The halfway stage of a delicately poised Carabao Cup semi-final found
Arsenal players with shirts off and thumping bare chests in front of a jubilant away support. What could be perceived as premature celebrations on the final whistle were instead justifiable outpourings of relief and pride having thrived in adversity at Anfield. Of all the places.
Mikel Arteta required a show of character from his team following their FA Cup third-round exit at Nottingham Forest. Bare minimum. He also needed a display of resilience, and absolute concentration, when Granit Xhaka received the fifth red card of his Arsenal career with merely 24 minutes gone. Those attributes, along with fight and organisation, have not exactly been synonymous with Arsenal performances at this stadium in recent years but all were to the fore as the depleted visitors contained
Liverpool with surprising comfort.