The champions earned a statement result at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, with Kai Havertz’s early goal proving enough for Arsenal to claim victory away to Liverpool for the first time in the Premier League since 2012.

Havertz’s back-post conversion from Declan Rice’s pinpoint cross came amid a bright opening to the contest from the away side, desperate to respond from their midweek defeat at League Two Fleetwood Town.

However, the goal burst the in-form hosts into life, with Arsenal forced to navigate wave after wave of Liverpool pressure. An incredibly watchable affair played out, as the Gunners offered a threat on the counter and came ever so close to doubling their lead, only for Jurriën Timber to inadvertently deny Havertz from reaching Noni Madueke’s knockdown on the goal line.

The Reds’ should’ve restored parity before the break, but Alexis Mac Allister headed over from Milos Kerkez’s cross. That moment was the best Liverpool would produce, with Arsenal limiting the chaos that defined the contest after Havertz’s goal. Control was restored, and their stubborn defense settled in.

In truth, Liverpool struggled to muster a clear-cut chance as they chased an equalizer; Arsenal saw out their advantage with relative comfort to earn a huge victory on Merseyside.

One Thing We Can’t Ignore

The champions visited a ground they haven’t won at in 14 years, when manager Mikel Arteta started alongside Santi Cazorla and Abou Diaby in midfield. Lukas Podolski was Arsenal’s hero on that occasion, and it was another German who rose to the occasion on Sunday to deliver an all-too-rare victory.

The Gunners arrived on Merseyside off the back of a chastening humiliation at Fleetwood Town—one of the great League Cup upsets. A trip to Liverpool seemed suboptimal, given the context, especially with the optimistic mood surrounding Andoni Iraola’s side at the moment.

But Arsenal have ascended to such heights under this manager because they’re made of sterner stuff. Their capacity to bounce back from adversity is admirable, and the character of Arteta’s roster was laid bare at a ground where so many of their dreams have died in the past.

There were times when they threatened to wilt, with Liverpool producing sequences and phases of soccer reminiscent of the team that captured hearts and minds when Jürgen Klopp was beating his chest on the Anfield touchline. They were fortunate to remain ahead at halftime, but the interval provided scope to reset.

The second half was played on the champions’ terms, and as Liverpool grew more desperate, Arsenal only looked more settled. The Reds’ ran out of puff while the Gunners’ stature remained erect. This was a statement victory, and a reminder that Arteta’s champions are the team to beat.

Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Arsenal (4-2-3-1)

GK: Alisson—5.8: It was ultimately Jacquet who gave away possession, but the young center back wasn’t helped by a hospital pass from his goalkeeper. Made a superb save to deny Christos Tzolis.

RB: Ronald Araújo—7.0: A tone-setter in this Liverpool team. Araújo’s impressive run of form continued here.

CB: Jérémy Jacquet—6.6: Wasn’t great for the opening goal, but was among those to recover from tricky starts to the contest.

CB: Virgil van Dijk—7.5: Van Dijk was a steady head throughout the contest, helping Liverpool sustain pressure.

LB: Milos Kerkez—7.3: Kerkez at least proved, with a couple of excellent deliveries, that he could serve as a useful attacking outlet. Offered admirable endeavour, yet continues to leave plenty to be desired defensively.

CM: Trey Nyoni—6.5: The youngster overcame a tough start, during which he was fortunate not to be booked, to settle nicely into proceedings. Adds a level of composure to Liverpool’s midfield.

CM: Alexis Mac Allister—7.1: Really good amid Liverpool’s first-half surge, only to miss a gilt-edged chance, their best of the game, before the interval.

RW: Bradley Barcola—6.0: A couple of loose touches prevented Barcola from having a clearer sight of goal at times, and he faded after a sharp start.

AM: Florian Wirtz—6.2: Inches away from his most electric moment in a Liverpool shirt, Wirtz refused to be emboldened by his crossbar smack from an audacious free kick.

LW: Cody Gakpo—6.0: The Dutchman didn’t have too much joy down the right-hand side.

ST: Alexander Isak—6.4: This was a nice performance from Isak in a derogatory way. Had a more ruthless iteration of the Swede come to play against the champions, it may well have been a different outcome.

SUB: Dominik Szoboszlai (59’ for Nyoni)—6.7: His arrival didn’t supply the expected upsurge.

SUB: Rio Ngumoha (67’ for Gakpo)—6.4: Often crowded out down the right.

