Arsenal won their first match at Anfield in 14 years with a 1-0 defensive masterclass. You wouldn’t expect anything else from Mikel Arteta’s lads, would you? The Gunners were particularly good in the second half, locking down the game after play had been uncharacteristically open and end-to-end in the first 45 minutes. The win takes Arsenal three points clear of the yet-to-be-sanctioned Manchester City, five points clear of Brighton in third, and a whopping nine points ahead of Liverpool in fifth.
The Gunners opened the scoring in the 16th minute. They pressed a Liverpool goal kick high and hard. Alisson played the ball into space — I think he was expecting Jeremy Jacquet to move into the area — and Martin Ødegaard forced a turnover. A few seconds later, Declan Rice got around the corner overlapping Noni Madueke, fizzed it across the face of goal, and Kai Havertz steered it into the empty net at the back post. Since joining the club, Declan Rice leads Arsenal in assists and has registered the third-most assists of all Premier League players.
Liverpool responded well to going behind. They had the better of the play and it felt like they were building towards a goal. Arsenal didn’t help themselves, either. They seemed content to play quicker than their usual pace, progressing the ball up the field as if looking to break rather than in their normal, methodical manner. The result was several sloppy turnovers that gave possession right back to Liverpool and kept the pressure on.
But for all the possession around the Arsenal box and crosses sent in, Liverpool generated precious few actual chances. Jurrien Timber was a bit lucky not to concede a penalty for a slight shirt pull on Alexander Isak, although I’d note that Isak did not complain at all about the decision. The studio pundits thought the referee / VAR got it wrong and that Liverpool should have had a penalty. We’ll call it a wash for Trey Nyoni’s orange card tackle on Martin Ødegaard in the opening minutes going unpunished.
Florian Wirtz hit the bar from a free kick. It’s tough to say whether David Raya had it covered if it had been on frame. He was quite close to getting a fingertip on it and may have brushed it ever so slightly. Alexis Mac Allister headed Liverpool’s best chance of the match well over the bar despite being unmarked about 10-yards from goal.
The match was played more to Liverpool’s pace and preference in the first half and definitely could have ended 1-1 but that’s the way football goes, isn’t it? It was extremely harsh on Arsenal to be behind 2-0 to Brighton at halftime six weeks ago. It was maybe a bit fortunate that the Gunners had a halftime lead today. They tell me those types of things balance out!
Arsenal did not leave it to chance in the second half. They shut the game down, as they often do. They’re the best in the world at squeezing the life out of a game to grind out wins. This bunch know who they are, play to their strengths, and I love them for that. They defend with organization, focus, and intensity and those attributes were on full display against Liverpool’s expensively assembled array of attacking options.
Liverpool did not have a shot on target. Per Opta’s data that goes back to ‘03/’04, covering 442 matches at Anfield, it was the first time the Reds failed to register a shot on target at home in the Premier League.
You could see the frustration mounting for Liverpool, too — their body language, going to ground easily, their increasing protesting of referee decisions, and Andoni Iraola’s behavior on the sideline. Arsenal’s defensive fortitude knocked them off their game and almost certainly made the job of holding onto the 1-0 lead easier to boot. It felt very much like Arsenal from, what was it, three seasons ago, when the side definitely felt like they could get flustered by things not going their way.
That’s not to take anything away from Arsenal’s tremendous effort. Everyone ran themselves ragged. Kai Havertz was making tackles near the goal line in the 85th minute. Martin Ødegaard did his best Declan Rice impression, being seemingly everywhere in the midfield. Declan Rice, as he always seems to do, shook off whatever knock he was dealing with and put in his usual workhorse shift. Ezri Konsa was excellent as was Riccardo Calafiori. Noni Madueke has really stepped up his defensive workrate. Props to Christos Tzolis for playing nearly an entire match coming off his hamstring injury. Even Jurrien Timber, who wasn’t great, didn’t lack for effort and application.
Well, mostly everyone. I was appalled by Viktor Gyokeres’ lack of energy when he came on as a late sub for Kai Havertz. He lost at least two duels on the edge of the defensive third — the one where Alexis Mac Allister, who played the entire match, beat him to the ball for reaction, quickness, and strength was particularly bad. If Big Vik wants more playing time, that’s not the way to earn it.
That one negative shouldn’t distract from the magnificent effort the rest of the squad put in at Anfield. Arsenal got the biggest monkey off their back last season with the Premier League title but away to Liverpool in the Premier League was a monkey still on there. Not anymore. Heckuva showing from the team. A quintessential Arteta’s Arsenal performance.
