Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal, and Kai Havertz's goal on 16 minutes was enough to win at Anfield and put Arsenal top of the Premier League. It started with a mistake by Alisson Becker, because his loose pass was cut out by Odegaard. Bruno Guimaraes moved it on to Noni Madueke as Declan Rice tore past him on the overlap. Rice's low cross ran all the way to the back post, where Havertz only had to tap it in.
Liverpool spent the rest of the half pinning Arsenal back, and only their own finishing kept David Raya from being beaten. Florian Wirtz smashed a free-kick off the bar before Alexis Mac Allister headed Milos Kerkez's cross over when he ought to have scored. Liverpool also wanted a penalty for Jurrien Timber's tug on Alexander Isak's shirt, but nothing was given. Arsenal were steadier after the break. Christos Tzolis, back in the side for this one, nearly doubled the lead when he met another Madueke cross first time and Alisson got down well to stop it. Timber and Mac Allister went into the book, as did Raya for time-wasting. Madueke survived a VAR check after moving his head towards Mac Allister's. Liverpool finished the game, six added minutes included, without a single shot on target.
That's Arsenal's first league win at Anfield since September 2012. Mikel Arteta was in their midfield that day but remembers little of it, because a collision with Jordan Henderson left him concussed. Manchester City lost to Brighton the day before, so Arsenal are three points clear on 24. Only in 2004/05 and 2007/08 have Arsenal had more points by this stage. Arsenal had to defend their lead for most of the game and did it without letting Liverpool hit the target once, which is the real achievement here.
"It's been 14 years, that's a long time, so I'm sure we made everybody attached to the club extremely proud today," Arteta said. He tied the pride to the spirit his side showed so soon after the Fleetwood exit. Rice was named man of the match. Havertz gave him the credit for the goal: "I think 90% of the goal belongs to that man." Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk had watched the Timber pull back and pointed out that "there are 50 cameras." Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola argued that Isak paid for staying on his feet, saying that if he'd gone down "they call the penalty 100%." Liverpool have a decent case on that one, but it's hard to hang a defeat on one call when Raya never had a save to make. Arsenal go to Slavia Prague in the Champions League on Wednesday 4 November.
For Arsenal Women, Sunday's 1-1 draw with Aston Villa at the Emirates was another home WSL game without a win. Villa went ahead on 25 minutes with their only shot of the match, when Chastity Grant cut back and her effort took a nick off Steph Catley on its way in. Stina Blackstenius came on in the 82nd or 83rd minute and made the equaliser. Lisa Baum's reverse pass sent her down the right, and Alessia Russo headed her cross in off the post on 86 minutes. Georgia Stanway should have won it in the 92nd minute but put her shot wide after a one-two with Kim Little. "We just said it feels like we're playing the same game over and over again," Renée Slegers said. Going a goal down for the fifth time this season is the pattern costing Arsenal points, and Slegers was right to say "I am responsible for it." Catley went off injured on 70 minutes. The draw leaves Arsenal seventh, six points off third, before they visit Liverpool at Anfield on 8 November.
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