The Sports Granola

Carlos Tevez struck as Manchester United defeated Roma to seal a Champions League semi-final match-up with Barcelona.

Roma should have taken the lead from the penalty spot after a foul by Wes Brown but Daniele de Rossi smashed the ball high over the crossbar.

Edwin van der Sar denied Mirko Vucinic as Roma threatened but Ryan Giggs and Owen Hargreaves forced saves from Doni.

And Tevez scored with a diving header from Hargreaves’ cross to seal the tie.

The Argentine struck after 70 minutes and it was a goal that punctured any lingering hopes Roma harboured of a dramatic comeback.

The Italians had been left stunned after their 2-0 defeat in Rome but, after enduring a poor start to the second leg, they showed great spirit to rattle their opponents.

And they might have ensured an extremely nervous evening for United had De Rossi not been so wasteful with his penalty kick after 29 minutes.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson had shown great faith in his squad prior to kick-off by leaving Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo out of his starting line-up.

They were two of five changes from the team that drew at Middlesbrough on Sunday.

Changes or not, United had more than enough opportunities to kill off the tie in the first 10 minutes.

Park Ji-Sung shot wide after superbly holding his run to stay on-side, Brown completely lost his marker from a corner but then headed over while Doni denied Hargreaves after Giggs brilliantly played the midfielder through on goal.

Having resisted United’s early advances, the Italians underlined the threat they possessed when Vucinic drew a save from Van der Sar with a strike from a tight angle.

But Hargreaves was a revelation down the right for United, using his superb athleticism to run on to passes from midfield, and he delivered two telling crosses.

The first was met by Giggs while Anderson drilled a low strike from the second - both efforts drawing saves from Doni.

But Roma should have forced their way back into the tie when referee Tom Hennin Ovrebo ruled that Brown had failed to make any contact with the ball while trying to tackle Mancini.

De Rossi buried his head in his shirt after blazing the spot kick way over the crossbar but Roma took confidence from winning the penalty and enjoyed a spell of possession that saw them end the half on top.

And Roma maintained their sense of momentum after the break - Marco Cassetti just failing to pounce on a rebound, Mikael Silvestre blocking from Rodrigo Taddei and Van der Sar saving a Juan header.

It was in stark contrast to the early minutes when United dominated, however a relatively mundane period of play, in which the home team enjoyed a reasonable spell of possession, settled Sir Alex Ferguson’s team.

And after Tevez headed home another excellent Hargreaves cross the tie was effectively settled.

Further good news for the buoyant home fans arrived with 10 minutes left when Gary Neville came on for his first appearance since picking up an ankle injury on 17 March 2007.

Derian Hatcher called it the longest 15 minutes ever, sitting in the dressing room after being tossed from the game on a five-minute boarding call.

When the Flyers defenseman left the ice last night, his team had a 3-0 lead. Before his penalty expired, Montreal had scored twice.

“I told some of the players that watching that last 15 minutes was a lot more tiring and mentally exhausting,” Hatcher said.

It was the same for his teammates as the Flyers once again fell back on the magnificent effort of goalie Marty Biron (32 saves) to defeat the Canadiens, 3-2, at the Wachovia Center in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Flyers lead the series, two games to one, with Game 4 here tomorrow.

“I don’t think it was that hard a hit, and if I had not let up, my arms would not have gotten in front of me,” Hatcher said of his boarding call. “I shouldn’t have let up.”

The Canadiens certainly didn’t.

They got some calls in their favor again as the Flyers continue to find themselves on the wrong end of Canada’s chosen team in this series, fighting the Habs and the officials.

“In the third period, with all the penalties we took, we had no choice but to be back on our heels,” said center Danny Briere. “The guys killing the penalties did a marvelous job. There’s a lot of frustration with the way the game was reffed, but I’d rather not go there. . . . I like the way we battled. We buckled down and fought through all the adversity.”

The Flyers chased rookie goalie Carey Price after two periods, scoring three goals on just 12 shots. Backup Jaroslav Halak, making his playoff debut, faced only two shots.

But with a 3-0 lead, the Flyers again made life difficult with Hatcher’s boarding call against Francis Bouillon. Montreal used the five-minute power play to get goals from Tomas Plekanec and Saku Koivu. If not for Biron’s skill at the end, they might have lost.

“They got a couple of goals, but we still had about a minute to kill after their goals,” Biron said. “We did that, we had a big kill late in the third period, and I think that made the difference for us tonight.”

Biron has outplayed Price in the series.

“He has been our best player in this series,” coach John Stevens said of Biron. “We probably felt going in that he would have to be. That win tonight to me was a win on desperation, especially at the end there, and I think we need to combine that desperation with better execution, and it will make the job a lot easier.

“I would like to see us get the lead, keep the lead, and pull away as opposed to making it that exciting.”

The Flyers also had a major scare: R.J. Umberger, who also scored, took a hip check from Plekanec in his sore left knee in the third period and was helped off the ice. He returned.