SUB: Kostas Tsimikas (81’ for Kerkez)—N/A

SUB: Lewis Koumas (81’ for Wirtz)—N/A

SUB: Víctor Muñoz (81’ for Araújo)—N/A

Subs not used: Giorgi Mamardashvili (GK), Wataru Endo, Joe Gomez, Ryan Gravenberch.

Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Liverpool (4-2-3-1)

GK: David Raya—7.2: As good as Liverpool were in spells, they were guilty of not testing Raya anywhere near enough. The Spaniard had few saves to make and was nervy at times with the ball at his feet.

RB: Jurrïen Timber—7.6: Had a tough gig up against Barcola, yet stuck to his task pretty well.

CB: Ezri Konsa—7.9: A poor moment in possession ignited Liverpool for the rest of the first half. Still, Konsa remained firm to keep the hosts at bay

CB: Gabriel—7.2: The Brazilian comes into his own when there’s a lead to protect.

LB: Riccardo Calafiori—7.2: There were only a few forward ventures from the Italian, who is such a threat when he arrives in the final third. Nothing to complain about defensively.

CM: Declan Rice—8.1: Superb work for Havertz’s goal, and produced the sort of performance, especially in the second half, that we’re familiar with from Arsenal’s talisman.

CM: Bruno Guimarães—6.9: Dovetailed nicely with Rice early on, but struggled to assert control after Arsenal took the lead. Lost amid the chaos, but the away end certainly loved his screech after he denied Barcola from breaking to the byline.

RW: Noni Madueke—7.3: Had a role in the early goal, timing his pass perfectly for Rice on the overlap. Wasn’t involved all that much for the remainder of the match.

AM: Martin Ødegaard—7.6: Knitted things together wonderfully as we know he can do, yet couldn’t quite serve as the facilitator Arsenal needed in transition.

LW: Christos Tzolis—7.0: It certainly looked like Tzolis was playing for the first time in a month. He did deliver a great ball to the back post that should’ve led to a second Arsenal goal.

ST: Kai Havertz—7.7: Havertz became the top-scoring German in Premier League history when he tapped home at the back post from Rice‘s pinpoint cross. The striker subsequently struggled to operate as an effective focal point. A nuisance, though.

SUB: Myles Lewis-Skelly (62’ for Guimarães)—6.7: Helped Arsenal get a foothold in possession.

SUB: Piero Hincapié (84’ for Tzolis)—N/A

SUB: Viktor Gyökeres (84’ for Havertz)—N/A

SUB: Mikel Merino (88’ for Ødegaard)—N/A

Subs not used: Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Cristhian Mosquera, Ben White, Eberechi Eze, Martín Zubimendi.

What the Ratings Tell Us

• Ryan Gravenberch’s recent plight and Dominik Szoboszlai’s recovery from injury meant Iraola trusted one of Liverpool’s young starlets in the middle of the park, pairing the resurgent Alexis Mac Allister with Trey Nyoni. Nyoni has played a sporadic role at the start of Iraola’s reign, starting for just the second time in the Premier League this season. It was certainly his most daunting test, and the early signs were concerning. However, Nyoni’s recovery from a difficult start was mightily impressive, offering further proof that it’s not merely Rio Ngumoha who Liverpool supporters should be excited about for the long haul.
• Once again, you were left pulling your hair out at Florian Wirtz’s display. While Liverpool’s other $100 million arrivals at least offer promise, the German continues to fall by the wayside. It’s in these encounters where Wirtz is supposed to come to the fore and elevate his team, but he remains a peripheral figure who appears overawed.
• This was a stellar collective effort from the away side, particularly in the second half. Once again, it was their defense that came through to help Arsenal claim a huge win on the road. There were times when Ezri Konsa and Gabriel were ruffled, not to mention Jurriën Timber and Riccardo Calafiori on the outside. However, when push came to shove and they had a lead to see out late on, the Gunners’ backline stepped up.

The Numbers That Explain Arsenal’s Rare Anfield Victory

• Liverpool’s 28 touches in the opposition box were the most on record (since 2008–09) by any side in the first half of a Premier League game against Arsenal.
• The Reds’ last shot on target against the Gunners was Dominik Szoboszlai’s stunning free kick in last season’s 1–0 victory at Anfield.
• While they struggled to test David Raya, the hosts did beat their visitors on the xG front (1.15 to 0.96).