Arsenal go top after gritty 1-0 win at Anfield ends 14-year wait
Kai Havertz's early strike secured Arsenal's first win at Anfield in 14 years and sent Mikel Arteta's side clear at the top of the Premier League.
Arsenal moved clear at the top of the Premier League table with a 1-0 win away to Liverpool at Anfield, a result built on an early Kai Havertz goal that the hosts could not find a way past, according to highlights shown by Sky Sports Football.
The victory ended a run of 14 years without a league win at Anfield for the Gunners, a landmark Mikel Arteta highlighted after the final whistle.
"Especially for everybody attached to this football club — 14 years without winning here is a long time," Arteta said, as reported by Yahoo Sports. "Things happen for a reason and that gave us a belief and a hunger to come here."
Arsenal spent long periods of the match defending their lead, with Liverpool pushing for an equaliser, but Arteta rejected any suggestion that his side had simply sat back and absorbed pressure.
Pressed on whether the performance had lacked fluency, he disagreed. "Very fluid at times," he said. "We generated six or seven big chances but we couldn't break out. When you misplace a pass or clearance these guys are running at you. Makes it incredible to me."
Arteta also acknowledged the quality of the opposition his team had overcome, pointing to Liverpool's recent form heading into the fixture. "They are in a really good moment, had won every game and fully deserved it," he said. "To come here and win in the manner that we've done."
The build-up to Havertz's goal was credited to Declan Rice, whose pass was singled out by Arteta as a key moment in securing the three points.
"The moment to recognize the open situation and timing of him and Noni playing the 2v1," Arteta said of Rice's contribution. "There were other moments where the team had some incredible actions."
The win was also notable given the opposing dugout, with Liverpool managed by Andoni Iraola, described by Yahoo Sports as an old friend of Arteta's.
With the three points banked, Arsenal sit alone at the top of the Premier League table, having found a way to win at a venue that had proven a persistent obstacle for the club over the past decade and a half.
For Liverpool, the defeat halts the momentum Arteta himself acknowledged before the match, with the Gunners now the team to catch as the season moves into its next phase.