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Liverpool v Arsenal: Key stats and talking points
Matt Jones

BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool welcome Arsenal to Anfield on Sunday (16:30 GMT) in a heavyweight Premier League tussle.

After losing 3-0 to Manchester City, Liverpool have won four games in succession and are now six points off the top. They won at home in the league for the first time since April on Sunday, against Brighton, and carry the momentum of a Carabao Cup victory over Chelsea - 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw - into Sunday's huge game.

As for Arsenal, they will hope their EFL Cup exit to fourth-tier Fleetwood Town does not distract from the defence of their title. The Gunners coasted past Everton last weekend to move level on points with Manchester City, who had earlier slipped up at Aston Villa. They do have a dreadful record at Anfield, though, and Mikel Arteta will be looking to put that right.

Arsenal's Anfield hoodoo

Liverpool are starting to build momentum under new head coach Andoni Iraola and will be quietly confident of staying in contention for the Premier League title.

Crucially, some of the club's big-money signings have started to hit form, most notably star forward Alexander Isak. The striker now has six goals in the Premier League this season – a tally bettered only by Erling Haaland – and has scored in his past three matches in the top flight.

His game has become much more focused on penalty-box play this term, and he has showcased a ruthless streak with the opportunities he has had which is comparable to the Manchester City striker.

A table illustrating Alexander Isak's ruthless finishing so far this season

Liverpool have also loved welcoming Arsenal to Anfield down the years. In the past 13 Premier League meetings on Merseyside, the home side have won eight and drawn five. The Gunners' last top-flight victory there came in 2012 through goals from Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla.

Gunners look to get over cup shock

Arsenal will be looking to put that shock loss to Fleetwood behind them quickly.

Arteta would have been content with what he saw in the 2-0 win over Everton last weekend, especially following a draining 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich three days earlier.

The win over the Toffees felt a lot more like the Arsenal of last season. The Gunners scored their first after seven minutes and, in doing so, registered their first non-penalty set-piece goal in the Premier League this season. They also didn't give their opponents a sniff of goal.

Centre-backs Ezri Konsa and Gabriel grabbed the goals. At the back, the pair have been forming a solid partnership, with the team showing familiar defensive bite over their past two Premier League games to keep two clean sheets.

Aside from a ropey display on the road at Brighton, where they lost 3-0, the Gunners have once again been the standard-setters at the back.

They have the best defensive record in the division for goals conceded, while their underlying numbers are also the most impressive in the league after eight games.

Arsenal's defensive record in the Premier League this season

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