“He stuck his hip out,” said an angry Umberger. “It’s a long series, and we know who it was. The [knee] brace saved me.”

The Flyers did yeoman’s work defensively on the Canadiens, using their sticks the entire way to block 20 shots while killing off six of eight power plays, including a five-on-three midway into the opening period.

Of course, it helped that Montreal’s Christopher Higgins muffed a pass from Alex Kovalev with an open left side of the net staring at him. Then Biron made a glove save on Mark Streit, and Andrei Markov nailed the post.

“Unfortunately for us, we’ve got guys that both kill penalties and play the power play,” Stevens said. “It’s pretty taxing when they have to play that many minutes, and you have guys like Danny [Briere] and Vinny [Prospal] who don’t get on the ice enough.”

It was a 0-0 affair until Scottie Upshall scored 7 minutes, 4 seconds into the second period on an extended shift. Coming back into the Habs’ zone a third time, Upshall took a drop pass from Joffrey Lupul in the right circle, then used rookie defenseman Ryan O’Byrne as a screen on Price before beating him. It was Upshall’s second goal of the playoffs.

Lupul “made a great play carrying the puck up the ice with a lot of speed,” Upshall said. “He chipped it outside and carried his speed through the middle, and I used him and then their D-man as a screen and made a good shot.”

The Flyers got a shorthanded goal from Mike Richards at 15:12, and then Umberger got his fifth goal of the playoffs, and fourth of the series, making it 3-0.

“All year you fight for them, and right now the puck is bouncing, and I’m in the right spot,” Umberger said.

Liverpool’s John Arne Riise accidentally headed the ball into his own net in the fifth minute of injury time, giving Chelsea a 1-1 tie Tuesday night in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals.

Dirk Kuyt put Liverpool ahead in the 43rd minute when he beat goalkeeper Petr Cech from close range after Javier Mascherano’s mis-hit spun over Chelsea’s Claude Makelele.

But Riise tied it when his diving header to clear Salomon Kalou’s cross for Nicolas Anelka went in from about 5 yards. Goalkeeper Pepe Reina had no chance to stop the ball.

“These ties are decided on small details, and unfortunately the little bit of luck’s gone to Chelsea at the end,” Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard said. “But maybe we’ll get a bit of luck at Stanford Bridge. No fingers pointed at John; we’re all in this together.”

Liverpool and Chelsea are meeting in the semifinals for the third time in four seasons. Liverpool advanced in 2005 and 2007 but played the second leg of the total-goals series at home. The teams meet April 30 at London, with the winner advancing to the May 21 final against Manchester United or Barcelona, who play their first leg Wednesday in Spain.

“I think we deserved definitely to get the draw at the end,” Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard said. “They had chances, we had chances. It was a battle and we carried on to the end.”

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks met with manager Rafa Benitez before the game and attended his first match at Anfield since December. Fans flicked abusive hand signals at the Texan as he appeared to join in the club anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone” before the game while his son, Tom Hicks Jr., waved a Liverpool scarf. Chelsea fans bellowed taunts of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” during the early stages of the match.

Hicks is being blamed for threatening to block George Gillett Jr. from selling of his 50 percent stake in the Premier League club to Dubai International Capital. Gillett had been planning to also attend but he didn’t travel to northern England on doctors’ advice.

Police warned the club about the fans potentially targeting Hicks and Gillett.

“Security advice was provided to the club based on standard ongoing risk assessments,” the Merseyside Police said. “As with any other event, the safety of all those attending has been considered.”

A sense of doom that apparently is bred into so many of Philadelphia’s sports fans prevailed Monday night as the Flyers dejectedly skated off the ice and the Wachovia Center emptied as if it had just been condemned.

The Flyers had let a three-games-to-one lead in their first-round series against Washington evaporate and had to drag their weary and sore bodies back to the nation’s capital for a deciding Game 7 last night at the Verizon Center.

After the Game 6 loss, coach John Stevens said the Flyers would learn what they were made of, his blunt way of issuing a challenge to his players.

And in a game in which every inch of ice was contested, the Flyers met the challenge.

Joffrey Lupul, who missed an open net late in the first period, poked in a rebound on a power play early in overtime to give the Flyers a 3-2 win over the Caps to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2004.

“It bounced to the side of the net, and I did what I’m supposed to do and put it in the net,” said Lupul, who was without a goal in the series until he tucked in a rebound of Kimmo Timonen’s shot with nine seconds remaining on the power play. “It feels great. I’m still catching my breath right now, but I’m sure it’ll hit me in a few hours.”

The Flyers face a quick turnaround as they open the Eastern Conference semifinals tomorrow night against Montreal, the regular-season conference champion.

As soon as Lupul’s shot went in, 6 minutes, 6 seconds into overtime, a relieved Stevens engaged in a bear hug with his assistant coaches. Stevens has endured a season in which his team went long stretches without key players who were injured, but he has stayed on an even keel.

