Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Liverpool showed they have the “mark of champions”, according to Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson, as the Gunners moved three points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Kai Havertz scored the only goal in the 16th minute, securing Arsenal’s fourth successive league win and their first victory at Liverpool in 14 years. The result also made them the first team to prevent Liverpool from recording a shot on target in a home league match since Opta records began in 2003.
Merson had expected his former club to lose at Anfield, but said the result had erased concerns that Arsenal might have lost momentum after their surprise 3-0 defeat by Brighton last month.
“The way Arsenal defend, everyone does the right thing,” said Merson. “When you’re watching top, top players who have just won the league and still defend like they do, it’s a masterclass.”
He acknowledged that Arsenal had benefited from decisions involving VAR and a pull-back, but said Liverpool had failed to seriously test goalkeeper David Raya.
“David Raya didn’t really make a save,” he added. “You could call it a mark of champions. Let’s not get away from the situation with Man City, but you just can’t see anything but an Arsenal title.”
Merson said he had predicted at the start of the season that Arsenal would win the league by double digits and remained convinced they would do so. He also highlighted the significance of ending a long wait for a league win at Liverpool, while recalling the defeat at Brighton and questioning whether Arsenal had eased off after winning the title.
“When they won it [the Premier League], I thought we’d see an Arsenal team which goes out and plays with a little bit more flair,” said Merson. “They bought Bruno Guimaraes who’s a good footballer and started well but then they go to Brighton and get destroyed – and I mean destroyed.”
He believes Arsenal subsequently returned to the approach that had brought them success. They began strongly at Anfield, he said, and would have won comfortably had they added a second goal.
Instead, Arsenal protected their lead and frustrated Liverpool. Merson felt Liverpool should have been awarded a penalty involving Alexander Isak, but said that, despite their possession around the Arsenal penalty area, Raya was not forced into a save.
“They’ve gone back to type, they are an absolutely machine – at the highest level,” he said.
Merson described Arsenal as the team every manager would want and said Mikel Arteta could be delighted with how closely his players followed his instructions.
“I can’t see anyone beating them to the league title. They’ll win it comfortably,” he added.
He did, however, question whether Arsenal possess enough creativity on the counter-attack to hurt opponents in the Champions League, saying they lacked “that little bit of guile on the ball”.
In the Premier League, Merson believes Arsenal’s defensive strength means they do not need to score large numbers of goals.
“This team is unbelievable to watch,” he said.
