Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal ยท Premier League ยท Anfield ยท 31 October 2026
September 2012. That is how long it had been since Arsenal won a league game at Anfield, long enough that the drought had stopped being a talking point and become a fact of life. Twelve minutes into this one, it was over.
Rice and Havertz, on Twelve
Declan Rice drove into the area and cut it back across the six yard box. Kai Havertz was at the back post and tapped it in. That was the game, and the remaining seventy-eight minutes were about whether this side could do the other thing, the thing it has historically been bad at here.
It could. Liverpool did not register a single shot on target. Not one, in ninety minutes, at home.
The Part the Numbers Argue About
Liverpool finished with the higher expected goals, which tells you how much of the second half was spent inside the Arsenal box. Barcola and Isak kept finding a body in the way. Gabriel and Konsa were the pairing that did it, and they did it without William Saliba.
There was a penalty shout on 21 when Timber had a handful of Isak's shirt. VAR did not send it to the monitor, and Andoni Iraola was not happy about it afterwards. Rio Ngumoha fired wide at the start of stoppage time, which was the closest Liverpool came to a goal they never really threatened.
Arteta on Fourteen Years
"Extremely proud. It's been 14 years, and that's a long time, so I'm sure we made everybody attached to the club extremely proud today."
On what the squad made of being sent to do it:
"Just loving the mission. And the mission was something that we didn't accomplish in 14 years."
He was not pretending it was comfortable:
"Very fluid at times. We generated six or seven big chances but we couldn't break out."
Where That Leaves Us
Top of the league, above Manchester City. Arteta's first Premier League win at Anfield as Arsenal manager, at the eighth attempt.
Slavia Prague at home on Wednesday, then Hull on the Saturday.
Man of the Match: Declan Rice ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ
He made the goal and he ran the midfield. Second time in three games he has been the best player on the pitch, and the first was in Munich.
Image Credits https://www.arsenal.com/news/gallery-40-fantastic-shots-from-anfield-ald8J1N7SPUc