Jamie Carragher tackles Andriy Voronin in 2005 (200)
LIVERPOOL’S man of the match Jamie Carragher admitted he was “gutted” his side failed to close out victory against Arsenal at Anfield yesterday.
“It was a great game but we are disappointed we let Arsenal get a goal,” said the centre-back. “It was a great game to play in and a great game to watch but when you are 1-0 up late on you have to be disappointed if you don’t win.
“I’m gutted we haven’t won. If Torres had stayed on because of his pace I’m sure we could have caused them more problems.
“We’re pleased with the way we have played. It’s lifted spirits a bit but we’re Liverpool and we should expect to beat Arsenal at home.”
Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger emerged from “Arsenal’s biggest test so far” insisting that his emerging team can go all the way in the title race.
The Gunners manager had seen his side fall behind to a Steven Gerrard piledriver early on, only for Cesc Fabregas to grab a deserved equaliser with 10 minutes left to force a 1-1 draw at Anfield.
Liverpool battled back bravely from their Champions League disaster against Besiktas in midweek, but boss Rafael Benitez’s side paid a heavy price for their point with Fernando Torres, Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano back on the long-term injury list.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, watching from the directors’ box, was left with plenty to think about ahead of his own side’s trip to the Emirates on Saturday.
Wenger said: “We are disappointed not to have won, but I am very pleased with the attitude and performance of the team. The players are frustrated, but you have to be realistic.
“We were 1-0 down after just a few minutes against a very committed team who are good at set-pieces and counter-attack well. They have such good support at Anfield that sometimes that wins it for them.
“But we have shown fantastic quality, mental strength and togetherness, that gave us the confidence to come back.”
He added: “We have come out of our first big test this season stronger. We played without the handbrake on, without any restrictions and we were faithful to the game we wanted to play.
“That is based on our technical quality and movement. Overall we handled the game very well. I cannot fault anyone, it was a fantastic game.
“I have always been very confident of what we could achieve this season, I said it before the season started and now we have convinced a few more people. There is a long way to go, but we have the talent to fight right at the top for the championship. The change from last season is that the players are growing, they are very young, the confidence is stronger as the belief.”
