Liverpool and Arsenal go head to head tonight - as they both aim to protect their winning starts to the new season.
It was Mikel Arteta's diagnosis with coronavirus back in March that shut down the Premier League season until June, and Arsenal have landed two defeats on the reds since the restart.
Although Liverpool had already sealed the Premier League title by July's clash at the Emirates stadium, Arsenal were still impressive in their 2-1 win. And the gunners also managed to collect the Community Shield at the end of August - beating the reds on penalties after a Rhian Brewster miss.
But this game matters significantly more to both teams than those two fixtures. And with Man City dropping points at the weekend, our reds will be hoping to make it back to back wins against London opposition - building on last week's win away at Stamford Bridge.
After tonight's game, both clubs will also meet up again on Thursday night for a League Cup clash. It will be a fourth clash between the two teams in just over 10 weeks.
Both Jordan Henderson and Joel Matip are unlikely to be involved tonight - Klopp's most significant decision likely to be whether Joe Gomez or Fabinho makes it into the centre-half position.
As it happened...
After a weekend of football, Liverpool start this Monday in 4th place.
Arsenal, also defending a 100% start, are in third place on goal difference.
Aston Villa, another side with a 100% record (P1 W1) are currently playing away at Fulham.
It will take a big victory for either Arsenal or Liverpool to take overall top spot tonight - Leicester have a goal difference of 8 at the top of the table. (Helped by their 5-2 win over Man City!)
Alisson Becker is due back between the sticks - there were rumours that he had to have a late fitness test today.
One man who won't be involved for Liverpool though is Loris Karius. He has moved to Union Berlin in the Bundesliga on loan for the rest of this season.
Anfield Road ???? Alte Försterei
— 1. FC Union Berlin (@fcunion) September 28, 2020
Herzlich willkommen, @LorisKarius! ✌️
Zur Meldung: https://t.co/Fp9Z9GlH8x#fcunion #unveu ????⚪️ pic.twitter.com/GuY7O6jC5v
Some stats highlighted from the BBC:
- Arsenal's win at the Emirates in July was their first win in 10 Premier League games against Liverpool. The reds had won 5 and drawn 4 of the previous 9 games.
- It has been nine years since the reigning Champions last won their opening three Premier League games.
- Liverpool are unbeaten in 60 home Premier League games. Close to LFC's record of 63 games between 1978 and 1980, but still some way behind Chelsea's 86 game stretch of 2004-2008.
- LFC have scored in every Premier League home game since October 2018 (35 games).
- The last three times Thiago Alcantara played against Arsenal the scoreline ended up 5-1 - all for Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
- Arsenal are trying to win their opening three games for the first time in 16 years.
- Mikel Arteta is hoping to be the first Arsenal manager to win his first away game at Anfield since 1947.
Joe Gomez is back in the team, meaning Fabinho can move back into midfield to replace Henderson.
No Thiago in tonight's squad. He misses out with a minor fitness issue.
Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Keita, Mane, Salah, Firmino.
Subs: Adrian, Milner, Jones, Minamino, Jota, Origi, Williams.
Willian joins Aubameyang and Lacazette in the Gunners strike force.
Leno, Tierney, Holding, Luiz, Bellerin, Maitland-Niles, Elneny, Xhaka, Lacazette, Willian, Aubameyang
Subs: Rúnar Alex, Magalhães, Saka, Kolašinac, Ceballos, Pépé, Nketiah
Aston Villa have completed a comprehensive 3-0 win over current whipping boys, Fulham.
That win puts them in the middle of an Arsenal (3rd) and Liverpool (5th) sandwich in the Premier League.
For now, at least.
Fans are making tentative returns to stadiums across Europe.
But sadly not yet in England. Drone view of Anfield ahead of kick off.
We are underway at Anfield!
3' Sadio Mane goes into the book. Duel with Kieran Tierney and he basically pushed him out of the way.
Bit unnecessary so early on there from Sadio.
12' Cross from Trent and Virgil van Dijk gets his head on that.
Importance clearance by David Luiz.
16' Another great cross comes in and Sadio Mane smashes that goalbound.
It's straight at Leno in the Arsenal goal and he beats that one away.
