the absence of Adebayor in the starting 11 raised some eyebrows, and questions were raised as to if Arsene Wenger had given up title aspirations in the Premiership with an eye on his (elusive) first Champions League trophy. Nevertheless the match started with Arsenal in perfect control of the proceedings. Robin Van Persie had a good chance taken away due to some determined defending by Al Habsi. But there were more to come, with Nicklas Bendtner was a little profligate missing two good oppurtunities. There was no doubt as to the intent Arsenal had come out with. However intent alone is sometimes not enough in football.

Bolton meanwhile hardly had a sniff of the ball. But in the 14^th minute Gretar Steinsson sent a sublime cross from the right wing to find Matthew Taylor who powered an unstoppable header past the hapless Almunia from six yards out. If Arsenal had not woken up to the fact that they had not won at the Reebok since April 2002, this was a rude awakening call for them. But things were to detiorate further for the visiting team. In the 31^st minute Abou Diaby lunged studs up, not reaching the ball and catching Gretar Steinsson on his ankle. It was a dirty and mistimed challenge and referee Chris Foy had no second thoughts on dishing out the red card. Things were really getting bad now, but Arsenal replied in the best possible fashion. Just after play resumed, Bendtner had a real good opportunity to score but could only fire wide.

More hell was to break lose before the interval though. As the match settled and Arsenal looked for the equaliser before the break, their worst fears came true. Mathieu Flamini lost the ball in the penalty box to McCann, which duly went to Taylor who could not have put a foot wrong on the day. His strong shot took a deflection of William Gallas leaving Almunia to make a last minute change of direction, which went futile as the ball found the back of the net. All the fears of the previous four matches came rushing to mind. And the only thing that seemed probable then was that the impeding defeat would end the Gunners’ title challenge for sure now. The fifth consecutive Premiership match without victory also might have a bad flow on impact considering the next 10 days entailed three meetings with Liverpool.

As the players and staff left the pitch at half time the body language of both squads showed the mental state they probably were in. Whatever Arsene Wenger said in the dressing room – though would have been significant – did not immediately seemed to show any results. Arsenal were still being tied down by the Bolton defence who believed they were now in sniffing distance of an unlikely victory. The astute manager though still had a move or two in his repository and made two crucial substitutions. He brought Adebayor and Theo Walcott on for Bendtner and Senderos, thereby having a strange yet attacking 3-5-1-1 formation. This had an immediate impact as Walcott the worked his midas again, troubling with his pace on the right side.

The goal when it came was a little bizarre. A corner whipped in by Fabregas found the adroit Gallas at the far end who was shockingly unmarked and should not have missed from 5 feet with the goal at his mercy. And he did not. The defensive howler from the Bolton backs showed that they had forgotten to do their homework well. This was the shot in the arm for Arsenal and then they came in waves. A second goal never looked a distant possibility if they could sustain the momentum. And they finally were rewarded for their incessant efforts in the minute. Alesander Hleb was brought down by Cahill in the box and the referee again had no doubt in pointing to the spot. One would have expected Van Persie to be under tremendous pressure considering the importance of the goal and his lack of match practice compounding the difficulty. But even if he was under pressure, neither his demeanour, nor his coolly taken penalty betrayed it as he easily sent the Bolton Keeper the wrong way to score the equaliser.

Arsene Wenger was very candid of the fact that he had told the team a draw would just not be good enough today. And it was very true as they had already extinguished their quota of drop points, and any more now would be akin to comitting hara kiri. Hence the eagerness and desperation showed by Arsenal in the final minutes in hunt for the winner was pretty understandable. But what was more significant was that Bolton maybe had lost the very belief which they had in abundance less than half an hour ago. Still the manner in which the winner finally came was not the prettiest. Cesc Fabregas took a shy at the goal from the edge of the box, which ping ponged between two defenders to finally somehow squander into the net, sending the entire Arsenal contingent into hysteria.

Wenger later said that this has to be the best comeback game he remembers – though I still feel Liverpool’s epiphanous comeback in the ‘05 Champions League final was much more extraordinary. Nevertheless it was a remarkable achievement, and frankly no one had expected that a team 2-0 down, away from home, a player down and which has not been in the best of form lately could rally back to draw, let alone steal a win. Considering one (or maybe both) among Chelsea and Manchester United will drop points when they go head to head, then it will be upto Arsenal to beat United at Old Trafford, which though is no mean feat, but maybe just the kind of finish the season (and the eventual champions) deserves. So concomitant of this match the title is still pretty much alive (as the re-inspired Arsenal are much more lethal than a couple of games ago). For me it just further implied how right Bhogle was when he spoke out the above statement.

