Arsenal end 14-year Anfield hoodoo with Havertz strike and Rice grit

Arsenal beat Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield on Sunday to end a 14-year wait for a Premier League win on Merseyside, a result that moved Mikel Arteta's side three points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table.

Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the game in the 16th minute, converting a chance created by Declan Rice. It was Arsenal's first league victory at Anfield since September 2012, when Arteta himself was still playing in the Gunners' midfield, according to Yahoo Sports.

The win followed Manchester City's defeat to Brighton the previous day, an opening Arsenal duly seized having arrived at Anfield off the back of a Carabao Cup exit to Fleetwood Town that had prompted Arteta to rethink his selection.

Liverpool dominated territory and registered 17 attempts on goal but were repeatedly denied clear sight of David Raya's goal. Florian Wirtz struck the crossbar with a free-kick and Alexis Mac Allister headed over a promising chance, yet neither Liverpool nor the introduction of fresh ideas from the bench could find a way through, Yahoo Sports reported.

Gabriel and Ezri Konsa anchored Arsenal's back line, with Rice offering additional cover in front of them. Speaking on Sky Sports' coverage of the match, Gary Neville said: "It's been a defensive masterclass from Arsenal."

Rice's own defensive display was arguably the more striking element of his performance, built on physicality and reading of the game, according to the Guardian, which also reported that he had set up Havertz's goal.

Rice himself described the win as the performance of champions, telling reporters Arsenal were ready for more results built on grit rather than style. The Guardian quoted him saying: "We had to dig in."

The contest was not without controversy. Liverpool were aggrieved that no penalty was given for what they considered a shirt-pull by Jurrien Timber on Alexander Isak in the 21st minute, and the Kop grew increasingly frustrated with what the Guardian described as Arsenal's streetwise approach to winning free-kicks, even as some of Arteta's own players were also guilty of going down easily.

Raya was booked for time-wasting in the 92nd minute as Arsenal saw out the closing stages of the match.

Yahoo Sports noted that Havertz's goal arrived at a time when his recent form had been under scrutiny, making his contribution to breaking the Anfield deadlock a timely response. The same report observed that while Arsenal are likely to produce more eye-catching attacking displays before the season ends, a result forged through defensive resilience of this kind could prove just as significant when the title race nears its conclusion.

Arsenal's three-point advantage over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League now stands as the headline consequence of the weekend, with Arteta's side having shown they can win ugly as well as with attacking flair, as Rice's own assessment of the performance made clear.