Kai Havertz’s early goal moved the champions three points clear at the top, and Liverpool failed to register a single shot on target.
Arsenal won at Liverpool for the first time in 14 years on Sunday, as Kai Havertz’s early goal earned a 1-0 victory that took them three points clear at the top of the Premier League.
It was Arsenal’s first league win at Anfield since 2012, and Mikel Arteta’s first there as a manager. The reigning champions have now won four league games in a row.
Liverpool had 17 attempts on goal but none on target. Arsenal became the first team to stop Liverpool registering a shot on target in a home league match since Opta records began in 2003.
Manchester City’s defeat by Brighton, their second in a row, gave Arsenal the chance to take control of the title race, and they started quickly.
They took the lead in the 16th minute, when Declan Rice’s ball across the face of goal was turned in by Havertz at the back post.
Arsenal controlled the opening 20 minutes with the ball. After taking the lead, they spent most of the game defending deep against a Liverpool side pressing high.
Liverpool pressed hard before half-time. David Raya just reached Virgil van Dijk’s flick-on before Alexander Isak could pounce, and Florian Wirtz crashed a free-kick against the crossbar.
The home side also had two penalty appeals turned down: one when Jurrien Timber pulled Isak’s shirt inside the area, and another when Cody Gakpo went down after a tussle with Christos Tzolis.
Liverpool kept up the pressure early in the second half, but Arsenal’s defence tightened and gave them few openings.
The introduction of Myles Lewis-Skelly helped Arsenal regain momentum late on, and only a one-handed save from Alisson stopped Tzolis doubling the lead with a first-time shot towards the far corner.
Arsenal have now kept six clean sheets in nine league games this season and conceded only five goals, three of them in a 3-0 defeat at Brighton last month.
Ezri Konsa, standing in for the injured William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães and Rice made 14 clearances between them at Anfield, won eight tackles and regained possession nine times.
The performance followed a shock Carabao Cup defeat by League Two side Fleetwood Town in midweek, and showed that result to be a blip.
Arsenal’s recent record at Anfield had been grim. They lost 5-1 there in February 2014, 4-0 in August 2017, 5-1 in December 2018 and 4-0 in November 2021.
This season, they have improved on last season’s result in four of their five away league games. Last season they took four points from trips to Aston Villa, Sunderland, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool; this season they have taken all 12.
Arsenal won the Premier League last season, their first title since 2004.
The win puts Arsenal three points clear at the top. Liverpool drop to fifth, nine points behind the leaders, after only their second defeat of the season.
There were positives for Andoni Iraola’s side, whose pace and high press kept Arsenal under pressure for long spells, but they lacked a clinical edge. Isak, who has six league goals this season, was kept quiet.
Brighton have now shaped the title race from both sides. They beat Arsenal 3-0 last month, then beat Manchester City this weekend, opening the door for Arsenal at Anfield.
Arsenal’s approach at Anfield was a sharp contrast with their heavy defeats there in previous seasons. Rather than trading attacks, they protected an early lead by defending deep and in numbers, leaving Liverpool with plenty of the ball but little to aim at.