Liverpool’s work in progress fizzles out in the face of streetwise champions

Afternoon began with talk of a title bid, but Arsenal looked more and more comfortable as the second half wore on

Andoni Iraola had swatted aside any question that veered in the direction of Liverpool’s title credentials during his press conference on Friday with two simple words. “Too early,” he would respond. The Liverpool head coach was dismissive in terms of the stage of the season but, as Arsenal doggedly demonstrated, too early also applies to the development of his team.

Arsenal cavorted to the sound of fury at Anfield. At the final whistle Mikel Arteta leapt into the arms of the first-team coach Gabriel Heinze as he celebrated the release of his first win at Liverpool as Arsenal manager, his club’s first league victory at Anfield in 14 years and the champions moving three points clear at the top of the table. His players, tireless in the protection of Kai Havertz’s early winner, lined up to accept the acclaim from a jubilant away section. Anger filled the space around them.

From Virgil van Dijk collecting a post-match booking for sarcastically applauding the referee, Andy Madley, to the jeers of the home crowd, enraged by the match officials and most of all by Arsenal’s streetwise tactics/shithousery (delete as appropriate), this was an infuriating evening for a team that had arrived with momentum and amid talk of a potential title challenge. There was only applause for Liverpool’s players as they left the pitch in recognition of their effort and misfortune.

The hosts should have had a penalty for Jurriën Timber tugging Alexander Isak’s shirt and preventing him from connecting with a Bradley Barcola cross. Florian Wirtz struck the crossbar during Liverpool’s brightest spell and Alexis Mac Allister squandered a free header from 10 yards out. But as the second half ticked by and Arsenal absorbed the pressure, with Gabriel Magalhães and Declan Rice to the fore, belief in Liverpool’s powers of recovery faded.

There was no clearer sign of an expensively assembled team running out of ideas than Van Dijk operating as a makeshift centre‑forward in the final exchanges. He had Isak, Barcola and the substitutes Lewis Koumas, Victor Muñoz and Rio Ngumoha in support. Ngumoha had an impact but, ultimately, Liverpool’s varied forward line did not. For the first time in 16 years Liverpool failed to register a shot on target in a Premier League game.

Iraola’s complaint about Liverpool’s two defeats this season both turning on contentious refereeing decisions was valid. But he ended that particular discussion with a telling point. “I think it’s a penalty but we need to think about what we can improve to be on the right side of these big games,” Iraola admitted.

Another slow start cost Liverpool but they also lacked the penetration and the defensive might that underpinned Arsenal’s win. That will come in time under Iraola. In the meantime, there will be harsh lessons to occasionally absorb.

The Liverpool head coach again showed he is prepared to trust and reward young talent by handing a first start in the Premier League to Trey Nyoni. It was a bold call from Iraola, with Ryan Gravenberch dropped to the bench alongside the fit-again Dominik Szoboszlai to accommodate the 19-year-old, but one based on merit. Nyoni impressed Iraola from the moment he walked into the club this summer and stepped up a level on Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the US. The debut had been coming, and there was added weight to the vote of confidence that it should come against such formidable opposition.

Nyoni made his presence felt immediately. One reservation over the midfielder’s inclusion against a midfield of Rice, Bruno Guimarães and Martin Ødegaard was whether he had the physicality to compete. After merely 49 seconds he left Ødegaard in a heap to concede the game’s first free-kick. In the 10th minute he caught Havertz’s ankle with a late challenge and was perhaps fortunate to avoid the game’s first booking.

Nyoni’s timing was more accurate, his speed and strength clear, when beating Ødegaard convincingly in a 50‑50 challenge as they closed in on a David Raya throw. Arsenal rightly survived a video assistant referee’s check for a penalty against Christos Tzolis in the spell of pressure that followed Nyoni’s intervention.

The youngster’s composure on the ball and intelligent reading of the game were the most encouraging aspects of his full league debut. What worked against Nyoni, however, was Liverpool’s need to chase the game from as early as the 16th minute. Iraola needed attacking aggression and chaos in the final third more than the teenager’s defensive protection and patient buildup play. It was a reflection of the circumstances, not Nyoni’s own contribution, when he was replaced by Szoboszlai in the 59th minute.

There was chaos but no clarity to Liverpool’s performance in the final third, however. Despite the anguish over the antics of Gabriel, Havertz and the performance of Madley, there was a gap between the champions and potential contenders. Too early, as Iraola would say. But give it time.