Arsenal were unable to break the deadlock during the 90 minutes tonight, but beat their rivals Liverpool in another penalty shootout to make sure.
Arsenal fielded an exciting line-up, changed their setup to a 4-3-3 for the fixture, and I was certain that we would get the better of Liverpool’s much-changed team, but the game certainly didn’t go as I had expected..
Both sides kept their opponents at bay mostly, restricting most shots to be taken on from outside the box. Although Liverpool definitely carved out the best chances of the game, that accounts for nothing if you don’t get on the scoresheet, and they didn’t.
I definitely was not expecting this encounter to end 0-0, especially not after seeing the two team-sheets, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.
We then had to try and beat our rivals in a penalty shoot-out just as we did in the Community Shield around five weeks ago, and Adrian gave his side the advantage when Mo Elneny failed to find the corners.
Bernd Leno got us straight back into the tie however, and Maitland-Niles scored the 10th penalty to send us into sudden death at 4-4.
The hosts gave Leno a near-identical second save to give us the chance to clinch the tie, and youngster Joe Willock did just that.
He sent the ball into the goalkeeper’s left, and despite making contact, the ball dribbled over the line.
For anyone still watching, the draw for the quarter finals is about to go ahead, and we will know our fate for the next round any moment.
Patrick