Why are Arsenal the reigning Premier League champions, and why are they now the league leaders once again? On the most simple level, it is because Mikel Arteta has created the most adaptable and versatile side in England.

This is a team that can deconstruct an opponent’s defence with flowing passing football, as they have demonstrated in matches against Manchester City, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Napoli and others this season, but can also do the ugly things better than anyone else.

If a match requires technical quality, Arsenal have the players capable of producing it. For proof, look at some of the gorgeous team goals they have scored in the past few months. And if it requires ruggedness, old-school defending and a dollop of football’s “dark arts”, they can do that too.

At Anfield, where Arsenal had not won since 2012, Arteta’s side showed both of these faces. In the opening 20 minutes of the game, they controlled the match with the ball by using clever movement and tidy passing. After taking the lead, they then controlled it without the ball by defending deep, winning their tackles and managing the occasion. The game ended without Liverpool generating a single shot on target, which has never before happened in a Premier League game at Anfield.

To be clear, it was hardly the most aesthetically pleasing showing for the neutral. There were some moments of unpleasant gamesmanship, not least when powerhouse defenders Gabriel Magalhaes and Ezri Konsa plunged to the turf at the slightest contact.

But Arsenal have tried playing attractive football at Anfield before, and they have been pummelled. Their fans remain scarred by the 5-1 loss in February 2014, the 4-0 in August 2017, the 5-1 in December 2018 and the 4-0 in November 2021. The current Arsenal, clearly, are nowhere near as naive and flimsy as the previous versions over the past dozen seasons. There is a ruthlessness to them now, and a realisation that their outstanding defence is their super-strength.

When the pressure is on, as it was for long spells of the game at Anfield on Sunday, Arsenal instinctively lean into this strength. The core defensive unit is proving to be remarkably solid even in the absence of the injured William Saliba, who has been so adequately replaced by Konsa, and it allows Arsenal to be comfortable even when their backs are against the wall.

David Raya, Konsa, Gabriel and Declan Rice represent the most formidable shield in English football, with this being their sixth clean sheet in nine league matches so far this Premier League season. Arsenal have conceded only five goals in the league, and three of those came in a bizarre aberration of a match against an electric Brighton side.

Between them, Konsa, Gabriel and Rice made 14 clearances at Anfield, won eight tackles and regained possession on nine separate occasions. Konsa, in particular, was in his element, snatching the ball away from Liverpool forwards (Bradley Barcola was a particular target) and dealing with crosses from wide.

Arsenal’s critics will still grumble about the style of victory, but, of all clubs, this is a team who have no obligation to play in a way that neutrals might enjoy. Arsenal spent so much of Arsene Wenger’s 22-year reign playing football that was mostly stylish but only sometimes effective in big games. Now they are mostly effective but only occasionally stylish on such occasions. If you asked all the travelling fans at Anfield which they prefer, you would receive an overwhelming response.

Arsenal’s rivals for the title will be alarmed by the solidity they showed, and also by this chilling statistic: in four of their five away matches this season, Arsenal have bettered their result from the equivalent fixture last season. On their way to becoming champions, Arsenal took a total of four points from games at Aston Villa, Sunderland, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool. This season, they have taken 12 points from those games.

It all points towards a team that is as driven, malleable and robust as it was last year. Whichever way an opponent wants to take a match, Arteta’s side are usually capable of handling it. Whether it is pretty or not, they simply do not care.