Arsène Wenger’s tirade fires Arsenal to victory over Liverpool Dec 14, 2009

Cesc Fábregas credited Arsenal’s transformation at Liverpool tonight to an uncharacteristic tirade from Arsène Wenger in which the manager derided his players as unworthy of the club shirt. Forty-five minutes after the half-time outburst, after which they came back from behind to win 2-1, Wenger claimed his side had overcome a psychological barrier to put themselves back in the Premier League title race.

Arsenal are now third in the table, six points behind the leaders, Chelsea, having played a game fewer, following an impressive recovery at Anfield that ensured Liverpool equalled their worst start to a season under Rafael Benítez. The home side led through Dirk Kuyt’s 41st-minute goal and were denied a clear penalty when William Gallas fouled Steven Gerrard. Their dominance against lethargic visitors prompted the half-time diatribe from Wenger.

“The boss screamed,” said Fábregas, the Arsenal captain. “He was really disappointed with us in the first half. I’ve never seen him like that before. He said we didn’t deserve to wear the Arsenal shirt and he was right because we really weren’t good, we weren’t up for it. But that gave us a boost and the second half was one of the best second halves we have played this season.”