“I love to see this group have some success,” he said. “To see the excitement in the players and throughout the organization is great, especially after last season.”

The Flyers got an outstanding performance from goalie Marty Biron, who made 39 saves and kept his team alive during long stretches when the Caps had the puck. There were concerns about Biron going into the game because he was 0-5 on the second night of back-to-back games during the regular season.

“I guess he answered those questions about back-to-back,” Stevens said. “He was terrific. He had to be. That might be his best outing as a Flyer, and it was good timing for it.”

On a night when Stevens shortened his bench and occasionally mixed his lines, Scottie Upshall, who has been in and out of Stevens’ doghouse this season, may have been the Flyers’ most effective forward. Timonen, who spent the series dealing with Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin, and Braydon Coburn each logged more than 28 minutes of ice time.

“Kimmo was unbelievable,” Stevens said. “He looked like he could play all night out there.”

Upshall answered Nicklas Backstrom’s power-play goal with one of his own in the first period. The Flyers could have sagged after squandering a four-minute power play at the end of the first period that included 1:42 with a two-man advantage. That period ended with Lupul’s looking up in disbelief after missing an open net.

But the Flyers caught a break when Sami Kapanen shot into a wide-open net to give the Flyers a 2-1 lead midway through the second period. The net opened for Kapanen when Caps goalie Cristobal Huet was wiped out in a collision with teammate Shaone Morrisonn. The red-clad crowd screamed foul, believing that the Flyers’ Patrick Thoresen had driven Morrisonn into the goalie.

The fans’ mood changed when Ovechkin sent a wicked wrist shot from high in the face-off circle past Biron with 4:31 to go in the period, and the teams proceeded to play as if there were no tomorrow. Of course, there wasn’t for the loser.

Afterward, center Danny Briere talked about the Flyers’ resilience during a season that included a 10-game losing streak, the loss of their top forward, Simon Gagne, and a strong stretch drive to make the playoffs.

“It’s not just about tonight,” he said. “It’s about the 10-game losing streak earlier in the season. The way we finished against very good teams down the stretch. Losing the first game [of the Washington series] after leading by two goals and blowing that lead in the third period. And once again, losing the last two games when we could have clinched.

“There’s been times when this group had a chance to fold, to give up, basically, and we keep coming back up. The confidence keeps growing, and it’s a very positive thing.”

The Flyers had squandered three-games-to-one leads twice before - in 1988 against Washington in the first round on Dale Hunter’s overtime goal; and in 2000 against New Jersey in the Eastern Conference finals in a seventh game long remembered for Scott Stevens’ leaving Eric Lindros with a concussion from an open-ice hit.

The Capitals haven’t won a playoff series since 1998 and hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2003.

Since the NHL went to the best-of-seven format in 1939, the home team had won 77 of 121 for 64 percent.

Last night was only the eighth time in history that Games 6 and 7 were played on consecutive nights, and only the fourth time since 1950. The Flyers are 7-6 in seventh games.

With a pivotal Game 3 shifting to South Philadelphia tonight, one has to ask two questions - which Flyers team will show up and which Capitals will show up.  Both squads have shown their vulnerability and at times brilliance.  In terms of brilliance, the Capitals won only one period while the Flyers have won 5.

On Monday, the Capitals did not practice but had a bunch of meetings before taking a train up to Philly.  The long shifts on Sunday by Washington could be a factor of fatigue on Tuesday night. 

Besides his game winning goal in Game 1, Alex Ovechkin has been a non-factor in the series.  The superstar has shown his frustrations by slamming his stick on the ice and taking a whack at Scottie Upshall.  In Game 2, Ovechkin only recorded 5 shots on goal but lead all forwards in ice time.  That doesn’t match-up.

At the start of the game, the Orange&Black can’t get over hyped by the crowd and lose their composure as Washington will, they always do, begin with an up tempo game; rolling line after line. 

The home ice could be a factor for the Flyers.  Philly doesn’t need cheap gimmicks to get those in attendance into the game, but there will be a sea of orange as t-shirts distributed.

I’m concerned about Marty Biron’s psyche at the start of this game.  His mind could be on the arrival of his new daughter (not yet named) and the pressure of playing his third playoff game in front of the home crowd could be a distraction.  I don’t know, I’m just filling space here.

Enrico over at the700level.com was at the game on Friday night in the Verizon Center.  He commented on the video montages during stoppages of play, and some revisionist history that was occurring.  There’s a lot of that in Washington already, and it’s crept into sports.  I still think it’s comical that our nation’s capital is rooting for a Russian as if he’s a founding father.

Derian Hatcher could be ready for the game Tuesday and take the place of Jaroslav Modry who’s been a defensive pariah late this season.

