But unfortunately, the course of events was not something people could change just by wishing it so.
The 73rd minute.
As Nasri made yet another forward run, Gerrard brought him down outright.
Gerrard had already committed several similarly heavy fouls during the match.
So this time, the referee didn't let him off and showed him a yellow card.
The 75th minute.
Wenger wanted to kill the game off in one go, so he brought on number 10, Van Persie, for Wilshere, who was already on a yellow. That would ensure Arsenal kept their 11-against-10 advantage for the rest of the match.
With Van Persie on the pitch, Arsenal now had four forwards on the field.
When Hodgson realized what Wenger was planning, his face darkened.
Four forwards? Did Wenger really think so little of Liverpool?
But Hodgson wasn't about to let the opportunity pass. He took off number 20, Mascherano, and brought on number 21, Lucas.
The 78th minute.
Fresh off the bench, Lucas stole the ball from Van Persie and passed to Gerrard. Gerrard laid it off, then sent a through ball straight to Maxi Rodriguez on the wing.
M. Rodriguez received the ball and faced Sagna. He gave it a slight feint, accelerated past him, then crossed from near the byline into the middle of the box.
Torres had just brought the ball under control when Koscielny, tight against him, poked it away with his foot.
Almunia smothered the ball, then saw Van Persie up front raising a hand for a pass.
He knew there wasn't much time left and couldn't afford to waste any, so he launched the ball toward the center circle.
Van Persie beat Carragher in the aerial challenge, and Arshavin brought the ball under control.
The Tsar drove forward at speed, while Walcott and Li Yufei ran upfield on either side to provide support.
Gerrard hesitated when facing Arshavin. After all, he was already on a yellow.
Arshavin realized what was going through Gerrard's mind, so he simply tried to dart past him with the ball.
Gerrard was infuriated by Arshavin's brazen attempt to take him on right in his face.
If the last shred of his reason hadn't reminded him that his team was already a man down and he couldn't afford to get sent off,
Gerrard probably would have laid Arshavin out with a brutal tackle!
Facing the man who had scored four goals against Liverpool two years earlier,
Gerrard had never liked Arshavin, and the circumstances only made things worse.
When Arshavin carried the ball to within 35 yards of goal, he knew that if he kept going, Liverpool's midfield and defense would soon swarm him.
So he passed it to Walcott on the right.
Without thinking, he trusted an old hand like Walcott more than a young player like Li Yufei.
Even the stunning goal Li Yufei had just scored wasn't enough to change his mindset right away.
Walcott met the incoming ball and immediately went into full-speed, head-down mode again.
Agger was beaten by Walcott for the umpteenth time.
Fortunately, Agger held firm on the inside and didn't give Walcott enough room to shoot.
In the end, Walcott had no choice but to force a shot. Reina pushed it over the byline, earning Arsenal their sixth corner of the match.
In that sense, it was still a successful piece of defending.
Watching Walcott take that reckless shot, Li Yufei could only shake his head helplessly.
In response to readers' many requests, we're introducing an ad-free feature for VIP members.
Click to view
Honestly, Little Tiger really did play without using his head. Otherwise, his market value would have doubled!
After the corner came in, Reina charged out and punched it clear!
Van Persie saw the ball flying toward him at the edge of the box and volleyed it without letting it bounce.
The shot ultimately sailed just over the crossbar and into the stands, but it was a fine effort.
Reina hadn't even reacted when the ball came toward him. Only after seeing it miss the goal did he wipe the cold sweat from his brow with his glove.
Terrifying. Absolutely terrifying!
Li Yufei had to admit that Van Persie had plenty of flaws, but his ability to score incredible goals—especially volleys—was second to none in the Football World!
The 83rd minute.
Liverpool bombarded Arsenal's box with a cross from the wing. Vermaelen cleared the ball, and Clichy collected it before sprinting down the left flank.
Clichy made it almost to the center circle before a Liverpool midfielder finally stopped his advance.
But with the advantage of having an extra man, Clichy easily passed the ball out. Diaby received it and played it to Nasri.
Nasri played a one-two with the retreating Van Persie, then charged upfield along the right channel.
With Maxi chasing him relentlessly, Nasri combined with Walcott, who had made a diagonal run into the middle, for another one-two.
Nasri then found space and sent a sharp diagonal pass. The ball traced an arc through the air toward the edge of the penalty area on the left side of the pitch.
As Li Yufei saw the ball coming, he hit the nitrous, his legs flying as he surged past Glen Johnson, who had started ahead of him.
Johnson realized Li Yufei was about to overtake him, so he immediately grabbed and tugged at him.
Li Yufei still wasn't a match for Johnson in a straight physical contest.
But at full speed, a clash was "an advantage for me" when you were The Flash, with both acceleration and top speed maxed out.
The force of Li Yufei's sheer speed sent Johnson, who had already started grabbing and pulling him, staggering aside.
Exhausted after playing the entire match, and thrown off balance in an instant, Johnson fell flat on his face in the grass, taking a mouthful of dirt.
By the time Li Yufei caught up with the ball, the shooting angle was already very tight, and Carragher had immediately blocked off the route to goal.
So Li Yufei shaped to shoot but passed instead. As Carragher instinctively dived to block the shot, Li Yufei swept the ball across the ground to Van Persie, who was charging into the middle of the box.
With Van Persie holding the positional advantage, Skrtel had little chance of disrupting him.
As the ball raced along the ground toward him, Van Persie shot first time.
The ball flashed like a streak of white light and hit the back of the net before Reina could even get into position.
"GOOOOOOOOOAL!!!"
"Number 10, Van Persie!!!"
"In the 83rd minute, Li Yufei used his speed to get past Johnson, then delivered a cross to assist Van Persie, who had arrived in the box and put Arsenal ahead!"
"The score is now 1–2, with Liverpool trailing by one goal at home."
"Liverpool are running out of time!"
Martin Tyler began shouting wildly, clearly caught up in the moment.
Andy Gray beside him wasn't much calmer, though he wasn't quite as over-the-top as Martin.
Van Persie was in an excellent mood after scoring and, for once, thanked Li Yufei.
"Thanks, mate. I knew you'd pass it to me!"
Li Yufei chuckled and exchanged a high five with him. He'd figured Van Persie out: the man was the type who'd treat you well as long as you passed him the ball.
Before you continue