THERE WERE many fine footballers on view in north London last night, but two men in particular seemed most likely to hold the fate of this all-English quarter-final in their hands. In their contrasting ways, Cesc Fabregas and Steven Gerrard embody the particular footballing ideals pursued by their respective teams, neatness and subtlety were opposed by drive and passion.
Although both teams came into the match with the fillip of an encouraging victory in the Premier League at the weekend, their trajectories over the season have been very different. Arsenal started well and maintained the pace for longer than expected. Liverpool were never in the race for the domestic title but have strengthened in the final furlong, perhaps as a consequence of a physical freshness created by Rafael Benitez's insistence on rotating his squad earlier in the season.
Arsenal's finely tuned mechanism ran with silken smoothness through the winter months, only to cough and splutter once the blossom appeared.
Last night we saw how they have attempted to work their way out of their problems by simplifying their play, opening up the little triangles with which their midfielders normally attempt to take opponents out of the game. As they worked their way towards taking the lead exactly midway through the first half, probing the gaps in the screen erected by Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano, there was a greater willingness to mix short passing with long, more direct approach work.
Their goal, however, came as the result of a more characteristic passage of play, an exchange between Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue on the right opening the way for Fabregas to feed Van Persie, whose low right-footed shot drew a save from Pepe Reina. From the corner, Fabregas and Van Persie combined to allow the Dutchman to hit an inswinging left-footed cross which Emmanuel Adebayor, rising with barely a challenge, head sharply home.
Liverpool have grown in authority in recent weeks, at the same time as Benitez has allowed the real shape of his team to appear. For the first time in his four years at Anfield any fan could write the names on the team sheet, and the quality of their football has benefited as a direct consequence of this unfamiliar emphasis on stability and consistency. There is nothing better than knowing where your team-mates are, particularly in moments of pressure, and Benitez seems to have settled on a shape that allows every player to function at his best. Maybe this is what he has been working towards all the time, ignoring those of us who poured scorn on his endless meddling while allowing the true outline of his side to emerge.
Perhaps, too, he has finally found the solution to the dilemma of where to play Gerrard, the club's talismanic figure but at times its biggest problem. Playing Alonso deep and Gerrard high was Benitez's first instinct, during his first season in charge, but various injuries provoked readjustments that put the plan on hold. Now, with the arrival of Fernando Torres and with Mascherano providing a superb shield in the deep areas, the formula has been revived, and last night it provided Liverpool with an instant equaliser.
Gerrard drove out of his half in the 25th minute. Making 30 yards in what seemed like half a dozen raking strides, he carried the ball away from the stranded Flamini before exchanging passes on the edge of the area and then dribbling brilliantly past Eboue and Toure before squaring the ball for Kuyt to finish. It was a stunning piece of work and precisely the kind of inspiring contribution that is expected from a player of such spirit and athleticism.
Purists will take some convincing of the desirability of all-English ties in the Champions' League, but the matter will be less contentious as long as the matches are as vibrant as this one.
