Champions Arsenal moved three points clear at the top of the Premier League on Sunday as Kai Havertz’s early goal secured a 1-0 win at Anfield over Liverpool, Dawn reported.
The German forward tapped in Declan Rice’s low cross in the 16th minute, after the hosts were caught trying to play the ball out of defence. It was Arsenal’s first Premier League win at Anfield for 14 years.
“This means a lot to the whole football club, and it’s been 14 years; that is a crazy stat, and I think that we are all happy that we gave it to them today,” Havertz said.
How the goal came
Liverpool ceded possession to Arsenal’s press, and when the ball was played out to Noni Madueke he found the overlapping Rice, who slid a pass across for Havertz to end his nine-game goal drought.
Liverpool responded strongly towards half-time. Florian Wirtz curled a free kick against the crossbar and Alexis Mac Allister headed a good chance over the bar. The hosts also had a strong penalty shout turned down when Jurrien Timber grabbed at Alexander Isak’s shirt.
A defensive display
After the break, Arsenal tightened up and kept Liverpool largely at arm’s length. Despite their “huff and puff”, Liverpool did not register a single shot on target. It was Arsenal’s sixth clean sheet in nine league games.
“That is the Anfield way… they just create waves and waves of attack. Relentless attacks,” Rice said. “We knew it wouldn’t have been easy, but in the end that defensive line and that togetherness are undefeated.”
The table
- Arsenal: 24 points from nine games, top.
- Manchester City: 21 points. City lost at home to Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, their second straight league defeat after winning their first seven.
- Liverpool: fifth, nine points behind Arsenal after a second league defeat of the season.
The managers’ reaction
“It’s been such a long time without this feeling here, that we really needed it,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. “We are extremely proud of what the team, the players, everybody has done.” Arteta had sharply criticised his side after the midweek Fleetwood defeat, one of the biggest League Cup shocks ever, and the Tribune said Havertz, one of the biggest culprits for missed chances in that game, “made amends with a simple finish”.
Liverpool’s Iraola, who played alongside Arteta as a boy for the Basque side Antiguoko Kirol Elkartea, said: “I loved the reaction from my players after going 1-0 down. We have to keep going. It is very early in the season.” He was unhappy that Isak’s shirt-pull went unpenalised: “We can all see that he holds the shirt (but) because he doesn’t go to the floor, you are not going to call the penalty? I don’t understand it.” Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker also made a fine save from Christos Tzolis’ shot.
Background
Arsenal were knocked out of the League Cup by fourth-tier Fleetwood Town in midweek, but were back to their best at Anfield. Liverpool, under Andoni Iraola, had won twice in a row in the league before Sunday and were hoping to show they could be title contenders. Arsenal had also beaten Nottingham Forest late on October 19 in the league.
Why it matters
Beating Liverpool at Anfield, a ground where Arsenal had not won in the league since 2012, is the kind of result title-winning sides record. It also puts the champions back on top after City’s slip, and shows the defensive approach under Mikel Arteta that has now produced six clean sheets in nine games.
Next, Arsenal host Slavia Prague in the Champions League on Wednesday. What to watch: how Liverpool respond after a defeat that exposed their trouble building from the back, and whether City, now three points behind after two straight losses, recover quickly.
This article draws on reporting by Dawn.
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