The Flyers will win Game 3 if Biron remains solid and the front line of Danny Briere and Vinny Prospal finish on Washington’s mistakes. Also, the Flyers defense needs to maintain their game plan of keeping the Caps shooters to the outside, thus, reducing their scoring chances.

The Caps will win if they take shorter shifts and are able to avoid the smothering defensive system the Flyers are playing. Cristobal Huet, like Biron, can not let in the soft goal and the Caps have to worry less about hitting someone and worry more about making better plays in the nuetral zone.

Steven Gerrard converted a tiebreaking penalty kick to give Liverpool a spot in the European Champions League semifinals, just one minute after Emmanuel Adebayor appeared to put Arsenal in the final four.

Gerrard scored in the 85th minute and Ryan Babel added an injury-time goal to give Liverpool a dramatic 4-2 quarterfinal victory over Arsenal on Tuesday night.

“That was possibly one of the worst performances I’ve ever put in in a Liverpool shirt,” Gerrard said. “But I still had the confidence to score the penalty.”

Liverpool won the home-and-home series on 5-3 aggregate and advanced to a semifinal matchup with Chelsea, which defeated visiting Fenerbahce 2-0 for a 3-2 aggregate victory.

“The defeat was down to a dodgy decision of the referee I think,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. “I believe over the two games it’s difficult to swallow because of the double disappointment and all the big decisions were against us.”

On Wednesday night, Manchester United plays visiting AS Roma after winning the first leg 2-0 and Barcelona enters with a 1-0 advantage from its victory last week at Schalke.

Liverpool is on course for its third final in four years. Both times it advanced, in 2005 and 2007, Liverpool beat Chelsea in the semifinals.

“We’ve been there, we know everything about them and they know everything about us,” Chelsea’s Frank Lampard said. “It’s amazing how often we’ve been in this situation.”

In the third match between Arsenal and Liverpool in a seven-day span, Abou Diaby put the Gunners ahead in the 13th minute. Sami Hyypia equalized in the 30th and Fernando Torres gave Liverpool a 2-1 lead in the 69th.

Then, Theo Walcott made a 45-yard run to set up one of the finest goals of the European season. Walcott evaded Gerrard’s attempt to poke the ball away at the halfway line, then went around as Fabio Aurelio crashed into him. Walcott maintained possession as Javier Mascherano sprinted to catch up, went wide to his right as Mascherano fell down, evaded Sammy Hyypia and slotted the ball past a falling Martin Skrtel to Adebayor.

Adebayor tapped the ball in to tie the match 2-2 and give Arsenal a 2-1 lead in away goals.

Liverpool quickly moved the ball to the other end, and Kolo Toure brought down Babel in the penalty area, with Swedish referee Peter Frojdfeldt pointing to the penalty spot. Gerrard’s drive went to the right of goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, who had no chance.

Liverpool co-owner George Gillett Jr. looked on from the stands at Anfield but partner Tom Hicks watched on television from Arlington, where his Texas Rangers lost to Baltimore 8-1 in their home opener. Hicks and Gillett have been feuding for months.

In London, Chelsea won as Michael Ballack headed in a free kick from Lampard in the fourth minute and Lampard scored in the 87th.

“Over the course of the two games we deserve to be through,” Lampard said. “We didn’t play as well tonight as we can, but this competition is about getting results.”

You can stop holding your breath now.

Flyers center Danny Briere expects to be back in the lineup Friday night when the Flyers open the NHL Eastern Conference playoffs against the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center.

Briere, who has a sprained left knee, skated today on his own for the first time since being injured on April 2. The Flyers had an off day.

“I’m feeling great,” Briere said. “It’s not going to be a problem. I’ll be fine to start the series on Friday.”

Briere’s sprain is nowhere near as bad as the one R.J. Umberger incurred March 16 in Pittsburgh. Umberger missed two weeks and six games. Briere missed only the final two games of the regular season after taking a knee-on-knee hit from Jarkko Ruuto on April 2 in Pittsburgh.

“I don’t know for sure on Danny, but I think he is ahead of schedule from where [Umberger] was because he has gotten back on the ice a lot sooner than [Umberger] did,” said Flyers coach John Stevens. “We’ll wait and see how Danny responds to being on the ice. But we’re hopeful.”

Like Umberger, Briere will wear a knee brace the remainder of the postseason. Stevens said he did not think Briere is finding the brace cumbersome. Umberger said recently he hardly even notices his.

Briere would not comment on the brace.

“I felt good on the ice,” Briere said. “If we had pushed it, there’s a chance I could have played in [yesterday's] game against Pittsburgh. But when we clinched on Friday and with the way things went, we figured it was safer to rest up for the playoffs.”

Briere will practice with the Flyers tomorrow.

Derian Hatcher also skated today. He is recovering from a fractured tibia and is not expected to be available until later in the series.

“It’s somewhat of a battle,” Hatcher said. “The last three or four days, we’ve been doing a ton [of workouts], and I’m trying to get over some the soreness and stiffness.”

