Emirates is no match for Anfield aura
AT ANFIELD on Wednesday the crowd had simply willed their beloved Liverpool on to victory against Manchester City in the Champions League.
The sheer venom that spilled down from the Kop unnerved a City side who were a shadow of their normal selves. Anfield on a European night, with the crowd up for it, has always been known as a cauldron of sheer passion and will to win.
The Emirates Stadium, not so much. But boy did Arsenal – and in particular their manager Arsene Wenger – need the fans to be in full voice, or as full a voice as Gunners fans get these days.
Out of every other competition and 13 points off the top four, suddenly the Europa League was it for Wenger. So it helps when your opponents are as generous as CSKA Moscow.
There have been lots of empty seats lately at the Emirates. For some games recently the stadium has been at most two-thirds full.
There were once again pockets of space around last night. Five hundred tickets had been sold to CSKA, but their section was at best only half-full. And with the stand-off that exists between the UK and Russia politically at the moment, this tie began with an air of tension.
Arsenal’s only concern was building a decent lead for the away leg of this quarter-final. To heck with the politics. But the tension on the pitch did not last long.
It was not exactly raucous at the start but Aaron Ramsey’s goal helped. Suddenly the fans were singing.
It still was not Anfield. But they cheered their heroes home. Politely. The advance on Moscow next week? Arsene’s army should manage it now.