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On the day new coronavirus restrictions were imposed on Merseyside, Arsenal put Liverpool in full lockdown.
It was the first time in 39 games that Jurgen Klopp’s Champions failed to score at the Anfield fortress, a remarkable run dating back to a Champions League clash with Bayern Munich in February 2019.
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And that was enough to lead the rejuvenated Gunners to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals after claiming victory on a sudden death penalty shoot-out.
Bernd Leno was Arsenal’s hero, saving shots from the spot by Divock Origi and Harry Wilson before Joe Willock’s decisive effort simply passed Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian.
And the victory was a blessed relief for Mikel Arteta’s side after conceding 33 goals in his previous nine visits to Anfield.
Now Arsenal will believe that they can go all the way to add this trophy to the FA Cup and Community Shield that they have already collected in the last two months.
Not that Klopp loses too much sleep over this unusual exclusion.
He has much bigger fish to fry this season and he was probably still mulling over a Champions League draw that has thrown his team against Ajax, Atalanta and Midtjylland.
Arsenal will know their fate in the Europa League this afternoon, but will be more convinced than ever that things are going in the right direction.
This time around last year Unai Emery was on the brink of capture and Granit Xhaka thought he had burned his Arsenal bridges for good when he was substituted against Crystal Palace and told the Emirates crowd to “ kick ”
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But the Swiss midfielder has fully rehabbed under Arteta and this was the first time since the game began as captain.
Three days after Xhaka’s infamous collapse, these teams contested an extraordinary 5-5 draw at the same stage of the Carabao Cup.
It was one of the most extraordinary matches in the history of the competition, finally resolved in favor of Liverpool on penalties.
But that was in the days leading up to Covid, when more than 52,000 fans showed up to watch two reserve teams hit seven bells on each other.
So this one was never going to reach those levels of excitement, especially coming just three days after meeting here in the Premier League.
Unsurprisingly, both managers made wholesale changes to their starting lineups, which meant a £ 45m first Liverpool start from Diogo Jota alongside Mo Salah and Takumi Minamino.
However, it was Arsenal that showed the most attacking intention from the start and could have been ahead in the 7th minute.
Xkaka’s pass opened Liverpool’s high defensive line to the rhythm of Nicolas Pepe, who passed the ball to Eddie Nketiah through Joe Willock.
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But the young Gunners forward was caught in two minds when he was confronted by goalkeeper Adrian and got no conviction on his shot.
And despite their later possession in promising areas, the visitors couldn’t create too much trouble for Klopp’s men.
Not that Liverpool were any better and it took them the better part of 45 minutes to seriously threaten.
Jota was convinced he should have had a penalty when Dani Ceballos knocked him down just outside the penalty area.
But referee Kevin Friend qualified him despite not having VAR assistance and awarded Liverpool a free kick that was only partially cleared to Neco Williams.
The young Welshman chip at the top chose Jota for a flying header that Bernd Leno stopped directly on the prowl Minamino.
But the Japanese international could not contain his shot with the goal at his mercy and launched a powerful volley against the crossbar when he should have practically scored with the last shot of the first half.
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And if Leno wasn’t that convincing on that occasion, there was no doubt about the quality of his save in the 53rd minute from Virgil van Dijk.
Klopp had planned to retire his captain at halftime, but changed his mind with the game so balanced at halftime.
And Van Dijk almost rewarded his coach’s persistence when he delivered a first shot to Marko Grujic’s downward header, which Leno did well to scratch the base of the post.
That was the signal for Liverpool to really start turning the screw, with Jota’s deflected effort flying just before Grujic landed another strong save from Leno.
Many Arsenal fans wondered if Arteta had sold the wrong goalkeeper when he allowed Emiliano Martínez to sign for Aston Villa the other week.
But German international Leno certainly earned his pay last night with more saves to deny Jota and Grujic again.
However, it was not all one-way traffic, and Rob Holding’s 70th-minute headbutt threatened to break the deadlock, but went straight to Adrian.
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