Liverpool's second home defeat of the season came despite a dominant performance, as Arsenal secured a 1-0 victory at Anfield, ending a 14-year wait for a win at the ground. The Reds failed to register a single shot on target, but statistics show they gave the Premier League champions a stern test of their defensive capabilities.
Liverpool had 52 touches in the penalty area to Arsenal's 18, and 56 penalty area entries to the Gunners' 18. The Reds also delivered 27 crosses, excluding corners, compared to Arsenal's eight. Despite this pressure, Mikel Arteta's side, which included former Everton midfielder, held on for a clean sheet.
Nyoni's Start and Early Struggles
Liverpool's poor start culminated in Kai Havertz's tap-in at the back post after 15 minutes. 19-year-old Trey Nyoni was handed his first Premier League start, but the youngster was at the center of the early difficulties. Despite two rugged fouls in the first 10 minutes, Nyoni escaped a yellow card.
Before the goal, Liverpool saw just 31.5% of possession, won three of their 10 ground duels, and completed only 63.2% of their passes. The goal came after a move where at least five Liverpool players lost focus, starting with Alisson's poor pass and ending with a mix-up between Ronald Araujo, Jeremy Jacquet, and Virgil van Dijk.
Between the goal and half-time, Liverpool improved, seeing 66.4% of possession and taking eight shots to Arsenal's three. A tactical tweak saw Nyoni drop to the left of van Dijk in deeper areas, which reduced pressure and opened up angles for his passing. Only van Dijk matched his 19 line-breaking passes.
Inability to Convert Dominance
Despite the improvement, Liverpool failed to test Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya. Florian Wirtz took the most shots (three), but both his second-half efforts were blocked. Bradley Barcola made seven touches in the opposition box, but lost possession 21 times. Cody Gakpo and Milos Kerkez each lumped eight crosses into the area to little effect.
Alexis Mac Allister was arguably Liverpool's best player, covering the most distance and making the most defensive contributions. However, he missed Liverpool's only big chance of the afternoon, a header that sailed over the bar in the 43rd minute. All nine of Liverpool's blocked shots looked well-directed, requiring Arsenal bodies to block them.
Szoboszlai Substitution Fails to Pay Off
The introduction of Dominik Szoboszlai for Nyoni in the second half jettisoned Liverpool's momentum. Szoboszlai was essentially a like-for-like swap positionally, supporting with deep build-up rather than his usual more advanced role.
Prior to the substitution, Liverpool had seen 74.0% of possession and completed 84.5% of their passes; after the sub, those percentages dropped to 50.9% and 78.9%. Szoboszlai was responsible for seven long passes, only two of which found their target. Only one of Liverpool's 19 recoveries after the sub came in the attacking half.
Manager Andoni Iraola explained his decision after the match, saying: "I decided to finish [the game] with Rio Ngumoha, with Victor Munoz and put in Dominik Szoboszlai to see if we could maybe from one shot outside the box, to score in different ways. We've had a lot of set-pieces but we haven't been able to score from there and also they've been very good defensively in the second half."
Refereeing Controversy
The performance of referee Andy Madley and VAR Stuart Attwell was questioned, particularly for not awarding a penalty when Alexander Isak was pulled by Jurrien Timber 21 minutes into the game. Had the penalty been given, Timber could have received a red card for denying a goalscoring opportunity.
Despite the controversy, Arsenal's defensive performance was resilient, with 18 clearances in the first half alone. Liverpool went toe-to-toe with the champions but were unable to convert their dominance into goals, leaving them nine points behind the leaders after nine games.