Evgeni Malkin can do two things nicely. He can play keep-away with the puck. And he can fire a laser wrist shot that freezes a goalie as it burns the net.

Malkin’s 47th goal last night at Mellon Arena doomed the Flyers to a 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. With two games remaining, the Flyers still have not clinched a playoff berth.

During a second-period Penguins power play, Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made a splendid shorthanded pad stop against Sami Kapanen. On the regroup, Malkin took a pass from Ryan Whitney off the boards from a standing position, then sped into the Flyers’ zone and buried a shot against Martin Biron to break a 2-2 tie.

It was the game’s most critical play, especially coming seconds after Fleury’s save. It changed momentum amid a tense, playoff-style atmosphere.

“Obviously, their power play and special teams were the difference, because they capitalized on their power plays and we didn’t,” Flyers center Mike Richards said. “Lupes [Joffey Lupul] and I said it. It was like a playoff game. Usually, special teams are the difference in the playoffs, and it was tonight.”

Pittsburgh started the night just 1 for 17 on the power play in its last three games, but it scored four times on the Flyers (1 for 5).

“They got a puck off our guy in the first, a five-on-three goal in the second, a goal I would want back, and then [Sidney] Crosby makes a great deflection at the end - four totally different goals,” Biron said. “They have the personnel” to do that.

Biron made outstanding saves to keep it a one-goal game in the third period before Crosby’s between-the-legs redirected shot for the final power-play goal helped the Penguins clinch the Atlantic Division crown.

“We’ve got two games left,” Flyers center Jeff Carter said. “We’ve got to pull out a couple of wins.”

The game featured two early fights and fierce contact throughout.

“We had two penalties on one play there, and it certainly wasn’t in our favor,” Flyers coach John Stevens said about a couple of second-period power-play goals. “Their power play was the difference. They have a very dangerous power play. They get that many opportunities [six], it’s not good for us.”

Neither is this: Late in the game, center Danny Briere took a left knee-on-knee hit from Jarkko Ruutu.

“I tried to go inside, and he stuck his leg out there,” Briere said. “I didn’t realize it was him coming. Everyone knows he’s one of the dirtiest players in the league. If I would have had time to look and see it was him, I would have protected myself better.”

Kimmo Timonen missed most of the second period after being hit by a shot on the left ankle. Both players said they would play tomorrow against New Jersey.

The Flyers went into the game needing a victory and a Carolina loss in regulation against Tampa Bay to clinch a playoff berth.

“I didn’t know that,” winger Mike Knuble said before the game, adding that most of the team didn’t know it, either. It didn’t matter: Carolina won, 6-2.

The Flyers did score first. Scott Hartnell got things going with his 24th goal at 8 minutes, 58 seconds with a shot from the right slot that cleanly beat Fleury.

It took the Penguins less than two minutes to tie it after a penalty by Carter, who knocked Hal Gill into Fleury to draw a roughing call. Sergei Gonchar took a pass across the blue line, skated in a few steps, than unleashed a wrister that Biron couldn’t see because Braydon Coburn was screening him.

Coburn and Carter helped get that one back with the Flyers’ only power-play goal. Coburn’s shot in the high slot hit Lupul in the crease. Carter quickly found the rebound before Fleury did, scoring his 29th goal at 13:13.

Tempers flared in the second period. Hartnell took the butt end of Gonchar’s stick to the face, with no call. It set Hartnell off for several shifts and he accrued back-to-back minors, giving Pittsburgh a five-on-three advantage.

“Someone jumped on me, they were whacking away at our goalie, and you have to be able to protect your goalie in this league,” Hartnell said. “I was just trying to push my way out and it put us down two men.”

Pittsburgh scored two more power-play goals - one during a five-on-three - in the second period to regain the lead, 3-2.

Crosby tied the game with a one-timer from the right circle during the Pens’ two-man advantage. Malkin made it 3-2 after Fleury’s clutch shorthanded save at the other end.

“It was a battle the whole game, one of the closest you can get to a playoff atmosphere and kind of crazy,” Hartnell said. “Right down to the wire.”

Arsenal were left frustrated as Liverpool held on for what could to be a crucial 1-1 draw from the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash at Emirates Stadium.The Gunners, who have seen their Premier League title hopes fade following a run of just one win in six, had taken an early lead through Emmanuel Adebayor.

However, the Reds, last season’s beaten finalists, hit back quickly through Dirk Kuyt’s close-range effort after a fine run from captain Steven Gerrard.

Arsenal dominated the second half and should have had a penalty when Alexander Hleb was clearly tugged back by Kuyt.

However, Arsene Wenger’s men could not find a way past Liverpool who will now fancy their chances of securing another European Cup semi-final appearance when the two sides meet again at Anfield next Tuesday night.

Despite the electric atmosphere, it was a cagey opening for what was the 200th meeting of the sides, who will face off once more in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime.

