To paraphrase the famous words of Julius Caesar, “Veni, vidi, vici” – “I came, I saw, I conquered.” Arsenal, however, visited Liverpool, slowly sucked the life out of the Reds, drained them of every last ounce of energy, and conquered Anfield for the first time in 14 years at the legendary football cathedral – 0-1. This means the Premier League has a new leader after Matchweek Nine. This was a classic derby straight out of Mikel Arteta’s playbook. He knows that his attack is not among the best in England, or even Europe, but he is equally aware that no defence at his disposal is more powerful, solid, well-drilled or cohesive. And so, after taking an early lead through Kai Havertz, the defending champions had absolutely no hesitation in allowing their opponents to play football, even letting them stroll around the penalty area. The confidence of Arteta’s centre-backs and every other player actively involved in protecting their goal borders on madness.what a goal from kai havertz https://t.co/pgmyKbBfjC— BEN (@afc_ben10) November 1, 2026 It is true that during their title-winning campaign, Arsenal occasionally slipped up against mid-table and lower-tier Premier League opposition, conceding the odd cheap goal and dropping points here and there. But tonight's impression was that no matter how much Liverpool attacked, they were never going to avoid defeat. Yes, the hosts hit the crossbar through Florian Wirtz’s free kick late in the first half, followed a minute later by a dangerous effort from Alexis Mac Allister. However, in a match they needed to win to get their title challenge back on track, Liverpool finished without a single shot on target! After a rather uneventful opening 15 minutes of feeling each other out, Liverpool practically gifted Arsenal the opening goal. A risky pass from Alisson allowed Arsenal to win possession, and just seconds later, Declan Rice's pass tied Virgil van Dijk and Jérémy Jacquet in knots, turning Havertz into the executioner of Iraola’s team.##EDITORS_CHOICE##It was a routine finish for the most prolific German player in Premier League history as of today. Havertz scored his 46th goal in the English top flight, overtaking his compatriot Ilkay Gündogan. He is also thoroughly enjoying the big occasions this season, having scored against Manchester City in the Community Shield, as well as against Chelsea and Liverpool. Arsenal have won all three matches. The visitors from the Emirates threatened Anfield twice more midway through the first half. In the 24th minute, Havertz was a fraction too late to meet Bruno Guimarães’ pass, while around 60 seconds later, Noni Madueke struck Jurrien Timber. Had that not happened, Havertz might well have become a brace scorer.24 – @Arsenal's 24 points are the most by a team after nine games of a Premier League season since the Gunners themselves in 2022-23 (also 24). Only in 2004-05 and 2007-08 have they ever had more at this stage of a PL campaign (25 in both). Hungry. https://t.co/JMu2gherPt— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 1, 2026 In the second half, Liverpool completely took control of midfield and began creating chances one after another. However, Gabriel, Konsa and the rest of Arsenal’s defensive unit were almost always in the right place at the right time. Even when they appeared to be caught out, they quickly reorganised and closed down the spaces leading towards David Raya’s goal. The second half brought more of the same. Liverpool appeared determined to equalise, while Arsenal were equally determined to make sure they didn't. Gabriel, Konsa and Timber were everywhere, throwing themselves into challenges on the ground and in the air, using every legitimate means available to neutralise Liverpool's dangerous attacking moves. Liverpool supporters, however, will argue that some of those methods were anything but legitimate. In the 29th minute, Colwill pulled Gakpo from behind inside his own penalty area, while in the 35th minute, Timber handled the ball inside the box. However, referee Andy Madley deemed neither incident worthy of a penalty.Liverpool cool off red-hot Brighton at AnfieldArsenal could have put the game beyond doubt in the 73rd minute when Colwill cleverly aimed for the far corner, but Alisson produced a superb save to keep the home side alive. Arteta continued to put his faith in his defence right until the final whistle, and for the first time in his managerial career, he conquered Anfield. He also remembers Arsenal’s previous victory at that sacred football ground, on September 2, 2012, when he himself picked up a yellow card, while his teammates Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla helped bring Liverpool down. Despite the defeat, Andoni Iraola can take one positive from the match: midfielder Trey Nyoni. The English teenager looked as though he had started 50 or even 100 Premier League matches, rather than making his first appearance in the starting lineup. He finished the game with an impressive 53 successful passes and a 96% pass-completion rate, including 11 passes in the opposition's final third.PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 9SaturdayChelsea – Manchester United 2-0 (0-0)/Rogers 50, Palmer 64 pen/Bournemouth – Leeds 2-0 (1-0)/Evanilson 31, Adli 90+4/Brentford – Nottingham Forest 2-0 (1-0)/Milenkovic 30 og , Thiago 76/Coventry – Sunderland 3-1 (2-0)/Sakamoto 17, Awoniyi 37, Rudoni 52 – Le Fee 67 pen/Hull City – Ipswich 2-2 (0-1)/Iroegbunam 58, McBurnie 68 – Luis 22, Enciso 74/Manchester City – Brighton 0-1 (0-1)/Ayari 11/Tottenham – Crystal Palace 2-0 (1-0)/Gray 25, Van Hecke 73/Aston Villa – Fulham 1-1 (1-0)/Jackson 39 – Suzuki 64 og/SundayLiverpool – Arsenal 0-1 (0-1)/Havertz 16/Monday23.00: (2.35) Newcastle (3.60) Everton (2.85)***odds are subject to change***