EYEWITNESS: Steve Barnett's view on Arsenal 1 Liverpool 0

Wednesday February 10, 2010

ARSENAL 1 LIVERPOOL 0

EYEWITNESS report from THE EMIRATES STADIUM

by STEVE BARNETT

I HAVE a slightly risky question for you, something to think about now before the summer blindness of the World Cup kicks in. Why does Steven Gerrard never get booked for diving? Against Arsenal tonight (Wednesday) the England midfielder clearly went down in the box unchallenged, yet the referee just looked away.

For the innocent fans who will argue that perhaps he genuinely just fell over, checkout the highlights of Liverpool's goalless draw at Blackburn in December and tell me why Gerrard didn't get booked for diving that time either. It was even more blatant than his trip at the Emirates, he literally flung himself to the ground while looking at the ref! It's like Gerrard is the Queen Mum, and any notion that he dives is as absurd as Arsene Wenger's claims that Arsenal can still win the title. After beating Liverpool 1-0 thanks to Abou Diaby's close range header, the Gunners can definitely win the championship.

Wednesday's matchday programme had a picture of Cesc Fabregas with the words "keeping faith" on it. If I'm honest, I hadn't done. My faith had very much gone. The idea that Arsenal were somehow still in the title race was as crazy as the sports journalist sitting next to me eating ice-cream (I kid you not, he really was). But after what some of my colleagues are calling "the greatest night for results in football history" my faith has been restored.

Diaby's winner wasn't just about beating Liverpool. It wasn't just about Arsenal's faint hopes of winning the Premiership. It was a much- needed reminder that football isn't always bad. After crushing defeats against Manchester United and Chelsea, Match of the Day had become something you'd maybe threaten your kids with if they didn't go straight to sleep (not that I have any).

Tonight, however, I can stay up until the early hours watching all the football highlights... And with Wolves beating Spurs, Chelsea beaten at Everton and Man United being held at Villa, there isn't a bad result in sight.