Declan Rice described Arsenal’s 1-0 victory at Liverpool as a “performance of champions” after the visitors secured their first league win at Anfield since 2012.
Rice created the only goal, setting up Kai Havertz in the 16th minute, but also impressed with his defensive contribution, using his physicality and reading of the game to help Arsenal protect their lead. David Raya was booked for time-wasting in the 92nd minute as Arsenal closed out the result.
The win followed another narrow away victory, a 1-0 success at Nottingham Forest that had drawn criticism for a lack of creativity. At Anfield, however, Arsenal faced complaints about their streetwise approach, including the way they won free-kicks and managed the closing stages.
“No game is plain sailing; it is always going to be tough,” Rice said. “Looking back at that Forest game, it wasn’t the best performance but we ground it out, we won and there’s going to be more of that this season.”
He added that the result at Liverpool was particularly significant because of the pressure involved in playing at Anfield. “We had to dig in and give it everything because they throw so many attacks at you. We had to be resilient and strong. It was a great win,” Rice said.
Asked whether Arsenal had played like champions, Rice replied: “For sure.” He credited manager Mikel Arteta and the unity within the squad for the team’s ability to produce such a disciplined display, saying Arsenal now had to deliver at the same level again this season.
Liverpool were unhappy that a penalty was not awarded in the 21st minute after Jürrien Timber pulled Alexander Isak’s shirt. The incident became a central point of discussion after Liverpool failed to register a shot on target in a Premier League home game for the first time since records began in 2003-04, according to Opta.
Dominik Szoboszlai said the decision showed how fine the margins were between the teams. “We are just one penalty less and that’s a big difference,” the Liverpool midfielder said, arguing that Isak could have reached the ball and headed it towards goal had Timber not pulled his shirt.
Szoboszlai rejected the idea that Liverpool’s players should deliberately go to ground in such situations, although he maintained that the incident should have resulted in a penalty. Arsenal’s victory moved them three points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Sources: The Guardian Sport.