After seven minutes, Adebayor raced onto a long through-ball as Jose Reina dashed out of his goal.

The Liverpool goalkeeper missed his attempted clearance, but was alert enough to recover ground and then block the follow-up cross from the Togo frontman.

At the other end, Cesc Fabregas had to do some defending in his own six-yard box to deny Sami Hyypia after he had stayed up front following a corner.

On 21 minutes, the Liverpool defence was split by a fine chipped pass from Mathieu Flamini.

Robin van Persie got ahead of the two centre-backs and into the penalty area, but as the ball dropped, the Dutchman could only fire a left-footed volley over the crossbar.

Reina then had to get down quickly to deny the Arsenal striker, who sent in a low shot from the edge of the box.

From the resulting corner, after 22 minutes, the Gunners took the lead.

Van Persie knocked the ball short to Fabregas before he whipped it into the area, where Adebayor leapt highest to nod his first goal since scoring in the defeat of AC Milan at the San Siro.

However, Arsenal’s lead was short-lived as the visitors grabbed what could yet prove to be a crucial away goal in the 26th minute.

Gerrard powered into the left side of the penalty box, charging past three defenders.

The Liverpool skipper kept his feet to send over a low cross, which Kuyt bundled in ahead of full-back Gael Clichy.

The visitors were clearly lifted by their goal and enjoyed a decent spell of possession as the half-hour mark passed.

However, despite plenty of action around both penalty areas, neither side was able to find a penetrating pass.

Liverpool had a chance just after the restart, and Manuel Almunia needed to get down quickly to smother Kuyt’s snapshot.

Arsenal introduced England squad man Theo Walcott, to replace van Persie, for the second half and the teenager looked lively down the left as Hleb was given more freedom in an advanced role.

Walcott picked up the ball and let fly from 25 yards, but his shot was always going wide of Reina’s right-hand post.

Again both teams were not scared of going forwards, however once more they lacked a decisive pass in the final third.

On 65 minutes, there was a double let-off for Liverpool when Martin Skrtel blocked Emmanuel Eboue’s effort before Arsenal had what looked a certain penalty turned down by the Dutch referee.

Hleb weaved into the box, before he clearly had his shirt tugged back by Kuyt. However, referee Pieter Vink was unconvinced and signalled instead only for a corner.

Wenger sent on Nicklas Bendtner for the final 24 minutes, replacing Eboue as Walcott moved out to the right and Hleb to the left.

The Danish striker was soon in the thick of the action, somehow managing to keep out Fabregas’ goalbound effort while on the line - although he was flagged offside.

Arsenal continued to press in the closing stages, and in stoppage time Fabregas dived in to meet Adebayor’s cross, but his header lacked power and Reina comfortably collected.

Liverpool - with 10 men behind the ball for long spells - held firm and take the upper hand into next week’s second leg at Anfield.

It’s Act One of a Three-Act Play with Arsenal hosting Liverpool at the Emirates in the first leg of a Champions League quarter-final that sandwiches a Premier League clash between the teams on Saturday lunchtime.  Before the quarter-final draw was made it seemed mathematically inevitable that at least two of England’s four representatives would be paired together in the last eight, and so it proved, with the teams who between them have contested the last three Champions League finals coming out of the pots together to set up the first quarter-final.

Arsenal, having lost this year to Manchester United in the FA Cup (on 16th February) and Chelsea in the Premier League 10 days ago, may feel happier facing Liverpool than either of their other domestic rivals, except that the Reds have by far the best pedigree of any English club in Europe’s top competition, and in Rafael Benitez have a manager whose tactical acumen seems particularly well suited to two-legged European cat-and-mouse affairs.

The fact that Liverpool have struggled against Chelsea in the Premier League under Benitez, but twice defeated the Blues in the semi-finals of the Champions League in the last three years, underlines the point.  So Arsenal’s relatively good record against Benitez’s Liverpool in domestic competition (played three, won three at home; played six, won two, drawn one, lost three at Anfield) may not be all that significant.

And although the Gunners thrashed Liverpool twice in four days at Anfield last season (3-1 in the FA Cup, 6-3 in the Carling Cup), that again is unlikely to have much bearing on Wednesday’s fixture - or indeed the trilogy of matches over the coming week. For one thing, it is unlikely that any of Arsenal’s scorers of those nine goals in January 2007 will be involved in these matches: Tomas Rosicky (2) is injured, Alexandre Song (1) has featured only rarely in the first team this season, and Julio Baptista (4), Jeremie Aliadiere (1) and Thierry Henry (1) have all left the club.

