Arsene Wenger secured his first victory over Liverpool as Arsenal ran out 2-0 winners in a competitive game in which three men were sent off. Arsenal were deserved leaders at halftime thanks to a Lauren goal on eight minutes following a dubious corner decision awarded by Graham Poll. Liverpool struggled to contain a lively Arsenal side in the first half and their plight worsened when McAllister received his marching orders for a tackle on Vieira at the end of the half.
The game lost all its fluidity in the second half and Vieira and Hamann followed McAllister after collecting their second yellow cards. Both decisions seemed harsh as it wasn’t a bad tempered game but there can be little complaint of the result from Liverpool. They were always on the back foot and rarely troubled the Arsenal goal. Owen came on for Smicer after 70 minutes but did little to alter proceedings as Liverpool continued to chase Arsenal shadows. They eventually conceded a second goal when Henry put the ball in the top right-hand corner of the Liverpool goal with only two minutes remaining to seal the tie and give Arsenal a well-deserved victory.
