4/10 Arsenal star is heading for the bench after Liverpool win

For the first time in 22 years, Arsenal are Premier League champions. For the first time in 14 years, they are victors at Anfield in a top-flight game.

Yes, not since 2012 have the Gunners left the red side of Merseyside victorious. Thus, there is reason to celebrate.

Mikel Arteta’s men are now three points clear at the top of the table and you feel it would take something pretty major for them to not be challenging for a successive crown come next May.

Whatever happens to Manchester City, Arsenal remain the best side in English football and their performance on Sunday evening showcased why.

The biggest winners from Arsenal’s win over Liverpool

1-0 to the Arsenal. That was the chant come full-time. For the 33rd time since Arteta took over, they had secured victory by that scoreline. It’s a statistic that rather defies belief.

That said, he has created a defensive monster, one who simply won’t be broken down. On Sunday, for the first time in Premier League history at Anfield, Liverpool failed to have a shot on target.

Arsenal owed much of their effort to summer signing Ezri Konsa. The former Aston Villa man was a colossus at the back. No player on the pitch registered more defensive contributions (15) than the England man.

Alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, they ensured that the likes of Alexander Isak and Bradley Barcola had very few moments to influence the game.

That said, this was not just a defensive effort. In attack, although they were not totally firing again, this was a much better performance than what we saw against Fleetwood last Tuesday night.

Kai Havertz had a night to forget in the Carabao Cup but he was back to his best. He is a big game player, a man for this sort of occasion and he proved that by scoring the game’s only goal.

Declan Rice, who was a monster in the middle of the park, galloped forward and then played a low cross that was on a plate for Havertz at the back post. He could not miss.

All that said, Arsenal’s visit to Anfield was not a positive experience for everyone on the visiting team.

The biggest losers from Arsenal’s trip to Anfield

This was not necessarily an exceptional or perfect performance from the Gunners but it was a fabulous result, one that cements them as the favourites to win the Premier League for a consecutive season.

To really rubberstamp that, however, they will need to improve in the final third.

Havertz was better than he was against Fleetwood but for those on the wing, it was another indifferent night. Noni Madueke lacked end product but there is a sense he is now growing into his role at Arsenal. It was his pass down the side that led to the winning goal. His defensive work was also first-class.

For his colleague on the left, though, he had a rather trickier evening.

Christos Tzolis returned to the matchday squad for the first time since picking up an injury with Greece during the international break and given he has not played a single minute since, it was a surprise to see him back in the starting lineup.

After all, Eberechi Eze has been growing in stature too, notably scoring inside the Allianz Arena in the Champions League.

Well, on the evidence of Tzolis’ return to the team, Eze should be starting when they face Slavia Prague on Wednesday night.

Indeed, this was not a great game for the Greek, who, while looking spritely at times, ultimately had something of a Leandro Trossard-like night.

In spurts, Tzolis looked threatening. He supplied five crosses and was incredibly unlucky not to score when Alisson made an incredible save down to his left-hand side to keep the score at 1-0.

That was the winger’s finest moment, but that aside, he was isolated on the left flank. He completed just 14 passes, fewer than even David Raya who made 26.

Furthermore, Tzolis actually only ended up creating one key pass and having one shot. He also lost possession a worrying amount, 21 times in fact, and won only six of his 14 duels.

It was not a terrible afternoon for the summer arrival but it was a timely reminder that the Gunners did not get things right in the market.

The former Club Brugge man has been a good signing all told, but he should not be the man tasked with being Arsenal’s leading left winger. That honour should have gone to either Vinicius Junior or Morgan Rogers had things lined up the way Andrea Berta and Co were hoping.

As a result of this game at Anfield, who becomes Arteta’s go-to man in that role remains to be seen. For now, both Eze and Tzolis have been unable to really cement their places.