Arsenal are three points clear at the top of the Premier League table. But given the team in second are Manchester City, who are likely to be facing at the very least a major points deduction, perhaps more significant is that they are five clear of Brighton in third. The season of domination that many anticipated from the champions appears to be coming to pass.
Liverpool challenged them on Sunday. There was a 20-minute spell before half-time when they swarmed all over Arsenal, and Anfield felt at least like it did in the golden years of Jürgen Klopp, when it buzzed with an energy that could overwhelm visitors. But Arsenal got through that, reset at half-time, and navigated the second half with relative comfort.
For the second league game running, they denied Liverpool a shot on target. If there is a lesson, it is that Liverpool, like Brighton, demonstrated that a very aggressive press can unsettle Arsenal. But then, a very aggressive press can unsettle anybody.
In Arsenal’s loss at Brighton, Pascal Gross and Charalampos Kostoulas took difficult opportunities; at Anfield Liverpool were denied what should surely have been a penalty when Jurriën Timber tugged Alexander Isak’s shirt – another bad moment for VAR, in that the no-call essentially mandated players to go down and highlight contact. Later, Alexis Mac Allister put a free header over. That was the difference, and this Arsenal team will not give opponents many chances.
They are good at closing games out. Ezri Konsa in particular was outstanding on Sunday. They also have a strong bench.
The policy has been to make the squad deeper rather than adding the very highest quality – which is why the links with Vinícius Júnior over the summer were so unexpected. That has frustrated some, but it has been successful. Arsenal on Sunday could bring on Myles Lewis-Skelly, Piero Hincapié, Viktor Gyökeres and Mikel Merino to protect their lead with very little diminution of quality.
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