Ian Doyle with the main talking points after Liverpool's hard-earned victory against Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon
Ian Doyle has covered Liverpool for more than 20 years, following them across Europe in multiple Champions League and Europa League finals and as far afield as Thailand, Singapore, the United States, Hong Kong and Qatar, and has reported on the Reds winning every major honour. He previously also covered Everton for 18 years and followed England, reporting on the European Championships and World Cup final. Once had to tell Jude Law he does not drive a Mini.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 31: Cristhian Mosquera of Arsenal closes down Florian Wirtz of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield on August 31, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Florian Wirtz eventually limped off with cramp after a promising second-half showing in Liverpool's victory over Arsenal
(Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
If the manic encounter at Newcastle United last Monday gave Florian Wirtz an eye-opener regards the intensity of the Premier League, the visit of Arsenal was more an indication of the standards of English football. Not that it made the job any easier for the Germany international as he continues to acclimatise following his club record £116m arrival from Bayer Leverkusen earlier in the summer.
And Wirtz once again found it tough going, bounced to the ground by Riccardo Calafiori and sent tumbling by Declan Rice during an opening period in which he swiftly retreated to the periphery.
He wasn’t the only attack-minded Liverpool player to struggle as Arsenal smothered a team still attempting to build new understandings in most areas of the pitch.
Had Wirtz not appeared after the interval, it would have been understandable. But Arne Slot stuck with the new recruit and was rewarded with an improved showing as the 22-year-old began to grasp what was required.
Indeed, his most telling contribution was arguably in his own area with one vital clearance as Arsenal pressed late on. But Wirtz also began to find more room and become more of a threat at the other end.
As the clock ticked on to 89 minutes, Wirtz’s body decided that was more than enough and he made way with cramp. This was another big box ticked for the new boy.
Defensive duo respond
If the early-season scrutiny for Liverpool has been on the defence, two players in particular have attracted the greater attention. And both Milos Kerkez and Ibrahima Konate delivered an encouragingly positive response here.
While Arsenal were timid in attack first half, much of their danger came down the right through the jet-heeled Noni Madueke. Kerkez, though, was more than a match, ensuring he wasn’t often exposed for pace with a number of solid challenges while making life uncomfortable for his opponent.
And during the second half, one strong sliding tackle to halt a dangerous Arsenal attack roused the Anfield crowd.
Konate, meanwhile, was much more composed than of late, helped by overpowering Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyokeres early on to swiftly drag the home support onside and settle any self-doubt.
There will be concerns the Frenchman limped off towards the end, even if he claimed to be suffering only from cramp. Given Liverpool’s interest in Marc Guehi, the centre-back situation continues to intrigue during the final hours of the transfer window.
But with Alisson Becker solid, Virgil van Dijk impressive, Dominik Szoboszlai once again superb as an emergency right-back and Joe Gomez delivering an outstanding late cameo, a first clean sheet of the campaign was richly deserved.
Follow transfer deadline day live with the ECHO
Transfer deadline day is almost upon us and Liverpool still have business to do. It's already been a busy summer for the Premier League champions but they could still pull off a couple of blockbuster signings as the window comes to a close.
Alexander Isak's future remains unresolved, with the striker refusing to play or train for Newcastle United. Liverpool remain interested in a deal for the Swede.
Meanwhile, Marc Guehi has been a player of interest all summer and Liverpool could still launch a last-minute deal for the Crystal Palace defender.
You can keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and receive updates directly to your phone by subscribing to our LFC newsletters or joining our WhatsApp community below:
You can also follow LivEchoLFC on X (formerly Twitter) or Facebook, or listen to our podcasts on Spotify or YouTube by searching for Blood Red.
Midfield options for Slot
Remarkably, this was the first time Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister had shared a pitch since Liverpool claimed the championship back in April. It lasted barely an hour with Mac Allister, clearly some way short of full fitness and sharpness, replaced by Curtis Jones.
If Jones had been quietly composed during the Newcastle storm last Monday, here it was his hounding of the Arsenal midfield and especially his England colleague Rice that did much to wrest the momentum inexorably towards the home team.
With Szoboszlai excelling elsewhere, it demonstrated why Slot is in a better position to rotate his midfield resources during what is likely to be a demanding season.
This was Liverpool first win in seven against Arsenal in the league but extended their unbeaten home run in the competition against the Londoners to 13, matching the club record set almost 37 years earlier.
And Szoboszlai’s screamer means the only Premier League game under Slot in which they have failed to score remains the home defeat to Nottingham Forest almost a year ago.