Liverpool vs Arsenal: Seven Key Battles Ahead of Huge Premier League Meeting

On Matchday 3 of the 2025-26 Premier League season, last term’s top two face off at Anfield. We look at the key battles when Liverpool host Arsenal on Sunday.

Is this the biggest game of the season already? Premier League champions Liverpool welcome their closest challengers from last season, Arsenal, to Anfield for a game on Sunday that gives both teams a chance to make a big statement in the 2025-26 campaign title race.

This will be the earliest the previous season’s top two sides have met in a Premier League campaign since 2017-18, when Chelsea won 2-1 at Tottenham Hotspur on Matchday 2.

Both have started with two wins from two, with Tottenham the only other side with a 100% record in the Premier League heading into MD 3. At least one of them will have dropped points by the end of this weekend, though.

There will be key battles all over the pitch, and ahead of Liverpool vs Arsenal, we have taken a look at what those could be.

Will We Have a Winner?

A victory would feel massive for either team, but will there be one?

The last four meetings between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield in all competitions have ended in a draw. The last time a team won the fixture was when Liverpool ran out 4-0 victors in their Premier League clash in November 2021.

Following a 0-0 draw in the League Cup semi-final first leg in January 2022, their last three meetings there have ended 2-2, 1-1 and 2-2, with Arsenal recovering from 2-0 down to rescue a point in last season’s fixture, though that came after Liverpool had already clinched the title.

In fact, the Reds have had more success against the Gunners at the Emirates in recent times; their last three wins over Arsenal in all competitions have all come in north London.

Liverpool are winless in six Premier League matches against Arsenal (D4 L2), their longest winless run against them since going eight without a win between October 2007 and April 2011.

However, Arsenal haven’t won at Anfield in almost 13 years. They are winless in their last 12 away games against Liverpool (D5 L7) since a 2-0 victory in September 2012. Notably, Mikel Arteta played for the Gunners that day.

A win would be huge for either team, even at this early stage of the season, but another draw might be the likeliest outcome based on recent history.

Is Arsenal’s Biggest Strength Liverpool’s Biggest Weakness?

It is not a new observation to say that Arsenal are potent from set-pieces.

They have scored 18 goals from set-pieces in the Premier League since the start of last season, the joint-most along with Nottingham Forest, while three of Arsenal’s six goals this season have come from corners.

In fact, since the start of the 2023-24 campaign, Arsenal have scored 33 corner goals in the Premier League – more than any other side in Europe’s big-five leagues. The Gunners have also scored from a corner in their last three games, but have never done so in four games in a row before.

Liverpool conceded two goals from set pieces in their 3-2 win at Newcastle on Monday, with the second in particular a sloppy one that allowed William Osula to equalise late on despite the hosts having just 10 men.

So, could Arsenal’s propensity for taking advantage of offensive set-pieces see them get some joy at Anfield?

The champions have generally looked vulnerable at the back in the early games of the new campaign, conceding twice against each of Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Newcastle, though it ultimately only cost them in their penalty shootout defeat to Palace in the Community Shield.

Specifically looking at set-pieces, though, of the 17 ever-present Premier League teams since the start of last season, only five have conceded more goals from set-pieces than Liverpool despite the Reds (11) going on to win the title last season.

However, it should be mentioned that only Arsenal (88) and Manchester City (87) have faced fewer shots from set-piece situations than Liverpool in that time (110), while only three had a lower expected goals against total from set-pieces (9.6). So, it could be down to variance and bad luck in moments more than just being bad at dealing with set-pieces.

Speaking of which, it should also be noted that Arsenal are one of those teams who have conceded more goals from set-pieces in that time (14), even though only Man City (7.6) had a lower xG against from such situations than their 8.1.

Liverpool’s defending hasn’t been great in their first few games, and they’ll need to be on their toes to keep Arsenal at bay generally, but perhaps especially from set-pieces.

Can Mohamed Salah Start Firing?

Mohamed Salah may have scored in Liverpool’s opening-day win over Bournemouth and grabbed an assist for Rio Ngumoha’s sensational added-time winner at Newcastle on Monday, but there’s still a feeling that he’s yet to get going in 2025-26.

Expectation levels are always high for the Egyptian, and especially so this season after last term’s sensational 47 goal involvements (29 goals, 18 assists), which equalled the all-time Premier League seasonal record set by Alan Shearer (1994-95) and Andrew Cole (1993-94) and set a new 38-game season record.

He both scored and assisted in 11 different Premier League matches in 2024-25, breaking another competition record, but in the win over Newcastle, he failed to attempt a single shot in a Premier League game in which he’d played more than 30 minutes for just the third time in a Liverpool shirt.

A meeting with Arsenal might provide the perfect opportunity for Salah to kick on, however.

Salah has scored 11 Premier League goals against Arsenal, with only Harry Kane (14) and Wayne Rooney (12) ever netting more against the Gunners. Those 11 goals have been spread across 10 different matches – only Kane (12) has scored in more individual games against Arsenal in the Premier League than Salah.

With Arsenal’s defence the meanest in the Premier League, allowing opponents just 0.86 non-penalty xG since the start of last season, it will be a difficult task.

But as the highest Premier League goalscorer still playing in the competition (187 goals), if anyone can breach their backline, it’s Salah.

Can Liverpool Trouble Arsenal Like Man Utd Did?

If there is one thing that has defined Arsenal under Arteta, apart from their efficiency from set-pieces, it is their defensive steel.

They have had the best defensive record in the Premier League in the last two seasons, as well as the lowest expected goals against, and they are yet to concede in 2025-26.