21' Trent Alexander-Arnold's 25 yard shot takes a deflection off an Arsenal defender and bounces up on to the crossbar.
24' And now Wijnaldum, he collects the pass at edge of the area and slides a shot that Leno stops.
Hope Liverpool don't get sucker punched here - Arsenal are knocking it around at the back.
Knew it.
25' Quick break from Arsenal, they swing it in and Andy Robertson makes a horrible mess of it. Bounces off his foot and towards Lacazette who lifts it over Alisson.
Liverpool, against the run of play, are 1-0 down.
28' Keita and Firmino in the build up.
Salah powers around Tierney and has a shot. Leno punches it away, but only straight into the path of Sadio Mane who sticks it in.
Good response from the reds.
1-1.
34' Not for the first time this season, a Liverpool defender has made up for an error with a goal.
Alexander-Arnold swings in the cross, and who's there - Andy Robertson!
He does a much better job of collecting that one and puts it in the net!
Big hoof up pitch by David Luiz, but Maitland-Niles doesn't take that down very well at all and it runs straight to Alisson Becker.
He was offside in any case.
Excellent work from Liverpool for most of that half.
Completely dominant in chances and posession and the midfield, Keita in particular, have been at the top of their pressing game.
Arsenal took the lead against the run of play after an error from Andy Robertson.
But Mane fired back quickly before Robbo himself put the reds ahead on the night.
HT: Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal
We're back at it.
Liverpool kicking towards the banner filled Kop.
49' Trent gets his name into the book for a foul.
58' Arsenal looking a little bit better in this second half.
They still fancy something out of this game, and are trying to work the ball a bit more in the middle of the pitch.
ARSENAL SUB
Dani Ceballos replaces Granit Xhaka.
62' Virgil smashes one from about 25 yards. That's dipping right in front of Bernd Leno but he just times the bounce well enough to let that rebound off his forearms.
63' Should have been 2-2 there. Lacazette beats the offside trap but when he looks up Alisson is already bearing down on him.
He shoots, but Alisson narrows the angle and gets his arms behind that.
Good save Ali!
65' Mane and Firmino somehow combined to thread a chance from within some tightly packed Arsenal defenders.
Mane spins in the area but his chance goes narrowly wide of the post.
Chances at both ends. 3-1 or 2-2 - where is this going?
69' Bellerin yellow carded for a foul on the half-way line.
Nicolas Pepe comes on to replace Willian.
74' Eddie Nketiah replaces Lacazette for the final 15 minutes.
This lad is capable of spoiling this.
77' From an Arsenal attack, that Alisson intercepted, the reds have a great chance of their own.
Mane moving across the pitch - finds Firmino who's shot is deflected for a corner.
79' Naby Keita replaced by James Milner.
Sadio Mane replaced by Diogo Jota.
Mane doesn't look particularly happy but seems to accept Jurgen Klopp's explanation on the touchline!
Sadio has been brilliant here tonight. Probably a relief for the Arsenal defence that they've got ten minutes away from him.
84' He's already had a couple of chances.
Fired wide after working himself a chance at the corner of the area and then lashes a great Salah pass into the side-netting.
87' Thought Diogo Jota was about to unleash his debut goal before Salah tried to take the ball off him and it ended up with no one shooting.
Not one to knock a bit of Salah greed but that was a bit daft.
88' GET IN THERE!
Trent cross, headed away but only to Jota at the edge of the area.
He controls it with his knee and chest and then drills it in off the post.
DEBUT GOAL and that's going to be the three points.
90' Roberto Firmino makes way for Takumi Minamino.
All over at Anfield.
Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal
After an early mistake by Robbo - Liverpool hit back quickly with goals from Mane and then Robbo himself. In the final minutes, Diogo Jota made sure with his third bite at the cherry to score his debut goal for Liverpool.
The reds move into second place in the league, ahead of Everton on goals scored. Ha - they'll hate that.
Thanks for joining us.
Good performane. Leeds, Chelsea and Arsenal all dispatched for 9 points.
Next up for the reds, or perhaps the younger reds, it's.... Arsenal. At Anfield. Again. This Thursday night in the 4th round of the League Cup.
The two teams played in the exact same round last season and it ended 5-5 and went to penalties. Will we get anything like a repeat of that?
