ARSENAL V REDS: THE VERDICT

ARSENAL 1-1 LIVERPOOL Wednesday 02 April 2008 19:45 , Champions League Quarter Final (1)
ARSENAL V REDS: THE VERDICT
A priceless away goal from Dirk Kuyt earned Liverpool a valuable 1-1 draw away to Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Here is the best of the post-match reaction.
The local paper Arsenal had the lion's share of possession, but that was only to be expected, particularly after Kuyt's poacher's effort gave Liverpool an away goal which could yet prove decisive. The tie is far from over, though, and they are more than capable of grabbing an away goal at Anfield. But Liverpool are now exactly where they wanted to be. A route to their third Champions League semi-final has opened up and they will now be determined to finish the job. The Echo The former player The initial target away from home in the Champions League is to score the away goal because it has extra value if things are tight in the next game. Liverpool's first intention was to score. It's a little disappointing that they let one in, but apart from that I don't think they could have got a much better result. David Fairclough The national paper Advantage Rafael Benitez � another classic from the old master of the Champions League smash and grab. Last night his team made the dark art of European football look bliss-fully simple as they took Arsene Wenger's season to the brink of extinction. Arsenal will remember the penalty that was never given to Alexander Hleb but most of all they will consider the trip to Anfield on Tuesday with bleak foreboding: nowhere in Europe, not even San Siro, has quite the same reputation as the fortress in Stanley Park. The Independent The player It was a really important goal we got because Arsenal played really well today. We did everything we could. We wanted to score and we did. We got straight back into the game after they scored and had a few other chances from corner kicks. You have to be lucky to get another goal, but Arsenal played really well. They have a great side but we're playing at Anfield and we've shown we can do special things there. Everyone knows what we've done there over the last few years. Hopefully it will happen again and we'll get into the semi-finals. Dirk Kuyt The boss I think it's crucial to score an away goal in Europe. Arsenal is a team that can also score away from home but at least we now have this option in our hands for the second leg. Gerrard created the chance and Kuyt was there and it was really important for us. The team was working really, really hard against a good team. We knew before they could have plenty of possession so we had to be well organised and play on the counter attack. That was the plan and it was good. Rafa Benitez The fan Another top European away performance from the team. We rode our luck at times but fully deserved the draw in the end. Dirk Kuyt was magnificent and, as ever, worked his socks off in what was his best performance in a red shirt. We still have work to be done but with Anfield braced for another great European night, snowy Moscow in May sounds good!

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