Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal: Player ratings as Havertz strike seals long-awaited Anfield win
Kai Havertz's strike in the first-half was enough for Arsenal to defeat Liverpool 1-0 and seal their first win at Anfield in 14 years.
With his sights set on bouncing back from Tuesday's humiliation at Fleetwood Town, Mikel Arteta reverted to full strength for the visit to Anfield. Christos Tzolis returned from his injury to make the starting lineup while Martin Ødegaard, Riccardo Calafiori and David Raya also came back in.
The Gunners started the game well, dominating the midfield, and it paid off when they broke the deadlock after just 15 minutes. Ødegaard pressured the Liverpool backline to win back possession and play it to Noni Madueke. Declan Rice offered the winger support on the overlap and sent a low cross in for Kai Havertz to fire in at the back post.
Liverpool switched on after going behind with Bradley Barcola causing problems down the left, but Arsenal dealt with it well to keep their lead intact. The visitors continued to find themselves under the cosh for a long period and managed to keep their hosts at bay.
However, Arteta's side were able to see out the remainder of the half to head in to the break with a goal advantage.
The Gunners returned after the restart to continue allowing pressure from Liverpool as they trusted their impeccable defence to prevent the hosts from finding a way back in to the tie.
After dealing with more trouble from the hosts, Arsenal found their feet once again and saw a brilliant opportunity come their way as Tzolis raced in to the box down the left side. He had a good chance to shoot, but opted to square for Ødegaard, who was prevented from getting to the ball by Jérémy Jacquet.
The Greek had a second opportunity not long after and did choose to shoot as he looked for the far bottom corner from the left side of the box, but Alisson got across outstandingly to save it and turn it out.
Despite sustaining plenty of pressure for the remainder of the game, Arsenal saw out the tie to seal a huge victory and take three points from Anfield for the first time since 2012, sending the Gunners back to the top of the Premier League.
Here are the Arsenal player ratings from their win at Liverpool
Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal player ratings
Goalkeeper & Defenders
David Raya (GK) - 6.5/10 - Pretty steady with his catching but his distribution was mixed with some balls almost playing his side into danger. Didn't need to make a save throughout.
Jurrien Timber (RB) - 7/10 - Blocked a cross sent over for Havertz by Madueke. Fouled Isak right on the edge of the left side of the box. Shown a yellow for a tussle with Mac Allister.
Ezri Konsa (CB) - 7/10 - Got away with a loose back pass that Liverpool looked to pounce on, only for Rice to bail him out. Dived in on Barcola to clear the ball in a dangerous area.
Gabriel (CB) - 7/10 - Steady dealing with the pressure from Liverpool and won most of his tackles and duels.
Riccardo Calafiori (LB) - 7/10 - Made his typical troubling runs in to the midfield and down the left flank. Solid when defending, including a diving block to deny Wirtz from the edge of the box. Moved to left-wing after the late changes.
Midfielders
Bruno Guimarães (CM) - 7/10 - Darted back to slide in and block a promising Barcola cross. Managed to get rid of the ball well when under pressure in tight areas. Decision making on the edge of the box could have been better. Withdrawn after an hour.
Declan Rice (CM) - 8/10 - Made a good run to send in a good cross for Havertz to fire in the opening goal. Saved Konsa with a quick trackback to clear away his loose back pass. Presented options with plenty of runs off the ball.
Martin Ødegaard (AM) - 7/10 - Pressured the Liverpool backline well to win back possession for the opener. Played some nice passes for his teammates and was key in his side's long periods of defending. Given a rest for the last few minutes.
Forwards
Noni Madueke (RW) - 7/10 - Played a perfect through ball for Rice on the overlap in the build-up to the opener. Did really well to evade pressure in midfield, but bizarrely opted against playing a clear ball through for Tzolis. Booked for a foul on Barcola in the second-half and avoided a red for an exchange with Mac Allister.
Kai Havertz (ST) - 7/10 - Arrived at the back post at the right time to meet Rice's cross and break the deadlock. Didn't have much attacking influence from there, but defended well. Replaced for the closing stages.
Christos Tzolis (LW) - 7.5/10 - Caused his usual problems on the left flank and did put in some promising deliveries. Had a great chance to shoot, but chose to square, which didn't come off. Denied his first goal by a brilliant Alisson save. Taken off for the final minutes.
Substitutes
Myles Lewis-Skelly (on 62' for Guimarães) - 7/10
Piero Hincapié (on 84' for Tzolis) - 6.5/10
Viktor Gyökeres (on 84' for Havertz) - 6/10
Mikel Merino (on 88' for Ødegaard) - N/A
Player of the match: Declan Rice
