Havertz goal sends Arsenal top as Anfield drought ends after 14 years
Kai Havertz's first-half finish gave Arsenal a 1-0 win at Liverpool, their first Premier League victory at Anfield since 2012, and sent them top of the table.
Arsenal moved to the summit of the Premier League on Sunday after a 1-0 win at Anfield, a ground where they had not won a league match since 2012.
Kai Havertz settled the match in the 16th minute, finishing at the far post from a Declan Rice cross, with Noni Madueke involved in the build-up. A first-half error by Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker contributed to the goal.
Fourteen years in the waiting
The result ended a 14-year wait for an Arsenal league win at Anfield. It was the only goal of the afternoon, and enough to take the visitors clear at the top of the table on matchday 9.
Arsenal now sit on 24 points, three clear of Manchester City, who were beaten 1-0 by Brighton in the same round. That double swing — one win, one rival slip — handed Arsenal their cushion at the start of November.
Liverpool left frustrated
Liverpool had the better of the play after falling behind and finished the match with a higher expected goals figure than Arsenal, a reflection of territory and chance quality that did not translate into a goal.
Their clearest grievance came with a penalty appeal for a Jurrien Timber challenge on Alexander Isak, which was turned down. The home side could not find a leveller, and the single goal stood up.
Defeat leaves Liverpool fifth on 15 points, nine behind Arsenal after nine rounds. The gap is not yet decisive at this stage of the campaign, but it is the sort of margin that places pressure on the run of fixtures that follows.
The table takes shape
With Manchester City also beaten, matchday 9 reshaped the upper half. Arsenal's three-point advantage is their reward for a result that had eluded them at this venue across more than a decade of attempts, and it was earned without a goal in reply despite Liverpool's superior underlying numbers.
Brighton's win at City's expense was the round's other notable outcome, denying the chasing side the chance to stay level with Arsenal at the top.
What comes next
Matchday 10 begins on 6 November. Arsenal will carry a three-point lead into the round and the task of protecting it, while Manchester City will be looking to respond immediately after their defeat to Brighton.
For Liverpool, fifth place and 15 points make the next set of fixtures an early test of whether the gap to the leaders can be narrowed before the campaign reaches its midpoint.