The Night The Kop Applauded Us

Lily's Poo 3
(Fowler 33rd, Gerard 68th, Hyppia 80th)

The Arse 6
(Aliadiere 27th, Song-Bilong 45th, Baptista 40th, 45th+, 60th, 84th)

Arsene Wenger kept his promise made at the end of the FA Cup tie on Saturday night and brought a different team to Anfield.

A total of nine players in the Arse line-up were the second XI, including one bearing a name that still brings shudders to the Liverpool bench - Armand Traore, who was playing left-back.

Rafa Benitez likewise shuffled his side - Riise whom he blamed for Rosicky's first goal was out, Carra (3rd goal) on the bench, as well as Agger, Kuyt and Crouch.

Mark Gonzales came off early in the game after a tackle on angelic Theo in the 4th minute. He escaped being included in a line-up that Scousers are unlikely to forget.

Cesc (just 19 himself) and Toure were the first XI beef, shoring up the Arsenal kids who sparkled throughout the match where they seemed eager to match the earlier achievement of their seniors.

Aliadiere beat an offside trap to open up accounts, only for the venerable Fowler to level off a Garcia pass from Aurelio's free-kick.

Julio Baptista, formerly known as the Beast until he came to the EPL, whacked a sweet one in from a free-kick before the much-maligned Alexandre Song Bilong, who in a number of past games had Gooners wincing in agony, actually scored one - bundling in a loose ball from a Cesc corner with Dudek nowhere in sight.

Adding to the Kop's agony, Baptista scored another in the first-half injury time off a one-two with Aliadiere. Liverpool was 1-4 down at halftime and the Kop was rumbling.

Early in the second-half Hyppia gave away a penalty with a foul on Aliadiere in the 56th but Dudek brought a roar from the Kop by denying Baptista from completing his hat-trick.

But Baptista was not to be denied and he got his third with a 25-metre effort four minutes later.

Stung by the fifth Arsenal goal, Liverpool surged onwards and pulled two goals back from Stevie G volley and Hyppia's header. But Arsenal withstood further attacks and in the end, Baptista raced to score his fourth in a superb breakaway raid in the 84th minute and it was all over.

Julio Baptista was the first visiting player to score 4 goals in 61 years at Anfield.

Baptista shone in the game, but the star of the night was the Kop, who kept roaring all night and then further credited themselves by applauding the young Arsenal players as they left the pitch.

Their team may have been bested, but Liverpool fans showed that they are still unrivalled as the best in the game.