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Manchester United were given free licence to kick Arsenal players without punishment, Jose Reyes was given special attention on the day. I am almost certain that Manchester United will have a similar approach this afternoon. They will be aggressive and look to deny us time and space which is the way to disrupt our game. If they go out to match us on the ball then they know that they will struggle so Manchester United will play to spoil. If they do have that approach then it is a great compliment to our squad. What I am unsure about is how we will approach the game. Will we go there not to lose as we did in Dortmund? I hope so. If we go to Old Trafford and take the game to them then we could be walking into their trap. Their trap of disruption, frustration and counter attacking. Alex Ferguson had done that to us so many times in the past but we are a far more experienced squad

Arsenal had no shots on target at half time and that was not a surprise. It is easier to create chances against a top side when they have run out of batteries. In the 59th minute Tomas Rosicky got lucky with a misplaced pass that found it's way back to him, his second attempted pass was much sharper and into Özil's feet on the right edge of the box. Özil picked out Giroud in the box and the big Frenchman's awareness was so good that in a crowded penalty box he managed to fight for an aerial

Now the game plan would have been sound if it weren't for Cesc Fabregas backheeling into the path of Iniesta on the edge of our box and also big game Bendtner failing to control a Jack Wilshere pass in the dying minutes. Oh and not to forget van Persie being sent off for shooting at goal a second after the referee had blown his whistle. Only Arsenal

Flamini has been wonderful since he signed this summer, no doubt about it. I am certainly not going to use an argument to put down another Arsenal player because he has done nothing but good on and off the pitch but this view that Arsenal can now defend because of him is rubbish

Our loveable Gooner would get disqualified before the game was over. Bursts of 'Aha!' would be frowned upon from the start. How he'd last the whole game before pulling a practical joke on someone is beyond me. I could see Podolski with his feet up on the table making joke hand signals before being told to leave the table.

When on the ball we passed quickly and didn't take too many touches in possession and that is why Liverpool found it difficult to cope with us in the first half. We were playing very well but as we know, it means nothing without a goal. That goal came courtesy of Santi Cazorla. I hope someone took my pre match betting advice about Cazorla scoring his first of the season. His header from the right of the penalty spot was the header of an experienced centre forward. His header smacked the post but he was on hand to control a powerful volley in on the rebound. Santi Cazorla made it look so easy when it was anything of the sort. Just replay the goal and watch his body shape when he hit that ball, technically perfect.

Interestingly, Rosicky, although perhaps not the most talented midfielder in the squad (not to say he isn’t talented, but players like Ozil, Cazorla, Ramsey, Wilshere have arguably more outright ability/potential) offers balance to the team when played as one of the three attacking midfielders. When Wilshere plays on the right, he seems to move inside too often, congesting the play, but

Liverpool's 3-5-2 formation is very interesting. I quite like the idea on paper. It allows two strikers yet still have the ability to match packed midfields. It is probably a system that suits playing us at present because of our lack of genuine wide players due to injury. Walcott, Chamberlain, Podolski and now Gnabry will all miss the game. I wonder if Arsene will consider using Nacho Monreal in place of Gibbs. Not because of ability but down to the fact that Monreal tends to attack the wide areas where as Gibbs likes to cut inside. Monreal has been impressive in recent cameo appearances and his 90 minutes midweek.

Without having the ammunition to score, we needed to keep it tight and not make mistakes but it was just that, that cost us the first goal. Ramsey's tackle looped high in between Jack Wilshere and Carl Jenkinson, both players hesitated not knowing who will deal with it. Jenkinson had moments earlier been in a similar position but decided to head it wide to touch line, it didn't reach as far as he wanted giving a Chelsea player the chance to pick the ball up and continue an attack. Perhaps that was on his mind when he decided to try and head to Fabianski. Jenkinson did not generate the amount of power needed and Azpilicueta read it, got there first and poked past Fabianski.

Chelsea will be strong even with a second side because like I said, they have a squad without many injuries as well as great quality. Juan Mata will have to be dealt with and the man responsible may well be young Isaac Hayden. He should be playing in front of the back four tonight, in the area that Mata likes to occupy. Talk about being thrown into the deep end. That said, I am sure we will have to