Lot was written over the course of the Super Sunday last week. Steve McMahon wrote that the Gunners lack a good leader (and the prima facie evidence at St Andrews may have suggested that). Though I am not denouncing his statement, but I feel it’s ostensible, as more than the leadership they needed to come out of the Eduardo incident. There are many leaders on the pitch for them, each leading in his own way. But after the Birmingham match it was their free flowing football which was questioned. It was the faith that the teams would not get dirty to break down their “beautiful football” moves that was broken. And when that happens, the only person who can succour you is – you yourself. It has taken some time for the young Gunners to realise that, but now that they have, it will be interesting to watch how their hunger for the title and angst against their several critics drives them towards the title(s).

Well, well, well, the FA cup is back. And how!!! The oldest tournament in football has long been known for its illustrious history of upsets and is dream come true for the perennial underdog supporter. But what’s been happening this year has left everyone dumbfounded and the BIG ONES ducking for cover. Though some people may say that this is down to the managers of top teams not fielding their best 11 in the tournament considering rest for their star players so that they can focus on the “more important” matches, this statement certainly was thrown into oblivion with the Man U – Portsmouth match yesterday.

Sir Alex certainly surprised everyone by including his crème de la crème, namely Ronaldo and Rooney among other big wigs. But this was not to be the last in the series of many that followed. The second was again courtesy to the flamboyant manager. He substituted Van Der Sar by Tomasz Kuszczak between posts, a switch seldom seen in any league. And this when Van Der Sar was hardly having any trouble patrolling his goal. Or maybe this was precisely the reason that instigated him to make the change in the first place, maybe he wanted to give his reserve keeper the chance for some match action. But the question that begs itself to be asked is, that if it was so why did he not start with Kuszczak in the first place? Why risk a substitution and be left with no reserve goalkeeper? Was he initially circumspect of having his reserve keeper face a tem that they had humbled just weeks ago? Whatever the reason, the fact is that this decision of his backfired, SPECTACULARLY at that. Kuszczak brought down Milan Baros in the box from what was a potential goal scoring opportunity, and I feel the referee got it right when he gave the keeper his marching orders. This left Man U without a goalkeeper, not a mention a man down. With all due respect to Rio Ferdinand, frankly he never stood a chance of denying the goal.

But this certainly did not prevent Ferguson from whining as usual, which he does after every defeat, no matter how bad his team played. And nowadays he is joined in this façade by his favourite player, Ronaldo. Their post match comments just went on to show how frustrated and blind to facts they get after being defeated. Yes, I certainly agree that Man U was on top in most of the match, and had they won, they would have certainly deserved it. But having said that, just making moves and creating chances isn’t enough. At the end of the day you’ve got to put them away for them to matter. Sir Alex has this innate belief that he can bully anyone, referees (and Beckham, pun intended) included, which sadly isn’t true (see what happened in the Beckham fiasco). And as to Ronaldo saying that he is afraid of tackles and thinks this will force him to change the way he plays, then he better start to look for another job. I mean you got to live with defenders pouring on you if you are the real danger. That I think is something to be proud of and not afraid and blame the officials for. I for one didn’t see even a single tackle that was dangerous or even close to what happened with Eduardo couple of weeks ago.

Well at least Chelsea took the defeat in their stride, accepting that yesterday, they were just not that good. In fact John Terry walked up to congratulate the rival manager and captain, praising them and wishing them to win the cup. That is how you deal honourably after being defeated by a smaller team. But then they really were very poor yesterday. Barnsley were in the match always and never got totally dominated. Maybe a lot had to do with the self belief that Barnsley had after dumping Liverpool (at Anfield at that) in the previous round. And also maybe they wanted the cup that much more. Chelsea on their part tried, but there was a touch of that urge, that hunger, amiss. John Terry missing from 5 yards out at the death is not what we see of Chelsea.

