Declan Rice was lively in Arsenal's midfield, while Liverpool's Florian Wirtz had another unconvincing game
By
Aadam PatelFootball reporter at Anfield
and
Alex HowellFootball reporter
- Published39 minutes ago
Kai Havertz's first-half goal made the difference asArsenalwon at Anfield in the Premier League for the first time since 2012.
Here's how we rated theLiverpoolandArsenalplayers, and your scores are below.
What do BBC Sport's player ratings mean?
- Published21 August
Premier League: Arsenal go top with rare win at Liverpool
Liverpool
Alisson:It was his error - a poor pass out - that led to Havertz givingArsenalthe lead. Made a great save to deny Christos Tzolis but that mistake ultimately proved costly.4
Ronald Araujo: Made his 12th consecutive start. Battled well as ever but was given a really tough test by Tzolis downArsenal's left.6
Jeremy Jacquet: Shaky in patches but had a decent game on the whole and made a superb tackle after slipping in the second half.6
Virgil van Dijk: Reliable as ever but will be so disappointed with how easilyLiverpoolgiftedArsenalthe lead.6
Milos Kerkez: Had a frustrating first half but delivered a lovely cross which Alexis Mac Allister should have headed in.5
Trey Nyoni: A real show of faith from Andoni Iraola to give the 19-year-old his first Premier League start. Looked a bit nervy early on but grew into the game.6
Alexis Mac Allister: Constantly involved in the first half but will know that he should have scored when Kerkez found him.6
Bradley Barcola: Started down his preferred left flank and causedArsenalplenty of problems, though he is still waiting for a first Premier League goal.7
Florian Wirtz: Hit the bar with a great free-kick in the first half, but a player with his price tag simply has to do more in big games.6
Cody Gakpo: Looked lively initially, but Riccardo Calafiori dealt with him very well. Could have had a penalty, but the appeal was waved away by Andy Madley.5
Alexander Isak: Got in some good positions but couldn't find the net. Unlucky not to get a penalty when his shirt was pulled by Timber.5
Subs:
Szoboszlai (on 59, Nyoni):Back after a spell on the sidelines.6
Ngumoha (on 67, Gakpo):Didn't get on the ball as much as he would have liked.5
Munoz (on 82, Araujo):Tried to make an impact with his pace.
Koumas (on 82, Wirtz):Thrown on to add some energy.
Tsimikas (on 82, Kerkez):Didn't have much luck down the left.
Subs not used:Mamardashvili, Gomez, Endo, Gravenberch.
Arsenal
David Raya:Made a good clearance after a ball was played through theArsenaldefence in the first half. The usual assured performance from the goalkeeper.7
Jurrien Timber:Involved in a very good battle with Barcola and had to deal with a lot of attacks down the right side. Perhaps lucky to not give away a penalty for a shirt pull on Isak.7
Ezri Konsa:Continued his recent good form and was solid in the middle of theArsenalback four.8
Gabriel Magalhaes:Dealt with the threat of Isak and led theArsenalbackline.8
Riccardo Calafiori:Not allowed to attack as much as usual but a solid defensive performance from the left-back.8
Declan Rice:The midfielder provided the assist for Havertz's goal and wasArsenal's best player. His energy in midfield was a big reason the Gunners won the game.8
Bruno Guimaraes:An all-action display and involved in the move for theArsenalgoal. Subbed just after an hour.6
Martin Odegaard:Won the ball back which started the move for theArsenalopener.6
Noni Madueke:Heavily involved in the opening goal as he started after shaking off a knock. Tired as the game went on.6
Christos Tzolis:The winger's first start since September after injury and provided a threat from the left. Forced Alisson into an excellent save with a curling effort.6
Kai Havertz:Scored the only goal of the game, which he needed after a difficult couple of matches. Put himself about and linked the play.7
Subs:
Myles Lewis-Skelly (on 62, Guimaraes):Came on and helped to calm the game down forArsenalasLiverpoolpushed for an equaliser.7
Piero Hincapie (on 84, Tzolis):Brought on to see out the win.6
Viktor Gyokeres (on 84, Havertz):Introduced to provide a threat behind the backline.6
Merino (on 88, Odegaard):Added defensive strength for the closing minutes.
Subs not used:Arrizabalaga, Mosquera, White, Eze, Zubimendi.
How did you rate the players?
Player of the match
Number: 41
D. Rice
Average rating
7.42
Number:
33
R. Araujo
Average Rating:
5.90
Number:
5
J. Jacquet
Average Rating:
5.78
Number:
29
B. Barcola
Average Rating:
5.60
Number:
4
V. van Dijk
Average Rating:
5.59
Number:
42
T. Nyoni
Average Rating:
5.51
Number:
1
Alisson Becker
Average Rating:
5.49
Number:
73
R. Ngumoha
Average Rating:
5.38
Number:
10
A. Mac Allister
Average Rating:
5.37
Number:
7
F. Wirtz
Average Rating:
5.32
Number:
8
D. Szoboszlai
Average Rating:
5.29
Number:
18
C. Gakpo
Average Rating:
5.19
Number:
6
M. Kerkez
Average Rating:
5.07
Number:
9
A. Isak
Average Rating:
4.99
Number:
23
Víctor Muñoz
Average Rating:
4.98
Number:
67
L. Koumas
Average Rating:
4.87
Number:
21
K. Tsimikas
Average Rating:
4.79
Back to team tabsNumber:
41
D. Rice
Average Rating:
7.42
Number:
15
E. Konsa
Average Rating:
6.99
Number:
29
K. Havertz
Average Rating:
6.98
Number:
6
Gabriel Magalhães
Average Rating:
6.90
Number:
33
R. Calafiori
Average Rating:
6.79
Number:
1
David Raya
Average Rating:
6.78
Number:
12
J. Timber
Average Rating:
6.72
Number:
8
M. Ødegaard
Average Rating:
6.70
Number:
17
C. Tzolis
Average Rating:
6.63
Number:
20
N. Madueke
Average Rating:
6.48
Number:
49
M. Lewis-Skelly
Average Rating:
6.34
Number:
39
Bruno Guimarães
Average Rating:
6.22
Number:
5
P. Hincapié
Average Rating:
6.16
Number:
23
Mikel Merino
Average Rating:
6.08
Number:
14
V. Gyökeres
Average Rating:
5.97
Back to team tabsAfter the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.
