Arsenal go to Anfield on Sunday joint top of the Premier League, level on 21 points with Manchester City. Liverpool sit fourth, six points behind, but they won four straight matches in all competitions before the midweek cup tie, and they know a win on Sunday blows the title race open. Rivalry season rolls on a week after El Clasico: this is England’s turn.
Result: Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal
Full time at Anfield: Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal. Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the game in the 16th minute, tapping in Declan Rice’s low cross at the far post after Liverpool were caught trying to play out from the back. Liverpool pushed for an equaliser and came closest when Florian Wirtz curled a free kick against the crossbar, but Arsenal held on for their first Premier League win at Anfield since September 2012.
The win moves Arsenal three points clear at the top of the Premier League with 24 points from nine games, ahead of Manchester City on 21. Liverpool’s second league defeat of the season leaves them nine points behind Arsenal in fifth, so the gap at the top is now wider than it was before kickoff, not blown open the other way.
Form Guide
Liverpool were comfortable against Brighton last Sunday, winning 2-0 for their first home league win of the season, and Alexander Isak cannot stop scoring with six goals in his last six games. Liverpool then beat Chelsea on penalties in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night after a 1-1 draw, in the middle of a run of a game every three days. Arsenal’s league machine kept rolling with a 2-0 win over Everton, their third straight victory, built on the meanest defence in the division with only five goals conceded. Then Tuesday happened: a rotated side drew 1-1 at League Two Fleetwood Town and lost the shootout 5-3, a famous cup upset.
Team News
Arsenal’s right side has been wiped out. Bukayo Saka, who collected the Socrates Award at the Ballon d’Or ceremony this week, is out with a thigh injury and targets early December. William Saliba has not played all season because of a back injury. Teenager Max Dowman is suspended after his red card at Fleetwood: the ban runs across domestic competitions, Arsenal appealed against it, and the FA dismissed that appeal on Thursday, so his three-match ban stands. Declan Rice, who finished 15th in the Ballon d’Or rankings, and Riccardo Calafiori both trained on Friday after missing the Fleetwood trip, and Arteta expects them to be available if they come through Saturday’s session cleanly. Noni Madueke passed his late check and starts, as do Rice and Calafiori. Christos Tzolis is back from his hamstring layoff and starts on the left of the attack, with Eberechi Eze and Myles Lewis-Skelly dropping to the bench. Saka is not in the matchday squad at all. Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Magalhaes and David Raya return after being rested in midweek.
Florian Wirtz has shaken off his ankle twist. He came off against Brighton last weekend, but he returned off the bench in Wednesday’s cup tie against Chelsea and scored in the shootout, and he starts against Arsenal. Jeremie Frimpong, Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni are all out. Dominik Szoboszlai is fit enough for the bench, as is Victor Munoz after three games out with a knee injury, while teenager Trey Nyoni makes his first Premier League start in place of Ryan Gravenberch, who is among the substitutes.
Head-to-Head
Anfield has been a fortress in this fixture. Arsenal have not won a league game here since September 2012, when Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla scored in a 2-0 win and Mikel Arteta played in midfield. Liverpool won last season’s meeting at Anfield 1-0, and the Gunners have now gone 13 straight league visits without a win.
Expected Lineups
Liverpool (confirmed XI)
GK: Alisson Becker
Defense: Ronald Araujo, Jeremy Jacquet, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez
Midfield: Trey Nyoni, Alexis Mac Allister, Bradley Barcola, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo
Attack: Alexander Isak
Arsenal (confirmed XI)
GK: David Raya
Defense: Jurrien Timber, Ezri Konsa, Gabriel Magalhaes, Riccardo Calafiori
Midfield: Declan Rice, Bruno Guimaraes, Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke, Christos Tzolis
Attack: Kai Havertz
Wirtz is fit again and starts, and Rice, Calafiori and Madueke all passed their fitness checks to start. Nyoni makes his first Premier League start for Liverpool, and Tzolis starts for Arsenal ahead of Eze. With Saka out and Dowman banned, Arsenal’s right side is the big question.
Who Has the Edge?
Liverpool, narrowly. Anfield, Isak’s form and Arsenal’s missing right side all tilt it their way, and the Gunners have not won a league game here in 14 years. But write this Arsenal side off at your peril: their defence travels well and a draw keeps them joint top. This feels like a one-goal game either way.
FAQs
When is Liverpool vs Arsenal?
Sunday, November 1 at Anfield. Kickoff is 4:30pm UK time, which is 9:30pm in Pakistan.
Is Bukayo Saka fit to face Liverpool?
No. Saka is out with a thigh injury suffered in the Champions League last week, and he is targeting a return in early December.
Is Florian Wirtz fit to face Arsenal?
Yes. Wirtz twisted his ankle against Brighton, but he came off the bench in the midweek cup tie against Chelsea and scored in the shootout, so he is fit to face Arsenal.
Why is Max Dowman suspended for a league game?
Red cards carry across England’s domestic competitions, so his Fleetwood sending-off brought a three-match ban covering league games. Arsenal appealed the decision, but the FA dismissed the appeal on Thursday.
When did Arsenal last win a league game at Anfield?
1 November 2026, when Kai Havertz scored the only goal in a 1-0 win, Arsenal’s first league victory at Anfield in 14 years.
This is GoalVerdict's editorial analysis based on squad quality, form and tactics — not betting advice.