Arsenal-2, AC Milan-0. WOW!!! What a score line. The significance of it takes gigantic proportions when one realises that this is at “the San Siro”, a fortress at which NO English team had got better of the “Rossoneri” EVER. On watching the match it was clear that what was being touted as the biggest weakness of Arsenal, proved to be the difference among the two sides. I am referring to the “young” team that Arsene Wenger put against the might of an experienced Milan, boasting names such as Maldini, Kaka, Inzaghi etc. But it was the pace of these young guns and maybe also their hunger to win and prove the critics wrong that brought about the convincing win. The way Gael Clichy outpaced and got round Inzaghi for a crucial block early in the game, and at the opposite end of the clock, Walcott’s pace to outrun Milan’s backline and set up Adebayor for the second goal is ample proof of the above statement.

The match started much to the expectations of the home fans (who had come in hordes, packing the stadium to its full capacity of over 80,000)with the first 20 minutes completely belonging to the defending champions. Kaka and Inzaghi gave the Arsenal backs a tough time. But as would have been expected, led by Gallas, the defenders were concentrating well to deny their rivals any clear opportunity to have a shy at the goal. After the initial phase as Arsenal got their feet in it, the confidence soared. Fabregas was at what he does best, weaving in and out of the midfield, and Willy Sagna was showing why he is regarded so highly by his manager. Still the Milan defence is formidable and they showed it. That Adebayor was not at his best (actually he does not much relish the Champions League, having yet to score there this season), certainly did not help matters. Nevertheless Kalac was troubled and called upon to make some good saves. The game took a slightly controversial turn as Alexander Hleb went to ground just outside the box. Though replays showed clearly that he was brought down unfairly by Allesandro Nesta, the referee thought otherwise, instead showing him a yellow card for diving. However Arsenal should have been ahead going into the break, as Senderos had only Kalac to beat in the dying seconds, only to shoot straight into the hands of the huge keeper.

Second half again started in balance with both teams trying to maintain possession to create moves. As no team could get any significant breakthrough, it became more of a mid-field battle. With Adebeayor still not able to find his touch, Arsene Wenger brought about the much awaited change, substituting Eboue with Walcott. This immediately infused a fresh pace into the Arsenal team as he combined well with Fabregas. Walcott almost immediately had a great opportunity to open the scoring and add to his impressive tally in the Champions League, but Kalac made an equally good save, and Adebayor slipped when he could have scored on the rebound (this pretty much sums up the kind of day he had been having). With both teams in a gridlock and the defence of either not yielding an inch, frustration began to rise. Even a staid player like Kaka could not hide it, throwing the ball in disgust at an outline decision, only to be booked for it. At this time it was clear that a solitary goal may just be enough to decide the outcome and that it would more likely come out of a moment of inspired individual brilliance rather than some wonderful team play. And that brilliance did come in the 84^th minute.

Cesc Fabregas got the ball just inside the Milan half. He goside stepped Gennaro Gattuso, and still off the box from about 30 yards, pulled the trigger. This sudden shot even took Zeljko Kalac (who till then had been having a good day) by surprise and maybe he was just a fraction too late to dive to his right and stop the ball from finding the back of the net. Actually it was so unexpected that even my initial reaction was that he had palmed the ball out and it had struck the net from the outside. Only when I saw the wild reactions of the Arsenal contingent (and what relief showed on their faces), did I realise what had happened. But that takes nothing away from the quality of the kick. It had just the enough curl, placed right at the extreme edge of the net, and had the power that beat the Milan keeper in the first place. The absolute silence at the stadium (yes for a moment even the Arsenal fans were just as dumbstruck as the Milan fans, and also me) aptly showed the seriousness of the situation. The holders now needed not one, but two goals to go through, and that too in just over 5 minutes. This was in no way an easy deed, but one can never write off Milan till the final whistle, more so at the San Siro (and all of us saw what Liverpool did to Milan in the 2005 final in a madness filled 6 minutes).

However Arsenal were now totally on top (having buried the demons of the previous two weeks) and were determined to go through the “clean” way. As Milan poured bodies forward, they were always going to be vulnerable to the famed Arsenal counter-attack, and deep in stoppage time it happened. Walcott outran the last Milan defender (the tired legs of the older team were now showing against the young talent) as he chased a clearance from among his lines, got the better of another block and selflessly slid the ball to the poaching Adebayor, who (no matter however bad a spell he would have been in) could not have missed from 5 yards out. This killed the match for good, and even the Milan team and fans realised this.

