Despite losing Granit Xhaka in the 24th minute of the encounter, Arsenal held on away at Anfield and forced Liverpool to a goalless draw
By Kehinde Okeowo
Arsenal, despite playing with a man down for more than 66 minutes of the encounter against Liverpool, held on and forced the Reds to a goalless draw in a match played at Anfield.
Granit Xhaka was dismissed after 24 minutes for denying Diogo Jota a goalscoring opportunity with a high challenge on the edge of his penalty area as he attempted to cut out Andrew Robertson’s pass.
Trent Alexander-Arnold could not punish Arsenal further from the resulting free-kick, however, and the visitors produced a resolute defensive display to leave on level terms.
Bukyo Saka also had the opportunity to put Arsenal ahead in the 71st minute but a poor first touch from him allowed Alisson to stop his shot.
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Takumi Minamino blazed over the crossbar in the dying minute of the game when faced with an open goal and it remained Liverpool’s best chance of the match.
Manager Mikel Arteta praised his side’s “fight, determination and brotherhood” after the 10-man Gunners frustrated Liverpool in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at Anfield.
“They never gave up even though it’s extremely difficult against this opponent,” said Arteta.
“I said to the players before the game that you have to have a certain attitude and in difficult moments you have to react – I think the boys did that very well,” he added.
“We played the game we had to play. I’m expecting now our fans will create an even better atmosphere [in the second leg] than today.”
The return leg takes place at Emirates Stadium next Thursday, January 20, 2022, and the winner will face Chelsea, who dispatched Spurs in the other semi-final.