Liverpool had played against 10 men for almost 70 minutes. Not only had they failed to score, they had only mustered one late shot on target, and against Arsenal, who they had walloped 4-0 when they had a full complement of players. A opportunity to take a giant stride into a first Wembley final for six years had been squandered in a semi-final stalemate. Their chances were being dismissed.
“Everyone was writing us off,” said assistant manager Pep Lijnders. If history should serve as a warning not to write off Jurgen Klopp’s team, who overturned a 3-0 semi-final first-leg deficit to eliminate Barcelona from the Champions League in 2019, it transpired sceptics were Liverpool themselves. In one of his more famous soundbites, Klopp talked about turning “doubters to believers.” Lijnders sensed doubt immediately after last week’s 0-0 draw.
“It is the disappointment of the stadium, it's the disappointment of the fans and it's the disappointment of us as a staff,” said the Dutchman. “It is not the outside world I am speaking about, it is the inside world. We need optimism in our squad because this semi-final is decided over two legs. But from the final whistle at Anfield, we couldn’t wait to go there and create a special day for us. We are Liverpool Football Club and our team proved that we want to attack this competition and reach finals.”
He drew encouragement from another of Liverpool’s 2019 Champions League triumphs, citing the first-leg 0-0 draw with Bayern Munich. Liverpool duly won 3-1 in Bavaria. As Liverpool look for a similar scoreline against an Arsenal side who could be fresher after Sunday’s North London derby was postponed, it creates the possibility for a redemptive moment for Takumi Minamino. The Japanese forward missed Liverpool’s lone golden chance in injury time last week, but scored as a substitute against Brentford on Sunday.
“When we signed him we knew he had a lot of goals in him,” said Lijnders. “He has this proper finishing attitude and he always finds these moments to finish.” Minamino is set for a return to the starting 11 as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s ankle injury denies him a reunion with his former club. Minamino’s scoring touch will be more important with Liverpool without five options in attack, with Divock Origi still sidelined, Harvey Elliott not yet ready to make his comeback and Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane at the African Cup of Nations.
Liverpool 0 Arsenal 0: player ratings
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LIVERPOOL PLAYER RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 6. The Brazilian had a quiet evening but made a fine close-range save from Saka. He cut out danger by being quick off the line. AFP -
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 4. The 23-year-old’s distribution was unusually poor and he created little in a sluggish performance. Williams replaced him with 14 minutes to go Getty Images -
Joel Matip - 6. The 30-year-old was secure at the back and not scared of stepping into midfield with the ball at his feet. He was withdrawn for Gomez in the 76th minute. Getty Images -
Virgil van Dijk - 6. The Dutchman was rarely out of his comfort zone and did not need to be at his best as Arsenal concentrated on defending. His passing was effective. AFP -
Andrew Robertson - 5. The Scot’s diagonal ball led to Xhaka’s sending off but it was a rare pinpoint effort. Most of the time his crossing and passing were less precise. Getty Images -
Fabinho - 5. The Brazilian was tidy on the ball without ever worrying Arsenal. Usually he controls the pace of the game but that was not the case here and he was replaced by Oxlade-Chamberlain with 15 minutes left. Reuters -
James Milner - 4. The 36-year-old was often a bystander as the ball pinged around the midfield. He never got to the pace of the game and made way for Jones just after the hour. AFP -
Jordan Henderson - 5. The captain was not short on effort but lacked quality. He became less effective in the second half, when he looked heavy-legged. Reuters -
Diogo Jota - 5. The Portuguese forced Xhaka into his red-card offence but that was one of the rare occasions he found space behind the defence. For most of the time he was crowded out. EPA -
Roberto Firmino - 4. The Brazilian looked bright when he was on the ball but that was not very often. He faded into the background when he needed to lead the line. Getty Images -
Takumi Minamino - 4. The Japanese did not impose himself. He was swamped by defenders and when his big chance came late on, he lacked composure. AFP -
