Humdrum holders fall at first defence

FA Cup/ Liverpool 1  Arsenal 3:The barrier erected by a mediocre Liverpool was of a type Arsenal could clear with a little hop but there was also a high wall that one individual needed to demolish.

Tomas Rosicky had hitherto scored a single goal for the club, against a 10-man Hamburg in the Champions League.Rosicky, however, did deliver a 2-0 lead at Anfield with a pair of strikes from outside the area.

Arsene Wenger had grown accustomed to such contributions. "We had Freddie Ljungberg and Robert Pires together worth 25 goals per season, and that means points," said the manager. "In games like this the strikers get a little less service and it is important that the goals come from midfield."

Weekend reports claimed Arsenal will try to offload Ljungberg this month. That would add even more to Rosicky's responsibilities, yet Arsenal have no obvious right to expect marksmanship from a footballer who was far from prolific at Borussia Dortmund.

"Rosicky can score because he is quick and he has good timing to get in," Wenger insisted, "but I think he puts too much pressure on himself to finish and sometimes rushes his decision-making. I hope (these goals) will help him to become calm."

After an exchange of passes with Alexander Hleb, Rosicky looped a drive over Jerzy Dudek for the opener and the holders were pierced again on the verge of the interval. Liverpool were dilatory in standing off as Rosicky drifted in from the left and Dudek looked slow to go down as his shot skipped past him.

The Polish goalkeeper appeared because Liverpool rest Pepe Reina and give him outings in the knock-out tournaments. Arsenal have a similar policy but Manuel Almunia, in for Jens Lehmann, looked a much more dependable alternative.

Liverpool had been imposing themselves early in the match but Arsenal were durable and they came no nearer a goal at that stage than a Xabi Alonso bid for a penalty that instead secured a caution for diving.

The invigorating atmosphere at Anfield was not reflected in the home team's display. Before kick-off there had been a passionate protest against the former Suneditor Kelvin MacKenzie's renewal of allegations about the behaviour of Liverpool supporters at the Hillsborough disaster. Anfield is a bottomless well of emotion, even when the issues at stake are just the normal football kind.

Henry expressed his awe for the place, even if Liverpool would not have preferred him to say so in the wake of his first goal there since a penalty six years ago. Rafael Benitez's side had come back into contention when one header by Peter Crouch was converted by another from Dirk Kuyt at a corner, but the Arsenal captain replied with four minutes remaining. Henry chased down the left and broke clear of Jamie Carragher. The striker then cut across Daniel Agger and scored with a shot that Dudek ought to have dealt with.

Arsenal had many reasons for satisfaction and particular thanks were due to Gilberto, Mathieu Flamini and the centrebacks, in the resilience that is not normally seen as characteristic of the Wenger style. The manager had been pleased that, in the process, opponents like Steven Gerrard could exercise little influence.

Liverpool's impact often depends on organisation more than inspiration. The squad is patchy and Wenger just smiled when asked how many would make the Arsenal line-up. Benitez knows it would be low number. His case was questionable, though, when he implied Arsenal, not known for extravagance, enjoy greater means. "They pay a lot of money for Hleb, Rosicky, van Persie," he said, although the total cost of £17.5million for three Premiership footballers is by no means stratospheric.

Benitez is pleased by the youngsters brought to Anfield and confident that thorough preparation will keep his line-up effective but he surely looks forward to the expected takeover and the funds that would be available. In the short term it might help if Wenger picks a shadow line-up when Arsenal return for the first leg of the League Cup semi-final tomorrow.

• Guardian Service