Arsenal Edge Liverpool at Anfield as Rice Stars and Tzolis Overcomes R

Arsenal Edge Liverpool at Anfield as Rice Stars and Tzolis Overcomes Rusty Return

Arsenal beat Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield, moving top of the Premier League, with Kai Havertz scoring and Declan Rice earning an 8 rating.

NationPulse Desk

Nov 1, 2026 · 11:43 PM 3 min read

Key takeaways

Arsenal beat Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield, their first win there in 14 years.

Kai Havertz scored after a Declan Rice cross in the 16th minute.

The victory moved Arsenal to the top of the Premier League, three points ahead of Manchester City.

Simon Collings gave Declan Rice an 8 rating and Christos Tzolis a 6 after his injury return.

Ezri Konsa received the highest rating of 9 for his defensive performance.

Arsenal defeated Liverpool to claim their first win at Anfield in 14 years, moving to the top of the Premier League and three points ahead of Manchester City.

Kai Havertz netted the solitary goal after converting a Declan Rice cross in the 16th minute.

Liverpool pushed back, with Florian Wirtz striking the crossbar and Alexander Isak seeing a penalty appeal waved away.

The Gunners held on to preserve the win and secure the league lead.

SunSport's Simon Collings Player Ratings

David Raya - 7

Faced heavy pressure early as Liverpool sent numerous crosses, but looked solid and generally distributed well. Saved a crossbar after Wirtz's free-kick beat him.

Jurrien Timber - 7

Chosen over Ben White for his second Premier League start this season. Slightly slow at first and narrowly avoided a penalty for pulling Isak's shirt, but improved in the second half with key blocks.

Ezri Konsa - 9

Recovered from an early mistake that gave Liverpool a chance and remained a rock at the back without William Saliba, helping Arsenal weather the Anfield pressure.

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Gabriel - 8

Often troubled by Isak, he managed him well and led the defence when Arsenal dominated the first half.

Riccardo Calafiori - 7

Fit to start after hip pain the previous week, he could not push forward as usual because Arsenal were at times pinned back, but he nearly set up a second Havertz goal with a run and cross.

Declan Rice - 8

The England midfielder stepped up, covering extensive ground and creating Havertz's goal, his fifth assist of the season.

Bruno Guimaraes - 6

Started slowly but came alive in the first half with a hard tackle celebrated by the away fans, and later hit a deflected shot before being substituted around the 30-minute mark.

Noni Madueke - 6

Shook off an ankle knock, helped craft Havertz's goal with Rice on the right, and almost added a second by meeting Tzolis' cross, though he struggled when Milos Kerkez surged forward.

Martin Odegaard - 7

Central to Arsenal's strong start, his pressing led to the move that produced Havertz's goal. He faded late in the first half but recovered after the break as Arsenal regained control.

Christos Tzolis - 6

Returned straight to the lineup after missing six games with injury, appearing a bit rusty early but improving as the match progressed, only to be denied by a superb Alisson save.

Kai Havertz - 7

Rebounded from a poor showing at Fleetwood by opening the scoring, coping with pressure from Jeremy Jacquet and Virgil van Dijk, and ultimately becoming Arsenal's hero.