I thought we'd win this game, I really did. Given the troubles Arsenal have had in the past week, and the fact that surely their unbeaten record has to come to an end sometime, I just had a feeling we'd spring a bit of an upset at Highbury.
I wouldn't say they were there for the taking exactly, as they're a world class team, and let's face it, we're not. But having seen what Manchester United did to them last week, I really believed we could do the same.
After all, the mancs didn't do anything special, they just worked hard, defended well and took their chance when it came. Houllier's teams have made a habit of doing that in big games away from home, so I thought there was every chance we could do it again.
For 45 minutes we did, But then the wheels came off completely. In the second half, Arsenal just... well... for want of a better word.. twatted us. I don't think I've ever seen a Liverpool team so completely, comprehensively outclassed in every single area of the pitch. It was painful to watch, especially the showboating in the last five minutes.
The ridiculous kick off time meant that the coaches set off from Priory Road at the ungodly hour of 6am, but everyone seemed to be in good sprits and I got the impression that I wasn't alone in fancying us to get something from the game.
Of course, much of that optimism was due to the uncertainty surrounding the fitness of Thierry Henry. To be honest, I didn't care whether he started or not, because if he was carrying an injury, surely he wouldn't be at his best anyway?
Well if that was Henry when he wasn't fully fit, thank Fowler we didn't have to face him at 100% or this could have been much, much worse. It's depressing to think that within months of the Gunners splashing out for Henry, we went out and spent a similar amount on an international forward/winger of our own. No wonder we're light years behind them.
I'm trying not to turn this report into a rant about Houllier and his record signing, but there are a few things I want to say so I'll get them out of the way now before continuing with the report.
Firstly, H*skey's performance today was pathetic. He didn't do much noticeably wrong, but my point is that he just didn't do ANYTHING. He took no responsibility to try and make anything happen, and all he did was challenge for a few headers, and make a couple of basic layoffs to the nearest teammate.
He spent more time in his own half than theirs, which may be because he was told to do that I admit. But H*skey does absolutely nothing that ANY professional footballer of his size and build couldn't do. You can take any big striker out of the third division and they'd do the job he did today. Some would even do it better.
That's not even an exaggeration, it's the truth. Wayne Allison could have done the same job H*skey did. Anyone who disagrees with that, tell me one thing he did which any other big striker couldn't have done? Just one thing, come on? You can't, because he didn't do anything.
It's not a reaction to one game either, he's been like that for most of the season. I would love to sit down with Houllier and watch a tape of this game, and get him to explain to me what it is H*skey does that makes him worth a place in the side.
Apart from defend corners, the man contributes nothing that Baros - or Mellor for that matter - can't do ten times as well.
The really sad thing is that you just know the big lump will have been happy enough with his days work. Fuck him off, along with the fool who continues to pick him.
It was reported in the week that Birmingham had made an approach for H*skey and that Liverpool had laughed at their £3m valuation. They should be laughing, all the way to the bank because at £3m he's way overpriced. I bet Birmingham fans aren't laughing though. It's hard to laugh when you're shitting your pants.
As for Houllier, well this game just further emphasized why he just has to go this summer. Not because he picked the wrong team (he did in my opinion, but it wouldn't have mattered really who he'd put out because we're just not in Arsenal's class), and not because of his tactics for this game.
No, he has to go because this game showed that the gap between us and Arsenal has become a huge, gaping chasm. He's been here for five years, and we're further behind now than when he arrived. If he's allowed to stay, the gap will widen further. Anyone thinking he'll close that gap is seriously kidding themselves.
There's nothing to suggest he's capable of getting it right. The only argument his followers have left now is "well it took Ferguson seven years" or "he won six trophies." Both of those arguments are so full of holes that I'm not even going to start on them here.
The long and short of it, is that Arsenal were miles better than us once they found their feet in the second half. Houllier for once has admitted it himself. His attitude that 'well what can you do, they're too good' is fair enough. It's how I feel too.
But the point is, he's had five years to try and get us competing on level terms with them and he's failed miserably. He went close, didn't quite make it and since then we've fell away at an alarming rate as they've accelerated off into the distance.
He shrugged this result off by saying that no side could have lived with the Gunners on that second half display. Maybe that's true, maybe it isn't. All I know is that in the past week the mancs and Chelsea have both 'lived with them'.
But they're on a more level playing field when they play Arsenal than we are. They're competing with them, we're competing with Newcastle, Charlton, Birmingham, Fulham, Villa, Spurs etc.
Houllier said afterwards: "I have told the players this is a one-off really. We don't play a team like Arsenal every week.
"There is no shame in losing here today. You just have to give the opposition credit, say well done and look ahead to our next game."
I can't disagree with that, but I can use it as yet more evidence as to why he has to go. There's a top three, and then there's the rest. Maybe we'll sneak fourth and lay claim to being the best of the rest. Big fucking wow.
