Arsenal's gritty win at Anfield earns 'mark of champions' praise
Declan Rice's defensive display and assist for Kai Havertz's winner helped Arsenal move three points clear at the Premier League's summit, though Liverpool's penalty appeal overshadowed the finish.
Arsenal's 1-0 win at Liverpool on Super Sunday took them three points clear at the summit of the Premier League, a result Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson said showed the mark of champions.
Declan Rice set up Kai Havertz for the only goal of the game after 16 minutes, but it was his work without the ball that drew the most attention, with his physicality and reading of the game repeatedly breaking up Liverpool attacks, according to the Guardian.
Rice described the win as the performance of champions and said "We had to dig in", as Arsenal's defensive discipline held firm against sustained Liverpool pressure.
The visitors were made to survive a contentious spell in the 21st minute, when Jürrien Timber appeared to tug the shirt of Alexander Isak inside the penalty area, but referee Andy Madley did not award a spot kick, leaving Liverpool fuming at the decision.
The Kop's frustration extended beyond the penalty shout to what the Guardian described as Arsenal's streetwise approach in winning free-kicks throughout the game, though the report noted Arsenal's own players were at times guilty of going down easily as well.
Dominik Szoboszlai, speaking after the defeat, said there are fine margins between the two sides, a reflection of how tight the contest had been despite the one-goal scoreline.
In stoppage time, with Arsenal protecting their lead, goalkeeper David Raya picked up a yellow card for delaying the restart of play.
The non-award of the penalty prompted debate beyond the pitch. In an opinion piece for Yahoo Sports, Dan Smith argued that Arsenal supporters who question refereeing bias when decisions go against the club should apply the same scrutiny when contentious calls go in their favour, pointing specifically to the Timber incident involving officials Madley and Stuart Attwell as an example worth that same level of scepticism.
The piece argued that no such claims of bias emerged from Arsenal's own fanbase despite the penalty shout, framing the episode as a question of consistency rather than an allegation against the officials themselves.
For Arsenal, the result extends their lead at the top of the Premier League table to three points, with Mikel Arteta's side having now shown they can grind out a result at one of the division's most difficult venues.
Liverpool, by contrast, must regroup after a performance in which they were left to rue the officiating as much as their own finishing, with Szoboszlai's comments on fine margins underlining how narrow the gap between the sides proved on the day.