Arsenal secured their first Premier League win at Anfield since September 2012 on Sunday, defeating Liverpool 1-0 thanks to Kai Havertz's first-half strike and returning to the top of the table.

Havertz finished from close range at the back post after Declan Rice overlapped and picked him out, the chance arising when Martin Odegaard recovered possession from some loose Liverpool defending. It was Arsenal's eighth win in nine league games and left them three points clear of Manchester City, according to the Evening Standard. Liverpool, who had won five consecutive matches across all competitions before Sunday, remain fifth and nine points off the summit.

Mikel Arteta's team selection raised a few eyebrows, with Christos Tzolis returning after roughly a month out with a hamstring problem. Arseblog noted that Arteta's post-match comments about Eberechi Eze barely being available because of an injury of his own explained the decision.

Liverpool's chances go begging

The home side did not manage a single shot on target, meaning David Raya was not required to make a save. Arteta, quoted by Metro UK, called that statistic "incredible" and said it had not felt that way from the touchline.

"It's a commitment of every single player in every action consistently to deliver those kind of stats," he added.

According to Arseblog, Liverpool's strongest period came during the last 20 minutes of the first half. Florian Wirtz struck the bar with a free kick, Alexander Isak was denied by a combination of Raya and Ezri Konsa, and Alexis Mac Allister headed over from around ten yards when unmarked.

Two penalty shouts and Van Dijk's VAR anger

The game's biggest talking point came when Jurrien Timber pulled at Isak's shirt as the striker tried to reach a cross. Referee Andy Madley waved the appeals away and VAR did not intervene.

Virgil van Dijk told Sky Sports it should have been given. "It was a clear penalty on Isak," the Liverpool captain said. "It's a penalty but today it wasn't meant to be." Asked whether Isak should have protested, he replied: "There are 50 cameras. He asks, "Why does he have to complain when there's so many cameras?"

Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola said of the incident: "There is a clear grab [of] the shirt." He added: "You have to dive, if you don't dive they won't call it." Iraola did not feel an earlier appeal involving Cody Gakpo and Tzolis was a penalty. Jamie Carragher, working as a pundit, said VAR should have acted: "VAR do your job."

Arseblog's match report was blunt about the escape, describing the Timber challenge as a penalty "all day long" and arguing the officials should have recognised it without a player prompting them. Metro UK also noted that Mac Allister tried to get Noni Madueke sent off, with Carragher calling that "embarrassing".

Hincapie's reminder to Van Dijk

After the final whistle, Piero Hincapie — brought on late in place of Tzolis — posted three photographs from the match on Instagram with the caption: "I don't forget…"

Both Metro UK and the Evening Standard reported that supporters interpreted the post as a response to Van Dijk having shared a similar picture in January, after a goalless draw with Arsenal at the Emirates, when Liverpool were the reigning champions.

Arsenal fans on social media read it as a pointed reminder of who holds the title now. "We are so petty and I love it," one supporter wrote on X, as quoted by the Evening Standard.

Arsenal's defensive record remains the foundation of their position: five goals conceded in nine Premier League games, three of them in their only defeat, against Brighton. They return to action in the Champions League on Wednesday, when they travel to Slavia Prague.

Photo: Photo2023 via Wikimedia Commons, CC0, resized.