However, in their opening game of the season at Manchester United, Arsenal were fortunate to keep a clean sheet. They may have won the game 1-0, but United had 22 shots; the last time Arsenal faced more shots in a league game in which they didn’t have a man sent off was against Manchester City in August 2021 (25 shots). It was also the most shots they had faced in any league game they kept a clean sheet in since November 2020 vs Leeds United (25).

Arsenal did, though, limit United to just 1.5 xG, or an average xG per shot of only 0.07.

On Sunday, they come up against a Liverpool side who scored the most goals in the Premier League last season (86), had the most shots (648), recorded the highest xG total (83.5), and have already scored seven times in two games this season, the most of any Premier League team.

Things may have gone slightly awry for Man Utd since that promising opening-day performance, but their energy and directness saw them get at Arsenal for much of that game at Old Trafford, and but for an inspired performance from David Raya, Ruben Amorim’s side could and probably should have won the game.

Then you have Liverpool’s potent weapons. As we’ve discussed, Arsenal will come up against Salah on Sunday, who has an excellent record against them.

Coupled with that is the home form of Cody Gakpo, who has scored 17 goals in his last 18 starts at Anfield for Liverpool in all competitions, scoring at least once in 11 of his last 12 games as a starter at the ground.

And to top it off, striker Hugo Ekitiké has made an electric start to life at Liverpool…

Will Hugo Ekitiké and Viktor Gyökeres Score Again?

When these two teams met at Anfield in May, Liverpool played Luis Díaz up front, while Arsenal started Leandro Trossard at the head of their attack; neither one a natural striker.

Both clubs used the summer transfer window to bring in more traditional strikers, and so far, the decision has paid off for each of them.

Ekitiké was meant to be a bit of a project player for Liverpool, especially with the club reportedly also trying to sign Alexander Isak, who is undoubtedly more of a finished product than the former Eintracht Frankfurt man.

However, he has scored three goals in three games for his new club, with no other Liverpool player having scored more than once, while Ekitiké has attempted more shots than any of his teammates (eight).

He has scored in all three of his appearances for the club (including the Community Shield); the Frenchman is the first Liverpool player to find the net in each of his first three games for the club since Daniel Sturridge in 2012-13.

Viktor Gyökeres didn’t have the best debut for Arsenal at Manchester United, but showed what he is all about in the 5-0 demolition of Leeds United last weekend.

The Swede’s first goal for his new club in particular was typical of the impact he had at Sporting CP, cutting inside from the left channel before slamming his shot inside the near post. He later calmly dispatched a penalty to seal the rout.

Ekitiké and Gyökeres both have two goals from two Premier League games, and in a potentially tight encounter, could well be the difference makers, giving the game a new dimension after there weren’t any natural strikers on the pitch for the majority of their 2-2 draw only three months ago.

No Regrets

It’s a bit cliché to cite the midfield battle, but there’s just that little bit more narrative there for this game.

Liverpool tried and failed to sign Martín Zubimendi in the summer of 2024, and ultimately decided to give Ryan Gravenberch a go at playing at the base of the midfield as a result. It paid off and then some, with the Dutchman one of the most impressive players of the 2024-25 season that saw them clinch the Premier League title.

Zubimendi stayed at Real Sociedad before signing for Arsenal this summer, and in only his third game in the Premier League, the Spain international will come up against the club he snubbed 12 months ago. Will he show Liverpool what they missed out on, or will the man who benefitted most from that decision outshine him at Anfield?

Gravenberch made 60 interceptions in the Premier League last season, the third-most in the whole division, while he won possession 193 times, more than any other Liverpool player.

He made his first appearance of this season in the dramatic 3-2 win at Newcastle, and while Liverpool somewhat struggled to control things, Gravenberch scored the opening goal and was one of the visitors’ steadier players on the night.

Zubimendi has made a promising start to life at Arsenal too, having won possession more often than any of his teammates (10) across their first two Premier League games, while only Jurriën Timber (6) has made more than his five tackles.

Instead of wondering what might have been, both Liverpool and Arsenal will likely be looking at what could still be when it comes to their talented midfielders.

Will Top Teens Make an Impact?

Last weekend was quite difficult for people who don’t like being made to feel old. Not only did Rio Ngumoha – born over a month after Spain beat Germany in the Euro 2008 final – score the winning goal for Liverpool at Newcastle, but Max Dowman – born two weeks after the film Avatar was released in cinemas in December 2009 – made his Premier League debut for Arsenal in their win over Leeds.

Both made an impact, too. Ngumoha scored the winner in the 100th minute at St James’ Park, making him Liverpool’s youngest ever scorer and the fourth-youngest in Premier League history.

Dowman, meanwhile, came off the bench to become the second-youngest player in Premier League history, while he also terrorised Leeds down the Arsenal right and even won a penalty to allow Gyökeres to make it 5-0.

And despite the magnitude of the game on Sunday, and the fact their combined age is still lower than Mohamed Salah, there is a decent chance both will feature again.

With Bukayo Saka out injured, the assumption is that Noni Madueke will start on the right for Arsenal, but Dowman could well be the man to replace the former Chelsea winger should Arteta feel a change is necessary later in the contest. He has shown no fear so far, so even being thrown into the cauldron of Anfield may not phase him.

Ngumoha finds himself as arguably only one of two natural left wingers at Liverpool along with Gakpo now that Díaz has departed, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Arne Slot turn to him again on Sunday given the difference he made at Newcastle.

All the while, the rest of us can just sit there fuming that both teams feature players who have probably never heard of Ceefax or MySpace.

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