When Gary Neville labels someone a “lucky boy” following a typically guttural “oooooo” in response to a challenge with barely ten minutes gone there’s already great confidence in the spectacle.

Andy Madley deserves no particular credit for refusing to bend the unwritten rule which prevents yellow cards being brandished within the opening minute after full Premier League debutant raked his studs down Martin Odegaard’s Achilles. But fair play to him for following up that disregard for player safety by ignoring a second caution-worthy challenge from the teenager.

His decisions – or the lack of them – across a mad opening half engendered a level of chaos which needed no particular encouragement in the sort of Anfield atmosphere which greets a sense of brewing, if premature, expectation.

It was ‘a performance of champions’ throughout from Arsenal. But for the first 15 minutes it was a performance of different champions; free-flowing, high-pressing champions.

They were in full control. But it wasn’t a ‘we’re going to pass it from side to side and wait to bore the opposition into submission’ level of control. They were a genuinely absorbing watch, and full value for their lead courtesy of an errant Alisson pass and a superb overlapping run and cross from the incomparable Declan Rice.

We can’t remember a Mikel Arteta team ceding that control so quickly and comprehensively.

Ezri Konsa got himself in a tangle as David Raya looked to play out from the back and that moment emboldened the Liverpool press – which was as good as we’ve seen it under Andoni Iraola – and put the willies up Arsenal.

Gabriel Magalhães was the recipient of the first of two “embarrassing” tags from Neville, somehow diving upwards before inexplicably clutching his face. Alexis Mac Allister was the culprit in the second half following a head tickle from Noni Madueke. Both equally pathetic and ‘South American’.

“What’s he doing there?!” crowed Neville, and not in a racist way, as Milos Kerkez (a FULL-BACK!) got on the end of a ball forward in the centre-forward position and poked a shot wide.

Florian Wirtz smashed the bar from a free-kick, Alexander Isak nearly got on the end of a Virgil van Dijk header and Alexis Mac Allister really should have done better as he headed a brilliant Milos Kerkez cross over the bar.

But for all their exuberance – and there was a helluva lot of it between Arsenal’s opener and the half-time whistle – David Raya didn’t have a save to make. It’s the first time ever Liverpool haven’t had a shot on target at Anfield in Premier League history.

The regularity with which Arsenal’s defenders are in the right place at the right time is absurd. Bradley Barcola gave Jurrien Timber a headache or two for a time, but the Arsenal right-back grew to dominate his opposite number and that was the story across the pitch as the game wore on.

Iraola will be cursing his side for failing to create anything much at all in that period of dominance before half-time as Florian Wirtz’s ability to ‘make something happen’ continues to fight a losing battle with his ability to make the wrong decision. But the Liverpool manager’s first question after the game should be for Isak: “Why wouldn’t you appeal for a stonewall penalty?”

Upon feeling Timber attempting to rip the shirt off his back to prevent him getting a head on Barcola’s brilliant delivery, he turned to the Arsenal full-back and told him “that’s a foul” instead of the arm-waving, shouty reaction necessary to be awarded a penalty as the ‘VAR look at everything’ line is plainly codswallop.

The way in which Arteta’s side mitigated the chaos after the break was so, so impressive, and – frustratingly for those of who so enjoyed them take the game to Liverpool early doors in a madcap first half – is the truest ‘hallmark of champions’ that we’ve seen from them so far this season.

“Hey Meta, message the boys.” ‘We’re gonna win the title again.’