Liverpool did not get a shot on target, and Havertz’s goal has Arsenal top after their first Anfield win since 2012
Kai Havertz scored after 16 minutes on Sunday, and Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Anfield puts them three points clear of Manchester City.
Nov 2, 2026
Arsenal had not won a league game at Anfield since September 2012, when Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla scored and Mikel Arteta was playing in their midfield. On Sunday, Arteta’s side ended that run with one goal and a clean sheet, and it took them to the top of the Premier League.
Kai Havertz scored in the 16th minute. Liverpool were trying to play out from the back and lost the ball, Arsenal moved it to the right, and Declan Rice’s low cross found Havertz at the far post for a tap-in.
That was the only goal, and it held because Liverpool never made David Raya work. Sky Sports counted around 17 attempts from the home side, and none of them was on target. By Sky’s records, it was the first time Liverpool had failed to get a shot on target in a home league game.
The penalty Iraola wanted
Liverpool’s best spell came straight after the goal, and so did their biggest complaint. In the 21st minute a cross came in towards Alexander Isak, and replays showed Jurriën Timber holding his shirt as he went for it. Referee Andy Madley gave nothing and VAR did not send him to the monitor.
“The Alex Isak one is a clear penalty,” Andoni Iraola told Sky Sports. His complaint was that Isak had stayed on his feet: the Liverpool coach felt Isak was too honest to go down.
Florian Wirtz hit the crossbar with a free kick from a tight angle in the 39th minute, and Alexis Mac Allister headed off target from about eight yards just before the break. At the other end, Alisson kept it at one with a low save from Christos Tzolis in the 73rd minute. With William Saliba missing, Ezri Konsa partnered Gabriel in the middle of Arsenal’s defence, and Liverpool did not find a way through them.
Three clear of City, nine ahead of Liverpool
Arsenal now have 24 points from nine games, eight wins and one defeat, and they sit three points ahead of Manchester City. Liverpool are fifth on 15.
It was quite a turnaround from midweek, when League Two Fleetwood knocked Arsenal out of the Carabao Cup on penalties. Havertz’s goal at Anfield was his 46th in the Premier League, which takes him past Ilkay Gündogan as the division’s highest-scoring German.
It was also Arteta’s first Premier League win at Anfield as Arsenal manager, and he admitted it meant more than three points usually do. “It feels better as a manager, because it’s been such a long time,” he said.
Liverpool have now scored four league goals in five games at Anfield this season. With Isak, Wirtz and Barcola all starting on Sunday, that is the number Iraola most needs to change.