SUBS: Curtis Jones (Milner 61') - 6. The 20-year-old replaced Milner in the 61st minute. He brought some vigour to a midfield that lacked energy but could not unlock the defence. PA -
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Fabinho 75') - 4. The 28-year-old was given 15 minutes against his former club when Fabinho departed. He could not find much space and his touch was poor. Reuters -
Joe Gomez (Matip 76') - 6. The 24-year-old came on for the last 14 minutes and eased to the final whistle without too many worries. AFP -
Neco Williams (Alexander-Arnold 76') - 6. A lively cameo from the Welshman, who joined the action in the 76th minute for Alexander-Arnold. He provided some extra thrust down the right. EPA -
ARSENAL PLAYER RATINGS: Aaron Ramsdale - 7. The 23-year-old must have expected a busier night. What he needed to do, he did well and handled a late barrage of crosses with ease. Getty Images -
Cedric Soares - 5. The Portuguese limped off and was replaced by Chambers after 11 minutes. He did not get the opportunity to get into the game. Getty Images -
Ben White - 8. A strong display from the 24-year-old. His positional sense was good and he made some significant tackles, blocks and interceptions. Reuters -
Gabriel - 7. The Brazilian was too far upfield during the counterattack that led to Xhaka’s sending off but he grew in stature afterwards. He was disciplined and effective under pressure. AP -
Kieran Tierney - 7. The Scot was restrained going forward after his team went down to ten men but he was able to show off the defensive side of his game. He teed up Saka for a chance in the second half. Getty Images -
Albert Sambi Lokonga - 6. The Belgian started poorly but did his best to fill the void left by Xhaka. He was much more comfortable when not asked to be creative. PA -
Granit Xhaka - 2. The Swiss is a liability. He knew where Jota was but still swung a boot in a manner that could only lead to a 24th-minute red card. Too slow in pace and thought. Reuters -
Bukayo Saka - 8. The 20-year-old was his team’s main threat, even when they were a man short. He will rue his poor touch that allowed Alisson to gather his close-range shot but he worried the defence. Tavares replaced him with nine minutes left. AFP -
Alexandre Lacazette - 7. The Frenchman put in a shift, holding the ball up and tracking back to help the weakened midfield. He was exhausted by the final whistle. AFP -
Gabriel Martinelli - 7. The 20-year-old was mature enough to restrict his attacking instincts and drop back to help out his defence. He pressed Liverpool ballcarriers relentlessly. Getty Images -
Eddie Nketiah - 6. The 22-year-old suffered from Xhaka’s moment of madness. He was withdrawn for Holding in Arsenal’s 28th-minute reshuffle. AP -
Calum Chambers (Soares 11') - 7. The 26-year-old got onto the pitch early when Cedric limped off. The centre back handled Minamino with ease and was dominant in the air. Reuters -
Rob Holding – 7 (Nketiah 28'). The 26-year-old was drafted into the defence in the 28th minute at Nketiah’s expense after Arsenal went down to 10 men. He was ready for the battle and made numerous clearances with his head and boot. AP -
Nuno Tavares (Saka 81') - 5. The Portuguese replaced Saka with nine minutes remaining. He screened the defence but made scant impact going forward. Reuters
Liverpool struck three times on Sunday without them, with Oxlade-Chamberlain among the scorers. “We need these players to stand up when we are without Mo, without Sadio and without Naby [Keita],” Lijnders added. “He did that and it's a shame he will not be there.”
Prolific as Salah has been, Lijnders said Liverpool are reducing their reliance on the Egyptian. “We know we needed to create different weapons: goals from everywhere, last passes from everywhere, dribbles from everywhere, attacks from everywhere not just the speed of these boys,” he explained. “They are our face, our front line, but what I like is we don’t have one weapon: we have so many ways to attack.”
Liverpool’s second youngest scorer in their history could be summoned. While Klopp has brought the biggest trophies to Anfield, his assistant argued youth development should also plays a part in a manager’s record.
“We have Kaide Gordon with us who has a goal in him,” he said. “We always look at our academy because we think a lot of our icons and a lot of the best players in the history of Liverpool Football Club came from there, so I think a coach should be judged a lot more on this."
