Notwithstanding a renewed strength in depth which will almost certainly help the north Londoners to finish the 2025/26 campaign more strongly than they have of late, Mikel Arteta's side had also remained unbeaten in their last six league games against the Reds.
Arsenal hadn't conceded a goal in 2025/26
Furthermore, the visitors to Anfield were the only side in the Premier League not to have conceded a goal this season.
Liverpool had seen a two-goal lead slip in both of their previous league games in 25/26, but to their immense credit had come back and won those matches.
The hosts were also on an 18-game unbeaten run at home whilst Arsenal had a 15-match unbeaten run away from the Emirates Stadium to protect.
Martin Odegaard was on the bench for the Gunners, and when he hadn't started for his side in their last seven away games, Arsenal had won only two (D3, L2) against Southampton and Wolves.
Perhaps surprisingly, new signing Eberechi Eze was also a sub for the match, which saw a white-hot atmosphere at Anfield before a ball had even been kicked.
Second time Liverpool hadn't featured an Englishman
Meanwhile, it was the second time this season that Liverpool's starting XI in a Premier League game hadn't featured a single Englishman. That's as many times as in their first 1,266 games in the competition between 1992/93 and 2024/25.
Sunday's fixture was therefore perfectly set up to produce some fantastic entertainment value.
Arsenal's early shape was compact and their work was consistently on the front foot, however, within four minutes William Saliba had to be subbed by Cristhian Mosquera and Arteta's subsequent worried look spoke volumes.
Not since Laurent Koscielny was taken off in the fourth minute of a game vs Everton in November 2012 had Arsenal lost a player so early in a Premier League game.
Noni Madueke caused early problems for Liverpool
The visitors looked vulnerable as Florian Wirtz took advantage of some sloppy play, though Liverpool's inability to construct anything of note from that early attack almost saw Arsenal take a chance with a break of their own immediately afterwards.
With the quarter hour approaching, the hosts' 70.1% possession and more than double the passes of a team renowned for their abilities in that regard evidenced that Arne Slot's side had settled much the quicker.
That said, Arsenal's seven touches in the Liverpool box compared to none at the other end suggested that there was more potency in attack from the visitors, with Noni Madueke causing problems for Milos Kerkez down the Reds' left-hand side and also ensuring Alisson Becker had to be at full-stretch to keep out his shot - the first on target from either side.
In many respects a congested midfield was keeping chances for both sides to a minimum and seeing both sides resort to a long-ball game for the most part.
Mikel Merino had won three of his four early one-on-ones, with Wirtz and Kerkez both a busy presence for Liverpool and each winning 100% of their three duels approaching 30 minutes played.
First half lacked quality
Declan Rice won't want to watch his direct free-kick that landed high up in The Kop again, whilst Viktor Gyokeres, from whom much is expected, hadn't even completed a pass in the opening half hour and had only touched the ball twice.
Much of the first-half arguably lacked the real quality that this fixture has often produced in the past, and that could be put down to how well matched the two teams have become.
David Raya was certainly lucky that his poor pass out wasn't taken advantage of as the game began to heat up, and Madueke should've bagged the opener shortly after as Liverpool once again backed off the Arsenal wide man.
Unusually for the hosts their general distribution was shocking despite still having the lion's share of possession, and Wirtz's 60% pass completion as the match approached half-time was a major reason why Liverpool were getting overrun in midfield.
Four shots in succession from Arsenal in four late first-half minutes was a positive sign for Arteta, though the north Londoners hadn't come close to making anything of them.
Fewest shots from Liverpool since October 2021
They hadn't gone on to win any of the last seven top-flight games against Liverpool that had been 0-0 at half time (D4 L3), whilst the Reds had attempted the fewest shots in the first half of a Premier League match at Anfield (2) since October 2021 v Man City (1).
As such, a goalless first 45 wasn't without incident, but nor was it quite the spectacle everyone expected.
Once the pattern of the second-half began to develop, Liverpool's attempts to play through the centre were again repelled by Merino and Martin Zubimendi, the pair winning back possession on five separate occasions between them.
Ryan Gravenberch's long-range effort drifting harmlessly wide and Mo Salah being marked out of the game - just one touch in the Arsenal box was all the Egyptian King had to show for his first hour's work - left the hosts and the crowd agitated and frustrated.
Hugo Ekitike looked to have scrambled home his third in three Premier League games just after the hour - a feat no Liverpool player had ever achieved - however, the offside flag would deny the hosts the all-important opener.
More urgent passages of play and Salah getting the better of Riccardo Calafiori raised the decibel levels inside the ground, and that was the cue for Arteta to send on Odegaard and Eze.
Stunning Szoboszlai free-kick wins it for Liverpool
Salah still hadn't attempted a shot or created a chance with 20 to play, and would've been aware that he's never previously started a Premier League match for Liverpool and failed to do both by the end of the match.
Liverpool were starting to get the better of their opponents in terms of forward momentum but with many of their players' pass completion stats in the final third at 50% or below, any promising moves were destined to break down.
Declan Rice, the Arsenal player with the most touches in the game (75) was a one-man brick wall for the visitors and could at least hold his head high.
With 12 minutes left, Ibrahima Konate, who had been faultless in the game with 43 completed passes from 43 attempted, had to go off, and just four minutes later an incredible long-range free-kick from Dominic Szoboszlai beat David Raya all ends up - the first goal that the Spaniard had conceded this season.
It was also the first direct free-kick scored in this Premier League fixture since Philippe Coutinho in August 2016, and Liverpool's 37th Premier League match in a row scored in - which is their longest ever run of scoring in consecutive top-flight matches.
That only appeared to galvanise the visitors who once again took the game to their opponents with a flurry of late chances.
It was too little too late, however, and the wait for an Arsenal win at Anfield goes on. 13 years and counting...
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