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Arsenal won 1-0 at Anfield, and Kai Havertz's 16th-minute tap-in was the only goal. Liverpool tried to play out from a goal kick, Declan Rice slid a low ball in from the left, and Havertz was left unmarked at the back post. Liverpool had plenty of the ball after that and still managed just one shot on target from 17 attempts. Florian Wirtz hit the bar with a free kick, Alexis Mac Allister headed over, and David Raya kept out Alexander Isak. It's Arsenal's first league win at Anfield since 2012, which is a long time to wait for a Sunday afternoon. That puts them top on 24 points after Matchweek 9, three clear of Manchester City, while Liverpool stay 5th on 15 points and will be wondering how that one got away.
Pre-match Talking Points
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1Arsenal arrive second on 21 points, level with Manchester City and behind them only on goal difference. Liverpool are fourth on 15, six points back, so a home defeat would make the title race look like somebody else's problem. A win, on the other hand, drags the champions-elect talk right back to Anfield.
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2Liverpool are the 2024/25 champions and Arsenal have spent years being the team that finishes just behind someone. That makes this a decent test of who actually believes the story they tell about themselves. Arsenal fans will say it is their year. Liverpool fans will politely suggest they check the trophy cabinet.
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3Alexander Isak is the one to mention. Liverpool paid a club-record £125 million for him, and he spent part of last season recovering from an ankle injury, so every goal is measured against that price tag. If he scores, you can say the fee looks fair. If he doesn't, you can say the fee looks very large.
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4Neither side has a confirmed team sheet as of this morning, so check the lineups an hour before kick-off. Liverpool's latest club injury update had Jeremie Frimpong out and Conor Bradley back in training, so the right side is worth watching. Arsenal have conceded just five goals in eight games, the best record in the league.
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5Here's the hook: Arsenal have won seven of their eight league games and lost one, while Liverpool have drawn three of their eight. One of those sets of numbers belongs to a title contender and the other belongs to a team still working things out. Anfield on a Sunday afternoon is where we find out which is which.
Team Talking Points
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1Liverpool won 3-1 at bottom side Crystal Palace on Sunday and climbed back into the top four. Alexis Mac Allister, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak scored. Coming after a sticky run, it was the result Andoni Iraola needed going into the break.
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2Wirtz's goal was his first in the league this season. For a player who cost a small fortune, that's been a running joke among rival fans. Liverpool supporters will insist his all-round play was always more important than goals, and they're partly right.
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3The international break hasn't been kind. Virgil van Dijk played the full 90 at Selhurst Park, then pulled out of the Netherlands squad, reportedly after playing through a minor problem for weeks. Dominik Szoboszlai picked up a knee sprain in the same game and is a doubt for Hungary. Neither is a disaster yet, but both are worth watching.
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4Alisson was named man of the match at Palace with several big saves, and he was unlucky to concede a stoppage-time penalty. That's a reminder that Liverpool's win was less comfortable than the scoreline suggests.
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5The fixtures coming up are huge. Manchester United visit Anfield on 22 November, and over the next few weeks a Merseyside derby against a high-flying Everton and a game against Chelsea follow. A month from now we'll know whether Iraola's Liverpool are genuine contenders or just good at beating teams at the bottom.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Wirtz finally scored in the league, so now everyone can stop asking. The real test is United, the derby and Chelsea in the next few weeks.
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Avoid saying
"Liverpool are nothing without Klopp" — he's been gone since 2024, they've won the league since, and it suggests your football knowledge stopped updating several seasons ago.
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1Arsenal are top of the table with 27 points from 10 games – nine wins and one defeat, which equals the best start to a league season in the club's history. They're five points clear of second-placed Brighton going into the international break, and they're the reigning champions, so the old 'nearly men' jokes have officially expired.
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2Their last game was a 1-0 home win over Hull, settled by a Martin Ødegaard goal with about 18 minutes left. It wasn't pretty – the defence did most of the heavy lifting – but grinding out wins on an off day is exactly what title-winning sides do. Say 'they won ugly' and you'll sound like you watched it.
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3The week before, Arsenal won at Anfield to go top. This week the Premier League's independent incidents panel ruled 4-1 that Jurrien Timber should have given away a penalty for pulling Alexander Isak's shirt in that game. Arsenal fans will tell you it all evens out over a season; Liverpool fans will not.
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4Martin Zubimendi, the £60m midfielder who was a key part of last season's title win, hasn't started a single Premier League game this season, and Real Madrid, Atlético and Chelsea are reportedly sniffing around. He told Marca this week he's not been in contact with anyone and isn't close to leaving. Bring it up gently – it's a sore spot.
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5Viktor Gyökeres is having a lovely international break: he's now scored in seven consecutive Nations League games for Sweden, a competition record. Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, has signed a new deal to 2030. Arsenal go to Newcastle on Saturday 21 November when the league returns – historically a ground where they find life awkward.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Nine wins from ten is lovely, but the real test is St James' Park after the break – that's where Arsenal title seasons go to get nervous.
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Avoid saying
"Arsenal always bottle it" – they're the defending champions and top by five points. Wheel that one out and everyone will assume you've been asleep since 2023.