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2026 could hardly have started any better for Arsenal, but will they claim a statement victory on Thursday night?
At the weekend, a Declan Rice brace and all-round midfield masterclass saw the Gunners beat Bournemouth 3-2 by the South Coast. With Man City enduring successive draws against Sunderland and then Chelsea to ring in the new year, Mikel Arteta's team sit six points clear at the top.
Thus, victory in mid-week would represent another gigantic step towards the title for Arteta's team. It would propel the Gunners 17 points clear of champions Liverpool, a fact that would have seemed preposterous when Dominik Szoboszlai lashed home that late free-kick at Anfield in August.
Thursday will be the Reds' 25th visit to Emirates Stadium since the ground opened two decades ago, with their record there documented below:
Arsenal vs Liverpool head-to-head record at Emirates Stadium
- Matches Played: 24.
- Arsenal Wins: 9. Draws: 9. Liverpool Wins: 6.
- Arsenal Goals: 37. Liverpool Goals: 34.
Arsenal lost three successive home matches against Liverpool in 2021 and 2022, but the tide has turned since then, so here are the Gunners five most memorable Emirates victories over the Reds.
Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool: FA Cup 2014
Back in 2014, similar to now, Arsenal were under pressure to end their trophy draught. It was nine years since Arsène Wenger had got his hands on silverware, most notably catastrophically beaten by Birmingham City in the 2011 Carling Cup Final.
Momentum was starting to build in the FA Cup, with the Gunners having dumped out fierce rivals Tottenham, as well as Coventry. However, they were handed a daunting fifth round tie against Premier League leaders and seemingly soon-to-be champions Liverpool.
On a memorable afternoon in North London, goals from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Łukas Podolski saw the Gunners prevail 2-1, despite a late Steven Gerrard spot-kick. Wenger's team would overcome Everton and then Wigan in a nerve-jangling penalty shootout, before fighting back from 2-0 down to beat Hull in the final, all of which would never have happened had they not ousted the Reds.
Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool: Premier League 2013
Earlier that very season, Wenger's team had already beaten Brendan Rodgers' side on what felt like a momentous evening. Back in November, while many were commemorating Bonfire Night, there were fireworks on the pitch too.
A brilliant goal by Cazorla followed by an astonishing volley by Aaron Ramsey, saw the Gunners defeat the Reds 2-0. At the time, Wenger's side had accumulated 25 points out of a possible 27 since a diabolical opening day defeat to Aston Villa.
Following the deadline day signing of Mesut Özil, everything appeared to be clicking, with Arsenal top of the Premier League. The very next weekend, in a highly predictable fashion, Robin van Persie was the only scorer as Man United beat Arsenal 1-0 at Old Trafford. Wenger's team did remain in the title race until about February, but this 2-0 win would prove to be the high point of the campaign.
Arsenal 4-1 Liverpool: Premier League 2015
The following season, with Alexis Sánchez now in their ranks, Arsenal finished third and retained the FA Cup, ending up 13 points adrift of champions Chelsea. Following inconsistent form throughout the campaign, the Gunners won 13 of 15 Premier League matches between Boxing Day and late-April to secure a top-four finish, and the visit of Liverpool was certainly the highlight.
In the early kick off on Easter Saturday, the Gunners crushed the Reds 4-1, scoring thrice in eight memorable minutes on the cusp of half time. Héctor Bellerín and Alexis were on target during this scoring spree, but the stand-out moment was a stunning Özil free-kick into the far corner.
This came in the midst of an eight-match winning run, a fortnight before the Gunners' narrow FA Cup semi-final victory over Reading at Wembley. With Rodgers' time at Anfield coming to an end, it really felt as though Wenger was building something special, even if that did not prove to be the case.
Arsenal 3-2 Liverpool: Premier League 2022
Now we come on to Mikel Arteta's time, and the most enthralling, exhilarating and entertaining Arsenal team many of us have ever seen. In 2022/23, the Gunners mounted an unexpected title challenge, winning 16 of their first 19 matches that season, accumulating 50 points out of 57.
The joy, the hope and the belief all Gooners experienced at this time may never be matched ever again. There was no expectation, just jubilation that all supporters finally had a team able to compete again at long, long last. There were, of course, plenty of memorable wins during these six months, but the 3-2 victory over Liverpool was certainly a zenith.
Gabriel Martinelli breaking the deadlock inside 60 seconds, and then Bukayo Saka bursting forward in first-half stoppage time, set up by Gabriel, epitomised what this team was all about. As does the fact that Darwin Núñez and then Roberto Firmino both equalised for the visitors, a trademark crazy encounter, but Saka slotted home a late spot-kick, as the starboy continued to transform into the talisman.
Arsenal 3-1 Liverpool: Premier League 2024
The only period of Mikel Arteta's reign to date that can rival the first half of 2022/23 is the second half of the following campaign. That season, the Gunners accumulated 49 points out of a possible 54 after New Year's Eve, pipped to the title by Manchester City on a heartbreaking final day.
This sequence included an eight-match winning run in which Arteta's team scored an astonishing 33 goals, thereby averaging a goal every 21 minutes. This included a victory over Liverpool, in which Saka opened the scoring, only for a catastrophic mix-up to present Jürgen Klopp's team with an equaliser. Nevertheless, an even bigger miscommunication involving Alisson and Virgil van Dijk allowed Martinelli to roll home, before Leandro Trossard lashed home a clinching third.
In his commentary for Sky Sports, Peter Drury uttered the immortal line "on the streets of North London, they dream their dream". Well, this very much remains the case, so can Arteta's team take another step towards fulfilling this dream when beleaguered Liverpool visit the capital on Thursday?