Beauty of the
beast
JULIO BAPTISTA fired four goals as Arsenal humiliated Liverpool at
Anfield for the second time in just four days. The Beasts fab four
mean the Gunners now face old rivals Spurs in a mouth-watering
Carling Cup semi-final. And Emirates boss Arsene Wenger is ready to
unleash his Young Guns in that two-legged clash.
After Arsenal became the first side to fire six at Anfield since
Sunderland won there 6-0 in 1930, he revealed: Im tempted to play
them. They have earned that right by winning at Liverpool and
Everton. It looks good for the future of the club and they look
very promising. Ive said for a long time that I dont need to buy
players.
I didnt expect to score six but Im very pleased with the way we
tackled the game. I knew the players had talent but sometimes that
can be difficult to transfer into senior games. However, we also
showed great mental strength.
Wenger also paid tribute to Real Madrid loan striker Baptista, who
has struggled for form since his arrival in the summer. The French
gaffer said: Ive been impressed by his mental strength and his
team attitude and I always believed it would come out at some
stage.
Brazilian Baptista, the first man to grab a four-goal haul at
Anfield since Dennis Westcott did it for Wolves in 1946, even
missed a penalty after Jeremie Aliadiere was felled. Aliadiere
and Alex Song also got on the scoresheet while Robbie Fowler,
Steven Gerrard and Sami Hyypia netted for Liverpool.
This was Arsenals second cup victory over the Reds in the space of
four days although their team showed nine changes to the side
that won 3-1 in Saturdays FA Cup third-round clash. Wenger
admitted he expected Kop boss Rafa Benitez to field a stronger side
after the Spaniard also made sweeping changes.
The Frenchman said: I was surprised by the team Liverpool played.
Perhaps it was due to their Christmas schedule. A dejected Benitez
said: Id like to say sorry to the supporters because they were
the best. Its difficult to explain but every attempt they had,
they seemed to score.
To cap a night of misery, Kop stars Mark Gonzalez and Luis Garcia
were both carried off with leg injuries. Benitez said: We must
forget this as soon as possible.
