“Today has to be the day,” Mikel Arteta offered up prematch, his voice strangled by a mixture of hope as much as expectation.

It had been 14 years of fruitless visits to Anfield for Arsenal, as their manager was constantly reminded. The former Everton midfielder had endured so much heartache at the home of Liverpool it had become something of a mental block. Even when the Gunners scaled the peak of the Premier League title last season, they still lost at Anfield.

That 1–0 reverse last year was a horribly tense and tight affair between two teams more afraid of losing than ambitious enough to win. Andoni Iraola’s arrival at Liverpool over the summer has blasted that attitude out of Merseyside, and the hosts dragged a reluctant Arsenal into their orbit of chaos this weekend.

Sunday proved to be the day for Arteta and his players, who desperately held on to a 1–0 win of their own which offered positives for both teams and a riotous sense of fun for the neutral.

Arsenal ‘Ride the Rhythm’...

“The way that modern football is, is the way that Bournemouth play,” the most successful Premier League manager of the modern era, Pep Guardiola, declared while Liverpool’s current boss, Iraola, was coaching on the south coast. “Today, modern football is not positional, you have to ride the rhythm, it is unbelievable.”

Iraola had the Cherries playing at concussive speeds both in and out of possession, an approach he has been building into Liverpool’s game during his four months on Merseyside. As Arteta warned ahead of his side’s trip to Anfield: “This is a team that is very vertical, they have the capacity to generate chaos from almost every situation.”

Arsenal, a side very much built on the principle of control rather than chaos, managed to corral their hosts for the opening quarter-hour, taking an entirely deserved 1–0 lead without letting Liverpool take a single shot or penetrate their box once. Yet, the Reds went into the locker rooms with the most touches in the opposition penalty area ever recorded in a Premier League first half against the Gunners (28).

Liverpool’s energy overwhelmed Arsenal, who were frantically clinging to a lead that looked remarkably slender. There was a sense of desperation about the way Arteta’s side dug in, defending like men lashed together on the deck of a ship in a full-blown storm. Yet, this was a battle Arsenal had anticipated.

“I expect big chaos in the game,” Gabriel predicted prematch, a glint of mischief in the center back’s eye. “We are ready.”

This is the challenge that Arteta has been building toward since he took over the club in 2019, steadily compiling a roster based upon grit as much as grace. The physical profile of the XI with which Arsenal ended the game was telling; eight were over six foot, a meaty wall of flesh almost welcoming the challenge of Liverpool’s attacking onslaught during those closing stages. “That togetherness we have is undefeated,” Declan Rice breathlessly gushed at the final whistle.

Yet, that Liverpool were even in a position to deliver such an onslaught should offer cause for optimism.

... Which Liverpool Do Well to Deliver

The weight of history behind this fixture would suggest that the Reds would dominate, but, in truth, Arsenal should always have been considered favorites for this contest. The reigning champions finished 25 points above Liverpool last season while Arteta has more than six years of a head start on the recently appointed Iraola.

Faced with this tilted context, the Reds can take solace from the stack of chances that they created against the Gunners. Iraola’s side rattled off 17 shots by the end—no club has managed more when faced with this parsimonious Arsenal team since Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.

Much will be made of the fact that not a single effort was classified as ‘on target’—it’s remarkable to think that Dominik Szoboszlai’s free kick from August 2025 is the last shot Liverpool have directed at a goal defended by David Raya—but that is something of a misnomer. So many efforts were narrowly skewed wide from glorious positions as the hosts amassed an xG of 1.15. On most other days, they score.

The New Side to Declan Rice’s Game

Arteta used to proudly call Rice Arsenal’s “lighthouse,” a towering figure who shone the beam on his teammates. He now needs a new nickname. “You are not the lighthouse anymore. You are something else,” Arteta told his midfielder at the end of last season. Now, the spotlight is perennially on Rice himself.

Everyone in Arsenal’s lineup has been given more positional freedom this season, but few more so than Rice. The former source of defensive ballast is now a two-way force of nature, as evidenced by his buccaneering, overlapping run around Noni Madueke’s right shoulder before sliding the ball across the box for the game’s opening goal. Rarely would Rice venture out of the left half of the pitch in years gone by, now he is wreaking havoc from the right byline.

This change of role has seen Rice’s creative output explode. The England international has racked up five Premier League assists already this term, all of which—intriguingly for a set-piece specialist—have come from open play.

Why Liverpool Weren’t Given First-Half Penalty

By the end of a blistering first half, Liverpool could be forgiven for wondering how they were not ahead, let alone trailing their visitors. Wayward finishing and some desperate blocks spared Arsenal but referee Andy Madley also played his part.

The official failed to spot a blatant tug of Alexander Isak’s shirt from Jurriën Timber, who had a full grubby mitt stretching the red fabric. There was oddly no great protestation from Liverpool’s No. 9, who exchanging a cheery look with Timber, but everyone else on Merseyside was furious.

Former Reds defender Jamie Carragher openly seethed about the failure of all those watching on. “One of the best goalscorers in the league is pulled back seven yards out and it stops him heading the ball—why does he need to make a meal of it?” the Sky Sports pundit fumed. “VAR do your job.”

Why Noni Madueke Wasn’t Sent Off

Arsenal were spared by VAR for a second time after the interval. Alexis Mac Allister, perhaps frustrated by his own glaring miss on the cusp of halftime, offered Martin Ødegaard a clip around the ear while Arsenal’s skipper was crumpled on the turf with 10 minutes left to play.

Timber—him again—took issue with this conduct and squared up to the Argentine midfielder. Madueke then had the bright idea of storming onto the scene, gently brushing his forehead against Mac Allister’s which prompted Liverpool’s No. 10 to drop to the turf.

Earlier in the half, Madueke had been booked for a cynical swipe of the legs on Bradley Barcola and Mac Allister was openly pleading for a straight red this time around. VAR told the on-pitch official Madley that the contact “wasn’t forceful” enough to constitute a dismissal, yet Arsenal’s winger also escaped a second caution.

Timber and Mac Allister were both booked while Madueke made himself scarce. Even under the updated laws of the game, VAR cannot advise a referee to award a second yellow card if one hasn’t been handed out on the pitch, they can only intervene if a booking has already been mistakenly given.

Iraola’s Midfield Gamble

Szoboszlai was “desperate to start” but, having seen his star midfielder hobble off against Brentford last month, Iraola was not willing to take any more risks. Beyond concern, there was confidence in his replacement: Trey Nyoni.

On the first Premier League start of his nascent career, the 19-year-old was initially swamped by the defending top-flight champions. Nyoni was not alone, Liverpool collectively crumbled under the suffocating start from their visitors, with their pass completion dropping from a season average of 83% to just 64% under the strain.

Yet, Nyoni is not one to wilt. The teenager did not miss a single pass across the final half-hour of the first half after Arsenal’s opener, racking up the most touches of anyone on the field during that period as Liverpool subjected the visitors to their own brand of asphyxiation.

The warm reception which Nyoni received from Anfield when he was unfortunate to be replaced by Szoboszlai after an hour spoke volumes about his performance.