Morale-Boosting Wins
 
More relevant could be this season’s meeting between the sides at Anfield - and each team’s recent form. On 28th October, the Gunners travelled to Merseyside having just thrashed Slavia Prague 7-0 in the Champions League.  Liverpool had gone down 2-1 to Besiktas in Istanbul, but they took the lead against the Gunners after seven minutes through a superbly struck free-kick from Steven Gerrard. However, Arsenal took that set-back in their stride and continued to play their fluent passing game, threatening the Liverpool goal several times before finally being rewarded when Cesc Fabregas latched onto an Alex Hleb through-ball to equalise ten minutes from time. It was seen as a point gained by Liverpool and two dropped by Arsenal at the time. Both teams were unbeaten in the Premier League but Liverpool were struggling a little at Anfield while Arsenal went into the game on the back of 12 straight wins.

Fast-forward to mid-February, with the resumption of Champions League fare on the horizon. FA Cup fifth round weekend was a disaster for both sides, Arsenal being summarily dismissed by Manchester United, who administered a 4-0 thrashing that could have been even more emphatic, and Liverpool succumbing 2-1 at home to Championship side Barnsley despite having taken the lead. Since then, Arsenal have played eight in all competitions, winning just two, drawing five and losing one, scoring just 10 and conceding eight.  Liverpool, in contrast, have played nine, won eight and lost one, racking up 19 goals while shipping seven.

Little doubt, then, about who is in the better shape going into these three clashes. But both sides bounced back from defeats on ‘Grand Slam Sunday’ by securing morale-boosting wins at the weekend.

Liverpool defeated neighbours Everton 1-0 in the Merseyside derby on Sunday, after Arsenal had staged a remarkable comeback at Bolton 24 hours earlier. The Gunners were two goals and one man down at half-time at The Reebok, but dug deeper than they had all season to conjure three second-half goals and keep alive their flickering hopes of reclaiming the Premier League title they last won in 2003-04.

A Question Of Targets

The fact that Arsenal thus remain involved in the Premiership title race is seen as another key factor in assessing the likely outcome of this Champions League quarter-final.  To the frustration of their fans, Liverpool’s prospects of breaking their 18-year domestic league drought were effectively snuffed out some time ago, on the back of too many dropped points at Anfield. Elimination from the domestic cups also meant that winning the Champions League for a sixth time became their priority. The victory over Everton at the weekend tightened their grip on fourth place in the Premiership - the Reds’ insurance policy for next season’s European adventure - so they go into Wednesday’s clash and next Tuesday’s second leg focused solely on reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League for the third time in four years.

Arsenal still have twin targets, and must beat Liverpool on Saturday as well as in this quarter-final if they are to retain any chance of thwarting Manchester United and Chelsea in the title race. That could influence both managers’ team selections over these three matches, and would appear to favour Benitez on the face of it - something he has already acknowledged himself. The Liverpool boss also believes that taking the Gunners back to Merseyside for the second leg will be to the Reds’ advantage. He confirmed: “Playing the second game at home could be very positive for us, because whenever we play at Anfield, it is an inspiration to us.”

European Records & The Current Campaign

When it comes to Europe, Liverpool are the undisputed masters among English clubs. The Reds have won the Champions Cup/Champions League five times (1977, 1978, 1981, 1984 and 2005), and also won the Uefa Cup in 1973, 1976 and 2001. They have been Champions Cup/Champions League runners-up twice, in 1985 and again last year when they were beaten 2-1 by AC Milan.

Arsenal’s European record is modest by comparison. Their best performance in the Champions League was when finishing as runners-up to Barcelona in 2006. They won the Fairs Cup in 1970 and the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994, and were runners-up in the Uefa Cup in 2000, and the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1980 and 1995.

However, the Gunners are currently unbeaten in 20 European home matches, 18 of them in the Champions League, which is the fourth longest unbeaten streak in Champions League history. It is just two short of the English record held by Manchester United, but 11 short of the all-time record set by Bayern Munich.

As for Liverpool, they have won their last five Champions League matches, two of which were away from Anfield. Their winning streak is the joint seventh longest in the competition’s history; ironically Arsenal hold the English record with six successive victories, though Barcelona hold the competition record with nine.

Last season, Liverpool finished third in the Premier League and Arsenal fourth, so both had to get through the third qualifying round in August in order to take their places in the Group Stage.

Both progressed smoothly over that preliminary hurdle, Liverpool disposing of Toulouse 5-0 on aggregate and Arsenal beating Sparta Prague by the same aggregate score.

Once in the Group Stage, though, the two clubs took contrasting paths. The Gunners cruised through their first three matches without conceding a goal, defeating much-fancied Sevilla 3-0, Steaua Bucharest 1-0 away and Slavia Prague 7-0 at home. That equalled the record victory in the competition, though Liverpool would soon eclipse it. However, the Reds had got off to a less than auspicious start in their Group matches. A 1-1 draw at Porto was followed by a 1-0 home defeat by Marseille and a 2-1 reverse in Istanbul at the hands of Besiktas, leaving their survival hopes precariously poised.

So the reverse fixtures began with Arsenal looking comfortable and Liverpool anything but. The Reds though got down to business, hammering Besiktas 8-0, Porto 4-1 and Marseille 4-0 in an impressive display of strength and purpose.

