Arsenal eked out its first win at Anfield in 14 years by beating Liverpool 1-0 through Kai Havertz’s first-half goal to climb to first place in the Premier League on Sunday.
Not since 2012 — when current manager Mikel Arteta was commanding the team’s midfield — had Arsenal won at Liverpool’s intimidating home ground.
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The curse was broken by Havertz, who slotted home a close-range finish at the back post after a low center across the face of goal by all-action midfielder Declan Rice in the 16th minute.
Arsenal then defended doggedly, especially in the first half when the visitors were pinned back by Liverpool, to keep its sixth clean sheet in nine games of a title defense that is going according to plan.
“In the end, that defensive line, the way we stick together, that togetherness we have, is undefeated,” Rice said. "It’s nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
With this eighth victory of the campaign, the Gunners leapfrogged Manchester City into top spot and holds a three-point lead.
Perhaps more presciently, given the uncertainty surrounding City’s future following its guilty verdict for large-scale financial rule-breaking, Arsenal is now five points ahead of third-place Brighton – the only team to defeat the defending champions so far.
The loss breaks a run of five straight wins by Liverpool since its only previous defeat this season — by Man City, also at Anfield on Oct. 11.
During the furious onslaught in the final 25 minutes of the first half, Florian Wirtz struck the crossbar with a free kick, Alexis Mac Allister headed over the bar when unmarked and Liverpool had a number of penalty appeals waved away.
Ultimately, though, the hosts didn't have a shot on target all match and stayed in fifth place, already nine points behind Arsenal.
“Some days it feels like we are at the top,” said Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, “and some days it feels like we are not even close. It takes time to get to the top.”
The only goal was avoidable on Liverpool's part.
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker attempted a short pass out from the back at a goal kick but it got intercepted by Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, setting up a counterattack.
The ball was fed to the right, where Rice — on the overlap — threaded a cross between Alisson and Liverpool's defenders, teeing up Havertz for an easy finish to become the all-time leading German scorer in the Premier League. He has 46 goals, one more than former Man City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan.
Alisson might have produced a world-class save late on to tip aside a curling shot by Christos Tzolis but it is his early error that will be remembered.
In the space of five days, Arsenal has been eliminated by fourth-tier opposition in the English League Cup and won at arguably the toughest ground to visit in England.
Getting beaten by plucky Fleetwood Town in a penalty shootout was one of the Gunners' most embarrassing results in their history, even if it was a largely second-string team deployed by Arteta on Tuesday.
He restored all of his regulars to the lineup on Sunday and they toughed out a huge win in the hardest examination so far in their title defense.
“This is the magical thing about football,” Arteta said. “It's so unpredictable, the next result.”
Arsenal will gain confidence from this and from the sight of Man City losing back-to-back games in the league, against Aston Villa last weekend and Brighton on Saturday.
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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80
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See AP’s full soccer coverage here
