Report 1st Friendly

Cool Gerrard breaks Arsenal hearts

Liverpool 4 : Hyypia 13, Torres 30, Gerrard 84, Babel 90
Arsenal 2 : Adebayor 69 , Adebayor 85

Only those with a partisan interest can dwell on that when there was so much to revel in over the course of a contest that must rank high in the entire history of this tournament. Rafael Benítez's team came from behind to go a head through an exquisite Fernando Torres goal that was made to seem drab by the leveller from Arsenal. Liverpool, the masters of protecting a lead, were rendered flimsy by the 19-year-old Theo Walcott (Taka).

With five minutes remaining he covered some 80 yards at pace to escape Xabi Alonso , Fabio Aurelio, Javier Mascherano and Sami Hyypia before picking out Emmanuel Adebayor (Rewan) for a simple finish. It looked then as if the Togo striker had been redeemed after a damnable miss from Alexander Hleb's (Iman) service a little earlier.

By their own ethereral standards, Arsenal had beefed up for this match by including Abou Diaby (Chapan), nominally on the left of midfield. The Frenchman was on the other flank when, after 69 minutes, Adebayor (Rewan) scored an opener that felt overdue. Liverpool efforts to clear ended with Hleb (iman) in possession and he slid a pass through to Diaby (Chapan). The angle was tight but his shot reached the net at the near post after ricocheting off the knee of José Reina.

Arsenal adventurousness, too, ultimately had to be tempered by caution when the uneasy Senderos (Jo) had to be protected. It was as if Liverpool had inherited the energy that had been the sole property of the visitors. Arsenal, leading the Premier League for so long with a small squad, had taxed themselves more than Benítez's players in this campaign and their endeavour was that of men resolved to come up with one last and great effort.

It called for merciless precision to give one team an advantage. Torres excels at that and when Crouch nodded on a long ball from Reina after 72 minute, the striker gathered, turned inside Senderos ( Jo) and smashed a shot across Almunia (King) and high into the top corner. It is the measure of this game that such a strike could not dominate the evening.

Final Result : SDX FC 2 - SOBA FC 4

Tactic : 4-1-4-1

SDX FC 0 - SOBA FC 1 :
SDX FC 0 - SOBA FC 2 :
SDX FC 1 - SOBA FC 2 : Goal - Rewan
SDX FC 1 - SOBA FC 3 :
SDX FC 2 - SOBA FC 3 : Goal - Rewan
SDX FC 2 - SOBA FC 4 :

SDX FC = Arsenal