While Arsenal were inflicting more misery on Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool for the second game in a row, we handed a great advantage to Blackburn Rovers, the Championship side that will try to return the favour by knocking the Reds out of the FA cup on Wednesday.
I am not taking anything for granted as Arsenal have to beat Reading at Wembley before facing either of the two. Anything can happen in cup games, but you would fancy us – and then we would clearly prefer a final against Blackburn or Aston Villa.
So the Liverpool boss is really going to have to earn his money this week if he is to get his players out of a big hole. Just like last season they look like they are coming spectacularly off the rails after a brilliant and ominous run of results.
The way their former player Steve McManaman ranted on about the idiocy of Emre Can getting a second yellow for a daft late scissor tackle on Danny Welbeck shows you just how much trouble he has put his club in. With Liverpool already missing their captain Steven Gerrard and their best defender Martin Skrtel through suspensions, the loss of Can leaves their defence threadbare and that will be sorely tested by Blackburn.
A few hours after the beaten Liverpool players trudged off the Emirates pitch, Rovers warmed up for their clash with a nice and easy 3-0 win away to Leeds United. So they will go into the cup game in great spirit and high on confidence, while Liverpool could hardly be in a worse position.
Are the Gunners destined for another FA cup trophy this year?