It's time for the Arsenal Debrief following the Premier League champions' hard-fought, gutsy 1-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield
Noni Madueke
Noni Madueke was a big talking point during Arsenal's 1-0 win at Liverpool
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The wait is finally over for Arsenal. It's been 14 long years since they won in the top-flight at Anfield and they broke that duck with a team performance fitting of the Premier League champions on Sunday.
Gabriel Magalhaes punched the air in delight while Mikel Arteta tapped his chest in the direction of the jubilant away end as they revelled in the joy of what they had just witnessed.
Declan Rice led the charge, Kai Havertz justified his inclusion and there were so many top individual displays that helped carve out the victory.
Here is the Arsenal Debrief, unpacking some of the key talking points from Merseyside as the Gunners look to finish strong - they play Slavia Prague on Wednesday and then host Hull City on Saturday - before the international break.
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Madueke's cheeky Mac Allister swipe
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Noni Madueke is quickly becoming a cult hero at Arsenal. Since being left out of Thomas Tuchel's first England squad post-World Cup, he has made his mark for the Gunners.
Mikel Arteta claimed he was actually the best player in training prior to earning a start against Leeds and since then, he's made several key contributions - not least his winner from the bench at Nottingham Forest.
At Anfield he was an out-ball all afternoon and utilised possession wisely, causing Milos Kerkez big problems with his direct dribbling style. But in the end, his contribution was almost defined by the controversial second-half flashpoint with Alexis Mac Allister.
Most believe the Argentine was daft to throw himself to ground, while Liverpool contested that Madueke should have been shown red - or at least a second yellow.
Now Madueke has admitted he was worried he might walk, though he has also accused Mac Allister of trying to "bait" him into a red.
He told Viaplay: "No, no, no, no but to be honest, I wish I did! To be honest, I don't think it's anything, it's a yellow card or a red card. The referee didn't think that, the ref didn't think that so we all agree there. It's a natural movement and he's obviously tried to bait me into getting a red card.
"I'll be honest with you guys, In my head I was thinking 'it's possible you know with VAR, it's about whoever interprets it, I don't know what they're thinking' but thankfully it wasn't."
Arsenal's players were not best pleased with Mac Allister and in the end, the right decision was made by the officials and VAR.
The Premier League match centre tweeted on the incident: "#LIVARS – 79’ The referee’s call of no violent conduct by Madueke on Mac Allister was checked and confirmed by VAR. VAR: 'All of the situations have been checked and cleared. There is some contact as Madueke and Mac Allister square-up. In my opinion, it's not forceful, not violent, not brutal'."
Alexis Mac Allister
Alexis Mac Allister went to ground following an exchange with Noni Madueke
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Colossal Konsa as Rice's three-word message speaks volumes
At the time, a £55million package looked steep. Well, not anymore. Ezri Konsa currently looks like signing of the season. There is actually an argument that since he was embedded into the side, he has outperformed Gabriel Magalhaes.
Thankfully for Arsenal, there is no need for such comparisons. The pair have gelled so naturally, so remarkably and are providing the base and backbone for the Gunners' ambitious Premier League title defence.
Having such a shrewd, experienced and quality centre-back in Konsa to hand will also naturally ease the burden on William Saliba and Gabriel, moving forward.
The England international made 15 defensive contributions, more than any other player on the pitch. They're extraordinary answers and he was imperative to weather the Anfield storm.
What's even more impressive is that Konsa actually started the match a tad shakily when he was caught out as he looked to control a pass from Declan Rice.
Beyond that, he oozed confidence and composure, making an exceptional tackle to stop Bradley Barcola in the first half before making several key interventions after the break to secure the clean sheet.
"Crazy, crazy player," wrote Declan Rice on Konsa's post-match Instagram post. The ex-Aston Villa stalwart is the latest brick in the Great Wall of Arsenal and it truly feels as though he's been part of the furniture in N5 for the entirety of Mikel Arteta's reign. He is a colossal central defender.
Bruno G x Rice partnership a concern
There is so much more to Bruno Guimaraes' game than roaring and revving the crowd following well-timed crunching challenges.
It's a big part of his game, no doubt but the Brazilian maestro does not seem to be a natural midfield partner for Declan Rice. That is a strange proposition because against Leeds, when the pair combined for the winner, the chemistry was clear for all to see.
However, a pattern is now forming. In each of his last three Premier League starts, he has been substituted around the hour mark (60 mins, 66 mins and 62 mins). Part of that is because Mikel Arteta rates Myles Lewis-Skelly highly and the Englishman brings different qualities to the party.
He was key to seeing the game out too but even after such a milestone victory on Merseyside, it seems fair to analyse and discuss Guimaraes' recent lack of impact upon matches.
The former Newcastle captain was a plug-and-play signing but both of the 28-year-old's goals (Sunderland and Leeds) have come from the bench.
For now, there's a debate to be had about whether he's more effective being introduced from the sideline compared to when he is starting.
Declan Rice of Arsenal
Declan Rice was excellent for Arsenal(Image: Stuart MacFarlane, Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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Arsenal's comfort defending their own box
You'd have to read this statistic twice to believe it. For the first time since Opta records began (2003-04), Liverpool failed to record a shot on target in a Premier League game at Anfield. Yesterday was the 442nd league match they had played at the venue since the start of the 2003-04 campaign.
Here's another stat to contextualise that. Andoni Iraola's Reds had 28 touches in Arsenal’s penalty area throughout the opening 45 minutes, the most on record (since 2008-09) by any team in the opening period of a Premier League game against Arsenal.
These are ridiculous numbers and for the Gunners to be so comfortable defending their box, against top attackers such as Alexander Isak and Bradley Barcola, is a credit to their durability as a cohesive unit.
They are so organised, so dogged, so compact and there's a genuine hunger and determination to stop whatever the opposition throws at them. That's six Premier League clean sheets from their opening nine games now. It's an absolutely outstanding record.
Additionally, Arsenal have now won 81.1 per cent of the Premier League games in which they’ve scored first under Mikel Arteta (137/169). Only Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho have a better record. Once the Gunners take the lead, opposition teams such as Liverpool are left with a mountain to climb.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
Mikel Arteta was delighted to win at Anfield as the first time as Arsenal manager(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
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Red-hot Tzolis
Mikel Arteta is head over heels for Christos Tzolis. There has been plenty of talk about Antonio Nusa in the past few days but the Greek provided a huge reminder of his quality on his long-awaited return from injury.
For £34million, he looks another steal. He wasn't overawed by the occasion and was up against a strong and physical customer in robust Liverpool full-back Ronald Araujo.
The Uruguayan attempted to clatter him in the opening exchanges of the game but Tzolis wasn't focused on his task and was so positive with his dribbling.
His biggest quality though is his productivity. He very rarely wastes chances, he uses the ball so well, can cross, score and create. He forced a big save from Alisson in the second half.
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Arsenal have missed him dearly but now he's back to fitness, Arsenal have a real player on their hands ready to elevate the level of the team's attack following a tricky few weeks. He was superb.
One thing that hasn't gone unnoticed in and around Arsenal since Tzolis joined is his attitude. He has a willingness to learn, improve and help the team and Arteta confessed during his press conference that Tzolis made it abundantly clear to him that he was eager to start. His performance was also convincing.