That wasn't the deal when Houllier took the job though, and no matter how much he tries to shift the goalposts with talk of CL qualification etc, it just won't wash. We're not title contenders any more, he's had his chance and wasn't up to it. Time to move on and give someone else a go.
Until fairly recently my feelings were that we have a good squad of players, and only need one or two top class re-enforcements, assuming of course that a manager is brought in who can get the best out of the players we have, which Houllier clearly isn't doing.
I've been having some doubts about that lately though, and yesterday was something of a watershed for me. Only Gerrard and Dudek would get in Arsenal's team. Maybe Michael would too, but it's by no means certain given the balance of their side and the style of play.
Too many of our players are just not good enough for a team that wants to be challenging Arsenal and Chelsea. Maybe a new manager could get them playing better (in some cases they couldn't be any worse) but I'm seriously starting to think that most of the squad just aren't good enough.
Diouf has to be the worst pound for pound signing in the clubs history. It's something like 40 games since his last goal. That's fucking disgraceful, especially as he's had about 18 bookings in that time. I wouldn't mind so much if he was making loads of goals, but he isn't doing that either.
He has talent, and at least he is a bit of an entertainer at times, but for £10m that's just not good enough. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Dioufy, but hearing about him hugging and highfiving the Marseille players after they'd beaten us has put paid to that. He can fuck off in the summer as well.
Then there's Igor. He tries hard, and gets a lot of undeserved stick, but he'll never be as good a centre half as Stephane Henchoz, and picking him ahead of the Swiss is doing him no favours.
I'm not going to slag him off because I do like him. As I say, he tries his best and has a good attitude. I think a lot of the stick he gets is wrong, and should be reserved for the man who picks him, not for the player, who is hardly going to say "No, I don't want to play, pick Steph instead".
Igor has taken a lot of the blame for what happened yesterday. I haven't seen the goals since I got back from Highbury, but over the whole game I thought he was no worse than Sami. It's indicative of Houllier's madness that the best centre half we have is on the bench.
Carra struggled as well, perhaps due to being exposed too much due to the failings of those around him He's not only having to cover for Biscan, but he wasn't getting the help from Diouf that he should have been either.
Then there's Kewell. The term 'fair weather' player springs to mind. He started this game really well, and had the beating of Lauren. But as the game started to slip away from us, he seemed to lose interest. I can accept him losing the ball, but I can't accept him just standing there afterwards.
There were a lot of reds at Highbury who were furious with Kewell and his lack of effort. He may be carrying a knock, and it's fair to say he hasn't looked the same since he was sidelined with an ankle problem, but Leeds fans told us to expect this from him and it looks like they were right.
The thing with Kewell is, if he were playing for any of the top three he'd look great. With so many good players around him, and playing in a team that dominates games he wouldn't be expected to be the big star.
At Anfield the lack of quality around him means so much more is expected of him, and he isn't ever going to be able to meet those expectations. He'll be a good player, who chips in with more than his fair share of goals, but that's it.
Those who were expecting a superstar will no doubt be feeling disappointed. Those who thought he'd merely be an improvement on what we had will be thinking he's done ok.
Perhaps the saddest sight for me yesterday though was how Didi was out of his depth. This guy has been fantastic for us in games like this, but this time he wasn't at the races. Vieira and Gilberto made him look like a slow, weak, old man.
Usually, it's games like these when we look to Didi to be the platform on which the performance is based, but Arsenal just ran all over him and he was unable to cope. Gerrard had his worst game for months, yet was still our best player by a distance.
The fact that the other three midfielders went missing in the second half made things very hard for him, but he was still the only one who looked like he posed any threat.
Owen looked sharp, and took his goal very well, but the lack of service and support made it very difficult for him against two giants like Campbell and Toure.
I could go on, but it's too depressing. Only Riise, Owen, Carragher and Gerrard come out of it with their reputations unharmed, and that goes for the fans too, who also lost out to their Arsenal counterparts.
There was something a bit surreal about hearing Liverpool fans chanting without a trace of irony: "Champions League you're having a laugh" and "You're gonna win fuck all" to a team that's top of the table and streets ahead of us.
I don't think the Arsenal fans could believe it either, but eventually they responded with "UEFA Cup you're having a laugh - or should I say larrrrfff" and "Li-verpool win fuck all". Then there was "You used to be a big club" as well as the usual "Li-verpool hoof the ball"
It was horrible having to listen to the taunts and know that they were right. We asked for all we got though, and it was sad to hear us resorting to that stupid 'you're having a laugh' shite.
It's not easy being a Liverpool fan at the moment. Houllier has turned us into a laughing stock, and we need someone to come in and shake things up this summer, and give us our pride back. Much like Houllier did when he first arrived. Before he went mental.
Team: Jerzy Dudek; Jamie Carragher, Igor Biscan, Sami Hyypia, John Arne Riise; El Hadji Diouf (Danny Murphy), Didi Hamann, Steven Gerrard, Harry Kewell; Michael Owen, E*ile H*skey (Milan Baros):
