Get Guardian on GoogleArsenal ended their 14-year wait to win a Premier League game at Anfield on Sunday evening. The Gunners secured a slim win over Liverpool to return to the summit of the Premier League table.
The reigning champions needed a response following the disappointing midweek loss to Fleetwood in the Carabao Cup in the round of 16, while Liverpool targeted a sixth straight win.
Arsenal started the tie dominating possession but soon succumbed to Liverpool‘s high press as the hosts pressed for the opener.
Kai Havertz put the Gunners ahead after 16 minutes as he got to the end of Declan Rice’s square ball into the box to register his third goal of the season.
Liverpool had a claim for a penalty after Coady Gapko went down in the box, but the appeal was dismissed by Andy Madley after a VAR review.
Florian Wirtz came closest to restoring parity in the first half, but his free kick from the side of the box came off the crossbar.
Despite coming close to scoring on a couple of occasions, Andi Iraola‘s men’s biggest undoing was a lack of composure in front of goal, as they failed to register a shot on target for the entire duration of the match.
Arsenal held on to the slim margin to secure maximum points as they won at Anfield for the first time since 2012. The Gunners returned to the summit of the Premier League following Manchester City’s loss to Brighton at the Etihad on Saturday.
The Gunners are three points clear at the top of the table with 24 points after nine matches, while Man City have three points less after nine rounds of matches.
Liverpool are fifth with 15 points and put their second home loss of the season behind them heading into the Champions League week.
