Liverpool move into the fourth round of the FA Cup.

 Liverpool move into the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Given their recent form it would have been perfectly understandable had Arsenal approached this FA Cup third round tie against Liverpool with both terror and trepidation. Two successive Premier League defeats at home to West Ham and away at Fulham had reinforced doubts and anxieties that none of us could have anticipated. But now Arsenal faced their first real contest of the New Year against a Liverpool side boasting a commendable crop of youngsters who would have had no knowledge of previous meetings between the two. The names of Kevin Keegan, John Toshack, Peter Cormack, Ian Callaghan and Brian Hall may just as well have been some historic throwback to them. Perhaps their parents might have informed them about their legendary exploits in detailed fashion.

The very mention of Arsenal - Liverpool has evocative echoes of three FA Cup Finals from yesteryear. In 1950 Tom Whittaker guided Arsenal to the FA Cup where they defeated a Liverpool side featuring Bob Paisley who was still a player learning his apprenticeship at Anfield. Then 21 years later Arsenal, under the quiet and studious Bertie Mee, who had been a well respected physiotherapist at the club, managed Arsenal to the first half of what would prove to be a momentous Double.

When Charlie George drilled a low drive past Ray Clemence with the crucial winning goal, Arsenal knew they had won one of the most entertaining of FA Cup Finals in injury time. The legendary Bill Shankly would enjoy more prosperous days with Liverpool with old First Division championships by the dozen but Arsenal had made one of their first conquests over a team whose attacking philosophies they would share from that point on. Allegedly Eddie Kelly was attributed with Arsenal's opening goal but the ball seemed to have a mind of its own and ended up crawling into the net. Steve Heighway, Liverpool's university educated winger, equalised Arsenal's opening goal but then George scored and then collapsed onto his back, hands outstretched to accept the congratulations of his Arsenal colleagues.

And finally 23 years ago Michael Owen, a young, coltish and energetic striker with all the trademarks of a typical Liverpool striker, scored the winning goal for the Anfield side after Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and company had threatened to run away with the 2001 FA Cup Final at the Millennium Stadium in the Welsh capital of Cardiff. So football collisions between both Arsenal and Liverpool have always had a history and emotional resonance that went much deeper than met the eye.

Yesterday evening Arsenal once again lined up against Liverpool primed and prepared for their latest battle of wits, an epic confrontation that almost had a classical feel to it. This time the whole appearance of both sets of teams would have led you to believe that both sides had just returned from a fancy dress party. Arsenal, in a  homage to the latest and most disturbing knife attacks in London, wore white shirts while Liverpool, for reasons best known to themselves, wore a brighter shade of purple. Sadly, both sides seemed to be at a loss to know why both the first half and second half had  followed completely different patterns, cases of mistaken identity perhaps or reversal of roles.

For much of the first half William Saliba, Declan Rice, Ben White and the unfortunate Jakub Kiowior had learnt the same lines, memorised them and then struck up the most idyllic of relationships at the back for Arsenal, defenders of immense authority and immaculate statesmanship. In the centre of midfield Martin Odegaard was proving once again to be one of the cleverest and most intuitive of all midfield playmakers, sewing together Arsenal's most impressive passing movements with poise and balance before smacking the crossbar with an early attempt at goal.

Then both Odegaard, Martinelli, Jorginho began to weave their own pretty tapestries with sharp, magisterial short passes in and around the Liverpool penalty area. But at some point it all became utterly predictable, beautiful to watch but somehow over elaborate. Arsenal built and then rebuilt gloriously constructed passing spiders webs around Liverpool but slowly and surely seemed to be achieving nothing of any substance. Kai Havertz should surely have been more decisive with his finishing when through on goal but contrived only to be hesitant when it mattered most.

As the match progressed it became more and more apparent that Arsenal, for all their pretty embellishments and silky one and two touch passes, were just heading down anonymous cul de sacs. To those who had seen West Ham erecting a monumental defensive barricade last week, shifting their battalions from one side of the 18 yard box to another, perhaps Arsenal would have been better served with the long, diagonal pass that splits defences and leads to panic. But you had to sympathise because fundamentally, Arsenal were playing the game the right way, expressing themselves with freewheeling fluency and abandon, a team with the perfect collective ethos.

Liverpool have been here before on so many occasions but have remarkably been on the wrong end of defeats to Arsenal on so many occasions that we may have run out of fingers. Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander Arnold were beefing up the flanks with stirring overlaps that, from time to time, sent shock waves through the Arsenal defence. Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Conor Bradley and the dynamic Harvey Elliott, full of running and industrious headlong charges at goal, were all offering attractive and decorative touches and delicately skilful approach work in and out of possession.

With the sands of time running out for Arsenal and their powers of invention simply ebbing away, Liverpool grabbed hold of the attacking initiative and just took control. From a superb Alexander Arnold corner the ball was floated brilliantly into the heart of Arsenal's flummoxed defence who failed to pick up any Liverpool player before the hapless Gunners defender Jakub Kiowior stuck out his leg and deflected the ball into his own net. It was the beginning of the end for the home side.

 Then, after one of many lightning fast counter attacks, both Darwen Nunez and the ever influential Diogo Jota swapped two shrewdly executed passes on the half way line before Jota hurtled towards goal and then released the simplest of passes to Luis Diaz, now fully recovered after that horrific family incident involving his father, who simply took aim and fired home Liverpool's second and winning goal from close range.

So Liverpool are through to the fourth round of the FA Cup on a weekend which saw the Kentish orchards yield the ripest of plums when non League Maidstone beat Stevenage. The FA Cup has come a long way since those formative years of the public schools and universities. The names of Royal Engineers and Old Carthusians sound like ancient artefacts on an archaeological site but the FA Cup bandwagon rolls on relentlessly into its 21st century high tech age. Its magic will remain permanent.