The Decision.

There is now a torrent of sportswriting and sports talking and guys talking and self-congratulation of Liverpool’s perceived ill-gotten penalty kick in the final minutes of their Champions League Semifinal Match with Arsenal. Many believed Arsenal’s failure in the game was the result of the penalty kick awarded by referee Peter Frojdfelt to Liverpool’s Ryan Babel in the game’s 83^rd minute. You will read:

Arsenal lost because of a soft penalty kick awarded to Ryan Babel.

or,:

Liverpool won the match due to an penalty kick decision.

or:

The match was decided in the 83^rd minute free kick decision.

or:

I thought we were hard done by with that decision, and we lost the match.

SS believes this unbearable truth to be very circumstantial, or perhaps superficial. SS saw the decision in question. However, SS believes that Arsenal did not lose the game, but that Liverpool won the game. Liverpool looked the better team throughout. Their angles were sharp, their spacing excellent, all more apparent because Arsenal did not play well. Arsenal did not play well. They did not lose because of a penalty kick decision. In fact, Arsenal fans' collective cry should not focus on penalty kicks but perhaps on lack of defensive concentration and small squad fatigue, or perhaps on Arsenal's inability to cope with Steven Gerrard’s powerful presence in the midfield. SS would prefer not to become semantic, or technical, however. It simply believes it folly to reduce a soccer match from tens of thousands of wondrously instantaneous and instinctual actions to one, and extends its congratulations to Liverpool for winning the match.

The face of Bill Shankly was seen in the moon that night.