Ten men

There was a moment of joy for LFC spectators, viewers and listeners during the League Cup first leg semi-final with Arsenal at Anfield on Thursday, 13 January 2022 when (yet again) Granit Xhaka was sent off on 24 minutes. For Liverpool fans, there were many elements in this response – one in the eye for ex-Evertonian Mikel Arteta; the prospect of halting Arsenal’s recent good form; a good step towards Wembley; and for some, even the memory of 26 May 1989 being partly revenged by the impending torrent of goals during the next 66 minutes. We had, after all, beaten 11-man Arsenal 4-0 in the league only last November.

For at least one fan, however, the enjoyment didn’t last long. For some reason difficult to rationalize at the time, we might have to face the frustration of 66 minutes trying in vain to turn the current draw into a win. Doubts still lurking in newly believers’ minds. Where were Salah and Mane just when we needed them? The opposition’s strong forward line of Saka, Lacazette and Martinelli, bravely increased by sending on Nketiah four minutes later, was more than capable of exploiting the gaps left by our onslaught on their goal. If only the first leg had been at the Emirates, as originally scheduled. There are already plenty of post-mortems to account for the annoying 0-0 draw at the final whistle, made worse by independent commentators who thought the tie had thereby swung in Arsenal’s favour. But why had those doubts surfaced in the twenty-fifth minute, a red light flashing over the prospect of sitting through wave after wave of Liverpool attacks down a cul-de-sac?

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If we eliminate the fifteen matches since 1892 in which an opposition player was sent off so late (88’+) as to give his team no chance of fighting a rearguard action, being a man down, and the thirteen in which one of our players was also sent off, fifty-seven remain. The opponent was sent off when LC was winning, so it’s no surprise that we won all thirty-six of those ended with a win – all, that is, except when Man Utd scored two when we had been winning 3-1 at Anfield on 4 March 1988 when Whiteside had been sent off on 58 minutes. If we have been losing when an opposing player has been sent off, we still lost four, fought back to win two, and managed to draw one on the 89th minute when Denis Irwin had been sent off  fourteen minutes earlier, again at Anfield (5 May 1999). We have never subsequently lost the match if we had been drawing when the player was dismissed. Often, we win but there are five cases in which we have been unable to beat an opponent when he’s down.

‘Against crippled forces it was fully expected the Liverpool would win easily, but although greater vigour and determination were thrown into the game, the Darwen team defended well right up to the close, as well as kicked out on every possible occasion, and the match ultimately wound up with a pointless draw.’ Thus, the Liverpool Mercury chronicled the first time an opponent was sent off against Liverpool, 23 November 1895. Guess what the final score was – 0-0!

Alf Milward

‘Alf Milward’s dismissal in the 2nd half of Everton’s visit to Anfield on 21st of November [1896] was the main talking point in a goalless draw. He became the first player in the Merseyside derby to be sent off after a scramble in the penalty area where Milward charged McCartney in such a style as to warrant the referee in ordering him off the field.‘ Another 0-0 result.

The next was at Anfield on 17 September 1988 when Fairclough (no, not our Davy... Chris) was sent off for landing a right hook on Rush. Tony Cottee (ex-Everton) made a two-footed tackle on Rob Jones (10 September 1994) in the 55th minute – final score, 0-0. And the fifth example? Granit Xhaka. Final score – 0-0.

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So here we are waiting for the second leg. Statistically, last week was a rarity, and let’s remember that all those five previous examples were at Anfield, and that an Arsenal player is much more likely to be sent off at Anfield than the Emirates.

Written by Colin Rogers for LFChistory.net