The celebrations at the end were more of relief than ecstasy considering what the club has been through the past two weeks. More than the disappointment of registering no win in the past four games, or being knocked out of the league and FA cup; it was the horror injury to Eduardo that had shaken up the club. And this will certainly do much much more than just keep them alive in the Champions League. This will infuse a fresh confidence in them, give them the self belief that just maybe had started to diminish, and above all show all the critics and rival clubs that this team can go all the way. But as Wenger put it in the post match conference, they have to balance now between belief and humility, a quality required to be sonsistent at the top.

It had been billed as the sternest test of the “Young Gunners” this season, who had already proved everyone wrong by what they have achieved till now. But with this convincing win (no one expected them to score more than a goal at San Siro, if they score at all) the warning bugle has been sounded louder and clearer than before for all to hear and take heed. Beating the most successful team in recent history of the competition away, and dominating so much possession in the game is no mean feat. Arsene Wenger, or “The Professor” as he is known, has proved to be a master of nurturing young talent and shown yet again (how many times will he have to do this before people start accepting it) that its not just BIG NAMES that make a team great, team spirit and motivation can also win trophies. Having said this, there is still a long way to go for this team to be considered among the “Wenger’s Invincibles”, but if they are able to maintain what they showed yesterday, the omens are really good.

If this is how Liverpool respond to playing two games in three days, Rafa Benitez must wish the derby was tomorrow night. The only fatigue on display here was in the home stands, as Birmingham’s tormented fans grow tired of seeing their side getting battered.
For Liverpool, the thrill of reaching an FA Cup semi-final for the first time since 2001 was eclipsed only by the manner in which they did so. After serving nibbles for much of the season, Anfield’s strikers are now hosting banquets. Peter Crouch, Fernando Morientes and Djibril Cisse filled their bellies at St Andrews, although most of the helpings arrived courtesy of another inspirational performance cooked up by Steven Gerrard. The seven goal deficit flattered Birmingham more than rampant Liverpool. Benitez’s only concern must be that a few strikes have been kept in the bank for the weekend. By the end, records and reputations were tumbling with each attack. Not only did Liverpool register their biggest away win in the FA Cup, it was the most convincing away victory by any side in the last eight since 1890. The mighty Bootle were once demolished 7-0 by Blackburn Rovers. Who knows, perhaps this was a moment of revenge for the Carragher clan. Benitez couldn’t have scripted a more comfortable passage into the last four, as his side recovered from the pre-match blow of not having to face Emile Heskey to romp into the semis. Liverpool’s first two attacks yielded headed goals as both Sami Hyypia and Crouch benefited from non-existent marking following perfect Gerrard crosses. St Andrews was full capacity for no more than four minutes, as the first deserters saw enough when Maik Taylor failed to hold onto Crouch’s close range nod. The home side’s attempts to rally were brief. Liverpool were two-up before they’d even had to settle, and by the time the visitors completely found their form, Birmingham humiliation beckoned. The clinical edge which would have made numerous Liverpool victories more emphatic this season finally made an appearance. Crouch’s second was exceptional. This was an evening when Luis Garcia’s party pieces paid off and his dribble and pass was dispatched with the confidence of a man who’s averaged a goal every two games since November. That’s 12 in 24 games for Crouch, who may soon earn the description ‘prolific’. One Birmingham fan had seen enough, rushing towards the home dug-out to shout obscenities and eyeball Steve Bruce from 10 yards. After being escorted out of the stadium, the ‘fan’ was at least consoled by being prevented from sitting through further punishment, although one might have thought he’d enjoy a rare chance to see some good football. The visiting supporters offered some sympathy to the Birmingham boss with a rendition of ‘Steve Bruce, he’s signing on next week’. To be fair to the home manager, who showed he hadn’t lost his sense of humour by sending on his son for the last 15 minutes, he was courageous enough to accept the scale of embarrassment. Whatever Bruce said at half-time had a dramatic and surprising impact, as it made Birmingham play even worse and Liverpool excel more. Crouch’s elegant strike was over-shadowed as the Reds staged their own goal of the round competition in the second half. With the number 15 still shaking his head after being denied the chance of a hat-trick, his replacement tapped in a scrumptious fourth.
Momo Sissoko wasn’t the only player to benefit from the Edgar Davids style glasses, as Morientes tried them on while sat on the bench and clearly got a good look where the goal is. Garcia’s dummy and Gerrard’s unselfish pass ensured Morientes grabbed his second tap-in in two appearances. When he scores at rather more crucial times, a year of being frustrated by the skilful Spaniard will justifiably and willingly be replaced by a round of feet kissing. Lack of confidence certainly shouldn’t be a factor now. In truth, Morientes was merely dishing out sweet deserts, while Crouch, Gerrard and company had already ensured the starters and main course were of Michelin star standard. John Arne Riise’s thunderbolt provided the cream. Quite what that made the sixth and seventh is a matter for the hapless Olivier Tebily and Taylor to explain. The duo would certainly have welcomed a liquor or two to drown their sorrows, as an own goal and Taylor howler meant, by the end, Liverpool were after eight. The 4,000 visiting fans were delirious, revelling in the former Manchester United defender’s shame. For Benitez, a third cup semi-final in two seasons awaits, and his players won’t care who they’re facing if they can maintain this standard for the remainder of the campaign. Chelsea will want to avoid the Reds as much as vice-versa. Before getting swept away with pretensions of greatness, however, Benitez will be canny enough to acknowledge his team has just faced arguably the worst three defensive performances since Phil Babb, Torben Piechnik and Bjorn Tore Kvarme were in their prime. Even Sean Dundee and Erik Meijer might have fancied their chances last night. Not that this should detract from the professional and ruthless manner the strikers have filled their boots. Liverpool can justifiably argue this beating was threatened for some time, and Birmingham have merely suffered where others should have tread.

