I was going to wait and watch this match again before writing my review, but there's a possibility that wouldn't happen until tomorrow so I'll go ahead and try my best.
First, what a difference Xabi makes. His passing is so world class it's ridiculous. The Spaniard's vision is immense and his passing ability shined through. Unfortunately he limped off the field with another metatarsal injury, whether or not it was the same foot is unclear, but it's pretty devastating to our side. Hopefully it's not as bad as believed.
Second, kudos to Rafa for going with a 4-3-3 formation. Along with Xabi's vision and passing, this was a huge factor in making this match more exciting. To take such a risk in a big match like this takes balls and I'm glad Rafa finally found his.
Finally, some of the actions of both sides were deplorable and frankly alarming. Carragher's take-down of Fabregas by the Spaniards shirt was without a doubt a penalty, but so was Sagna's handball in the Arsenal box. If Sagna wasn't looking to use his hand/arm to manipulate the ball, then why did he go up with it raised? Flopping on both sides was pathetic, but Arsenal were far worse. Neither Voronin nor Mascherano's cards were justifiable.
Am I happy with the result? I guess, considering we are far from top form and apparently got worse with Xabi, Torres, and possible Mascherano being injured. If Agger would have been available, I'm pretty confident we would have won.
My man of the match is Javier Mascherano, who once again proved his class by shutting down Fabregas. If Masche hadn't have been injured around ten minutes to go, we might have been able to steal all three points.
I can't really complain about anyone's performance, even Hyypia seemed to play within his bounds and he probably saved us a goal, but it's clear Rafa is going to have to start expanding the squad as soon as possible so he can rotate more and we can rest players when needed. I'm hoping we get to see the likes of Stephen Darby to rest Finnan on Wednesday when we face Cardiff in the League Cup. Cheers.
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