As for the Gunners, they were held to a goalless draw in Prague, then lost 3-1 to Sevilla on November 27th - their first defeat of the season in any competition. But they rallied to beat Steaua 2-1, though like Liverpool, their earlier stumbles left them as runners-up in their respective Groups (Arsenal behind Sevilla, Liverpool behind Porto).

San Siro Successes

That meant both would face Group winners in the first knockout round, and the draw looked tough when Arsenal came out of the pot with holders AC Milan (Liverpool’s conquerors in last season’s final) and the Reds were paired with the Rossoneri’s city rivals Internazionale, reigning Italian champions and current Serie A leaders.

However, the Premiership clubs did themselves and their League proud, Arsenal defeating Milan 2-0 on aggregate and Liverpool humbling Inter 3-0 over two legs. Both won their away legs at the San Siro in impressive style. And so to this quarter-final meeting against each other. Both squads (and their fans) would probably have preferred continental opposition, if only because that is what European football is all about. But they may need to get used to Premier League opponents if they are to win the tournament.

That is because whoever prevails in this quarter-final may well meet Chelsea in the semis, assuming the Blues can get past Fenerbahce.  And whoever wins that semi could find themselves facing Manchester United in the Moscow final - although Roma and Barcelona/Schalke will have something to say about that.

Head-To-Head
 
This is the 200th meeting between Arsenal and Liverpool in a major competition.  So far, Arsenal have won 70, Liverpool have won 80, and 49 have been drawn.  They played each other four times last season, the League fixtures producing emphatic home wins (3-0 at he Emirates, 4-1 at Anfield), while Arsenal knocked  Liverpool out of the FA Cup (1-3) and Carling Cup (3-6), both at Anfield.

Arsene Wenger leads Rafa Benitez in the head-to-heads with five wins to Rafa’s  three; the only draw was the 1-1 earlier this season at Anfield.

The two clubs have never met before in European competition.  Arsenal have played one other English club at home in a European match, and that was four years ago, when they lost 2-1 at home to Chelsea at this same stage of the Champions League, going out on aggregate after having drawn at Stamford Bridge. Liverpool have played another English club on six previous occasions away from home in European competition - and are yet to win.

Discipline

Gael Clichy, Denilson, Emmanuel Adebayor, Alexander Hleb and Emmanuel Eboue (Arsenal) and Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Fabio Aurelio (Liverpool) will miss the second leg of this tie if they are shown a yellow card at the Emirates.

Expert View

Former Liverpool legend Alan Hansen, now a BBC pundit, expects his old club to go through after two very tight games, citing momentum and confidence as huge factors in football, and saying Liverpool have more of it in this competition than Arsenal.

Hansen said on the BBC Sport website: “Arsenal have been struggling and have been in freefall, despite a great result against AC Milan in the San Siro in the last 16, but they came back from real adversity at the weekend and it would be foolish to discount them.”

He described their comeback at Bolton as “a performance that showed real reserves of character, given their recent form.”

But he said Liverpool are a team “built for the Champions League,” saying they “proved it again against Inter Milan in the last round. They were very solid, good on the counter-attack and will fancy their chances against Arsenal.

“Arsenal have huge ability and they will hope their big players demonstrate it against Liverpool, but Emmanuel Adebayor has gone off the boil recently and even Cesc Fabregas has not been playing as well as he was.

“They have struggled defensively and opponents will note how they cracked under pressure against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge after holding the lead going into the last 20 minutes.

“Arsenal will take great heart from what happened at The Reebok on Saturday - but Liverpool will be a different proposition to Bolton. Liverpool are my favourites to go through because the Champions League really seems to suit them. It is a more cautious, tactical approach and they have a cautious manager in Rafael Benitez.

“This is not in any way a negative comment about Benitez. He simply has a way of playing that suits the Champions League, as Liverpool’s recent record in the competition proves, and that is good management.

“Liverpool will get men behind the ball at Arsenal and they will be delighted the second leg is at Anfield, where the crowd will be such a factor.  I expect this to be a very tight affair, more of a slog than pretty football. The away goal is more important now than when I played, in fact, it is hugely important, but make no mistake, if you offered Benitez 0-0 now he would bite your hand off.”

Meanwhile, in the build-up to the match, players on both sides have been asked to comment and predictably their responses to the journalists have been blown up into banner headlines that suggest arrogant over-confidence when in fact a circumspect, honest opinion was offered.

Thus “Toure Says Liverpool Are Scared Of Arsenal” and “Gerrard Says Arsenal Should Fear Us” have made good copy but generated more heat than light. The fact is that both these teams, the managers and even the supporters, have huge respect for one another. There is little of the hostility or bitterness that flavours matches between either of them and Manchester United or Chelsea, but that does not mean this trilogy of matches will not be very keenly contested, with no quarter asked or given.

From our friends at Goal.com