Benitez will be more content with the overall performance as much as the score, as his side has rediscovered the conviction it displayed during its mid-season peak. Sissoko’s comfortable return in midfield freed Gerrard, while for the first time this season Benitez faces a striking dilemma because all of his forwards are scoring. A week ago the derby was an accident waiting to happen. Today, it can’t come soon enough for Liverpool. Well, providing someone can lock all the windows at Anfield and stop that form book being chucked out of one, that is.

Steven Gerrard, the architect of the crucial move – Thierry Henry the finisher. It may read like a Roman Abramovich transfer fantasy, but instead it was the decisive moment in an extraordinary match that handed Arsenal the initiative once more in the race for the fourth Champions League place. And it was a twist in the season that Liverpool’s inspirational captain will want to forget. Steven Gerrard, so often the hero for the Anfield side, assumed the unaccustomed role of villain after his inexplicable backpass gifted Thierry Henry the winning goal six minutes from time. It was a moment that replicated his mistake in England’s Euro 2004 first-round defeat to France in all but the conclusion. But blaming Gerrard for this second successive defeat would be to conveniently ignore the fault lines that run through a Liverpool team that is in danger of ending a campaign that promised so much with precious little.

Jens Lehmann, the hero of Highbury against Real Madrid on Wednesday, was at fault for Luis Garcia’s’s equaliser. What was not in question was the supremacy of Cesc Fabregas in midfield who outshone even Alonso and made an eloquent case for his inclusion in Spain’s World Cup squad. The dismissal of Alonso was, as Rafael Benitez said, the match’s turning point. The midfielder had been booked for a foul on Fabregas four minutes earlier when, on 81 minutes, he slipped as he approached Mathieu Flamini – and appeared to be signalling his apology in the act of falling – before going straight through the Arsenal man. At first glance it merited a straight red, on further examination it was clumsiness compounded by ill fortune.

At the other end a dazzling piece of work from Fabregas and Henry had given Arsenal the lead on 21 minutes. Fabregas’ through-ball was weighted so perfectly that it beat the lunges of four Liverpool players to arrive on Henry’s toes. Cutting in from the left flank the striker struck a shot just beyond Reina’s reach and inside the goalkeeper’s far post. Twice Henry missed chances to seal the game before Liverpool equalised – a goal which Wenger believed should have been disallowed for a foul by Alonso on Fabregas. Gerrard’s fierce shot was punched into the air by Lehmann and, of those dashing into the box, Luis Garcia was first to head the ball into the net. Henry’s winner left Arsenal in fifth place and one point clear of Blackburn Rovers. Arsenal can overhaul Tottenham when their rivals visit Highbury on 22 April. “It’s a little hangover [for Liverpool] from their Champions’ League exit,” Wenger said. “You grieve a little after that.” At Arsenal, the time for mourning appears to be over.