Winning at Anfield is hard in any season. Doing it as champions, with everyone waiting for you to slip, says something about where Arsenal are right now.
Kai Havertz scored after 16 minutes on Sunday, November 1, and Arsenal defended that lead for the rest of the afternoon to win 1-0. A day later, Everton picked up a 1-0 win of their own at Newcastle, with Barry scoring four minutes after half-time.
The top of the table
After nine matches each, the table shows how tight the chase behind Arsenal is:
- Arsenal, 24 points
- Manchester City, 21
- Brighton, 19
- Chelsea, 16
- Liverpool, 15
- Brentford, 14
Brighton in third is the surprise of the autumn. Liverpool, meanwhile, are already nine points behind the leaders and lost again in midweek in the Champions League.
Haaland leads the scoring
Erling Haaland has nine league goals for Manchester City, three more than Liverpool’s Alexander Isak on six.
A title to defend
Arsenal won the 2025-26 Premier League, the club’s first league title in 22 years. Repeating that has historically been harder than winning it once, which makes a strong start like this one important. The next round of matches is played from November 6 to 8.
Why winning at Anfield matters
Anfield has been one of the hardest grounds in England for visiting teams for years, and Arsenal’s own record there was poor for a long time. A 1-0 win built on an early goal and a disciplined second half is the kind of result title-winning teams produce: not spectacular, but controlled. It also widened the gap to Liverpool, one of the clubs expected to challenge for the title, to nine points.
Havertz has a habit of scoring in big games. Before joining Arsenal from Chelsea in 2023, he scored the winning goal in the 2021 Champions League final. His movement between the lines, drifting from a forward position into midfield, makes him difficult for defenders to track, and it was enough here.
How rare is a successful title defense?
Since the Premier League began in 1992, only three clubs have retained the title: Manchester United, who did it several times under Alex Ferguson, Chelsea in 2005 and 2006, and Manchester City, who won four in a row from 2021 to 2024. Champions often find the following season harder. Rivals study them more closely, squads lose some hunger, and the target on their backs gets bigger. Arsenal’s start suggests they are handling that pressure well so far.
The schedule ahead
The next two months are where title races often turn. Between now and the new year, clubs in European competition will play twice a week for long stretches, including the traditional run of games over Christmas and the New Year. Squad depth and avoiding injuries matter as much as the starting eleven. Manchester City, three points behind, have a long record of strong form in the second half of the season.
What we think
Nine games is too early to call a title race, but this is how champions build a cushion before the winter fixture pile-up. The bigger story may be Liverpool. Nine points off the top and beaten twice in a week, they need a quick response, or their season shifts from chasing the title to protecting a top-four place.
