At Anfield, where Arsenal had not won in the past 13 visits, Mikel Arteta followed the orthodoxy of locking down once his team took the lead. This time around, it proved successful. Arsenal did not allow the occasion or the stadium to get to them as they have on previous occasions.
In April 2023, Granit Xhaka entangling with Trent Alexander-Arnold energised home fans previously despondent that Arsenal were 2-0 up. On Sunday, Liverpool zipped around zestfully, as Andoni Iraola requests, though the final-ball quality was lacking. That owed a great deal to the organisation of the Arsenal defence.
Ahead of the last international break, Brighton set a blueprint for getting the better of Arsenal in winning 3-0. Liverpool’s squad profile might have made a similar strategy possible though Iraola’s outfit is struggling to create chances in the same volume as Brighton or his Bournemouth team. John Brewin No shots on target for Liverpool, leaving them with zero margin for the errors that preceded Kai Havertz’s decisive goal.
Nine points behind Arsenal with a quarter of the season gone, Liverpool’s season risks becoming a developmental one, a time to regroup and rethink rather than challenging for the title. The squad Iraola inherited still bears the weight of the failed rebuild of the summer of 2025. Florian Wirtz was both unlucky when rattling the crossbar and too ponderous when a second-half chance dropped his way.
Alexander Isak is nothing like the busy-bee striker his manager asks to press from the front. Milos Kerkez continues to be chaotic. Bradley Barcola, 2026’s headline signing, played his part in the flurry that followed Arsenal’s goal but faded, as did his fellow forwards.
There are shards of light. Jérémy Jacquet and Trey Nyoni (aggressive – perhaps too aggressive – and involved in his hour on the field) are young players who can go places. Though it may take some time for Liverpool to get there as a team.
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