Arsenal imposed a goalless draw at Liverpool with ten players at Anfield on Thursday in the first leg of the English League Cup semi-finals, after playing incomplete since the 24th minute after his Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka was sent off.
The first leg was scheduled to take place at the Emirates Stadium in the capital, London, last Thursday, before it was postponed due to injuries to the Corona virus in the ranks of Liverpool.
And the identity of the team that will face Chelsea in the final, next Thursday, will be decided when the two teams meet again in the capital, London, after the Blues were the first to qualify on Wednesday by renewing their victory over Tottenham 2-0 in the first leg and 1-0 in the forth.
The competition will witness the crowning of a new champion for the first time in five years, after Manchester City dominated the titles in the last four seasons before exiting from the fourth round in the current.
The German coach, Jurgen Klopp, played the match in the absence of his Egyptian attacking stars, Mohamed Salah, and Senegal, Sadio Mane, because they were busy with their countries’ teams in the African Nations Cup in Cameroon, in addition to Ghanaian midfielder Naby Keita, and their place was replaced by the brilliant Portuguese this season, Diogo Jota and Japan. Takumi Minamino.
For his part, for the same reasons, Arsenal missed Gabobby Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has been suffering with his team recently for disciplinary reasons, Egyptian Mohamed Elneny, Ivory Coast Nicolas Pepe and Ghanaian Thomas Partey.
Edouard Nikita and French Alexandre Lacazette led the London club’s attack, which lacked the efforts of the brilliant Emile Smith Rowe due to injury.
Arsenal suffered an early blow with the injury of Portuguese defender Cedric Soares, who was replaced by Calum Chambers.
And goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale almost caused a goal for his team when Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson cut his ball when he was raising it on the outskirts of the area before he succeeded in catching him and turning it into a corner.
Xhaka was expelled after the Scottish left-back Andrew Robertson raised a wonderful long ball behind the defenders towards Jota to the outskirts of the area, and when the latter was trying to tame it with his chest and incursion into the area, the Swiss raised his foot, trying to deflect it, dropping the Portuguese to the ground.
As a result, Spanish coach Mikel Arteta Nketah and pushed defender Rob Holding.