Arsenal Round-Up, Sunday 1st November: Havertz Ends Anfield Hoodoo as Arsenal Go Top
Arsenal headed to Anfield on Super Sunday looking to end a long run without a league win there, with Mikel Arteta making changes to his side including starts for Noni Madueke, Riccardo Calafiori and the returning Christos Tzolis (Football.London) (Arsenal.com). Pundits were split before kick-off on how the title-race heavyweight clash would go, with six different predictions offered ahead of the match (Football.London) (Sky Sports) (Football.London) (The Guardian).
And it was the Gunners who delivered, with Kai Havertz turning in a low Declan Rice cross to put Arsenal ahead, and that strike proving enough to seal a 1-0 win at Anfield (Sky Sports) (The Guardian). It was Arsenal's first Premier League win there since September 2012, when Arteta himself played in a 2-0 victory under Arsene Wenger, and the result moves the Gunners three points clear at the top of the table (Football.London) (Sky Sports) (BBC Sport). BBC Sport described it as an end-to-end contest that left Liverpool with nothing to show for their efforts, while ESPN and the Guardian both praised Arsenal's defensive resilience and know-how in holding on for the win (ESPN) (Evening Standard) (The Guardian) (BBC Sport).
Arteta was delighted afterwards, saying his players "loved the mission" of finally winning at Anfield and calling the victory "historic" (ESPN). He also credited the midweek Carabao Cup exit to Fleetwood Town as galvanising his squad, with BBC Sport noting how the players bounced back from that "embarrassment" to produce a "magical" result at Anfield (BBC Sport) (BBC Sport). Arteta additionally praised his medical team for getting Tzolis fit to start, while addressing another fresh injury concern that emerged from the game (Evening Standard) (Football.London).
The match had its share of controversy. Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola was left frustrated that Alexander Isak wasn't awarded what he felt was a clear penalty, saying afterwards that he didn't understand the decision and that he would now tell Isak to go down more easily in future if fouled in the box (ESPN) (BBC Sport). Sky Sports and Football.London both looked at the VAR calls from the game, including the non-penalty and a flashpoint between Noni Madueke and Alexis Mac Allister, with the Arsenal winger appearing to clash heads with the Liverpool midfielder but avoiding a red card (talkSPORT) (Football.London) (Sky Sports). The incident split opinion among pundits, with the Sky Sports panel branding it "embarrassing" (Sky Sports).
Individual performances also drew plenty of praise. Gabriel returned to the Arsenal backline having been rested for the Fleetwood defeat, though Gary Neville was critical of the defender, labelling aspects of his display "embarrassing" (Evening Standard). On a more positive note, Declan Rice was named among the standout performers, with Jamie Carragher going as far as to claim the debate between Rice and Moises Caicedo for the Premier League's best midfielder "is not close" (TeamTalk) (Evening Standard) (Football.London). Rice himself spoke about the spirit within the squad, describing the team's "togetherness" as "unmatched" (Arsenal.com). Daniel Sturridge was also full of praise for Arteta's approach, calling his system "almost perfect" (Sky Sports). Football.London's player ratings handed out four 8/10s in recognition of the display that ended the Anfield curse (Football.London).
In the women's game, Arsenal were held at home by Aston Villa, with Renée's side falling behind before Alessia Russo struck late to rescue a point (BBC Sport). Manager Renée admitted disappointment with the team's start to the match, despite making just one change to the side, while Alessia said the team "should have been more ruthless" in front of goal (Arsenal.com) (Arsenal.com) (Arsenal.com). Elsewhere in the WSL, Manchester City beat London City Lionesses (Sky Sports) (Sky Sports).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
