A FIXTURE TO CONJURE WITH

On their way to the 1950 Cup Final Arsenal v Liverpool

Freddie Ljungberg; loving your red hair and golden shirt hitting the back of the Anfield net.

Merson rippling the Scouse onion bag. Bobby's curler, Tomas, Thierry, and many more.

Michael Thomas, let’s never forget Michael Thomas and of Course Smudger’s glancing header.

Some great goals and great memories at one of the world’s real homes of football.

Whether up there or at Highbury, Wembley or Emirates the games between the two of us have a certain something. Mind you  I once drove with friends up to Anfield and we only got into the ground after a Robbie Fowler Hat-trick, but less said a bout that the better

From the 1950 Cup final to 1971, the Littlewoods Cup and 1989, Games between Arsenal and Liverpool have often been significant ones. Today’s is significant in that every game between now and the end of the season is significant. We need to win, to keep confidence high to maintain momentum.

Liverpool are of course in the no man’s land of annual qualification to the Europa League; cut off from Europe’s elite and I often ponder the fact that their decline of late is never remarked upon with the same enthusiasm as Arsenal’s. I won’t and can’t deny Liverpool’s record in Europe and England; it’s great. But they have not won the league for twenty years as opposed to Arsenal’s eight year gap. As we know, the league is pretty much the barometer of how consistent a club are. The Champions League (god I would love to win it) is after all a Cup competition.

That today’s game isn’t a title battle or decider is a nod to the way that times have changed at both clubs, but we must look forward. We must look to treat Liverpool with the antipathy that we need to show against every team that stands in our way between now and May.

Let’s see some goals that we can compare with the other Gunners who have scored at Anfield and let’s bring the points home.