Liverpool verdict from Anfield as Paul Gorst assesses the 1-0 Premier League defeat to defending champions Arsenal
Liverpool's Spanish head coach Andoni Iraola gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on November 1, 2026. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. /
Andoni Iraola gestures on the touchline during the Premier League football match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield (Image: Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images)
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Despite the rush to reach a definitive conclusion on a weekly basis in the Premier League, it's difficult to pinpoint exactly where Liverpool are right now at this stage of their journey under Andoni Iraola. Over two months into the season, those with glasses half full will point towards a heartening rebuilding of a character that simply wasn't there last season. The Reds, by and large, are no longer a soft touch.
Big-money signings have started to tentatively deliver and a run of five successive victories since the defeat to Manchester City has been enough to suggest that this is a project heading in the right direction.
All of that will still be true on Monday morning but this 1-0 defeat to champions Arsenal has likely sent a few soaring hopes back down to earth with a dull thud.
What angry Anfield did at full-time was telling as Liverpool get Andoni Iraola reminder
The plan to rebuild Fortress Anfield remains a work-in-progress as Iraola's side suffered their second home defeat of the campaign here. It was Arsenal's first win at Anfield since 2012 and while it was one that was undoubtedly hard-earned, zero shots on target for the Reds says as much about their attacking shortcomings right now as it does the Gunners' peerless defensive capabilities.
Eleven goals in nine games is not exactly the free-scoring form of potential title challengers either, as some had gently suggested pre-match, and when six-goal top scorer Alexander Isak finds himself well shackled, as he did here, the onus on others to step up increases immeasurably.
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So at some point soon, Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola will have to start taking on the weight of that goalscoring burden, even if Iraola says the former simply needs to be more of a conductor than a marksman. Liverpool have spent an eye-watering £239m on the pair and it is not too much to demand more of an impact on fixtures of this magnitude as a result.
The visitors took the lead after 16 minutes when Alisson Becker sold Jeremy Jacquet short with what should have been a simple enough ball out from the back. The centre-back's strained efforts to keep possession allowed Arsenal to recycle the ball out wide to Declan Rice before Kai Havertz tapped it in at the back post. It was all so avoidable.
Given the defending champions' well-known defensive solidity, it was criminal that the Reds gave themselves that mountain to climb. Arsenal have only conceded five all season and three of those came in a shock drubbing at Brighton.
Equally, Mikel Arteta's men are not widely thought of as one of the most free-flowing of title winners either, and the fact they didn't need to be to score what was just Liverpool's first concession at home with 11 men on the pitch since August will have irked Iraola no end. It ultimately settled the game.
The Reds' response was admirable and lesser sides than the Gunners would have wilted once the barrage began. Isak, Milos Kerkez and Cody Gakpo all had efforts but Alexis Mac Allister really should have restored parity before the break, heading over when well placed and unmarked inside the area.
Liverpool's whirlwind efforts to level the score in the first 45 minutes resulted in 28 touches in the opposition area - the most recorded against Arsenal since those statistics began being collated in 2008.
Isak had earlier gone close to reaching Barcola's cross but the Sweden international was thwarted by Jurrien Timber's drag back, which practically took the No.9 off the striker's back.
"It was 100% a penalty," fumed Iraola. "I will tell Alex to go the floor in future." It was hard to argue with that assessment from the head coach, while captain Virgil van Dijk added: "Why does [Isak] have to complain when there is so many cameras? Everyone has seen it." Again, fair point.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 01: Alexander Isak of Liverpool headers the ball as Jurrien Timber of Arsenal pulls his shirt during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC at Anfield on November 01, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Alexander Isak of Liverpool heads the ball as Jurrien Timber of Arsenal pulls his shirt during the Premier League match at Anfield(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
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It was commendable that Isak still tried to attack the ball for his seventh goal of the campaign but a simple tumble under the weight of Timber's pull would almost certainly have resulted in a VAR check for a penalty. It was the sort of naivety the Gunners would rarely be accused of.
Wirtz struck the woodwork from an improbable angle but the sound of the half-time whistle gave Arsenal a chance to regroup. By that point, the storm had largely passed.
In the second period, the tedious 'dark arts' started to ramp up. A willingness to go to ground under little duress led referee Bobby Madley to interrupt the flow of play with free-kick after free-kick.
By the time the game ended, the official had stopped play 18 times for fouls committed by Liverpool alone, which was a curious statistic given they enjoyed the lion's share of possession with 56% and spent most of the match attempting to equalise.
But perhaps that was also indicative of the Reds falling into the trap set by Arteta and his players, many of whom had spent more time on the deck than Captain Hook by the end.
Those of a more realistic perspective would suggest that the results of games against the team many have tipped to retain their title won't define what is possible for Iraola in his maiden campaign on Merseyside.
But this has been a tough weekend for Liverpool who have slipped to a second defeat of the campaign a day after Chelsea and Brighton secured important wins over Manchester United and Manchester City, respectively.
There is no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater in the post-match inquests for this game, but Iraola's improving side have most certainly seen their expectation levels take a hit here.
There is still some way to go before this Liverpool team is back to where it was around 18 months ago and it would represent a remarkable feat of alchemy by Iraola if that wasn't the case. This was an afternoon to rein in those ambitions ever so slightly. That may be no bad thing, for now.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 2: Liverpool FC Head Coach Andoni Iraola concentrates after the pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United at Soldier Field on August 2, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Miller/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Liverpool's new head coach Andoni Iraola, pictured on the club's tour of the US(Michael Miller/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)