Liverpool vs Arsenal preview: attacking questions shape Anfield title test

This Liverpool vs Arsenal preview centres on a team winning matches while still trying to convince. Liverpool host Arsenal at Anfield this weekend, with their Premier League title credentials under scrutiny despite a run of five straight victories.

Paul Merson believes Liverpool have to beat Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday to be considered contenders for the Premier League title. That view adds pressure to a fixture already being framed as a measure of how far the side have progressed under Andoni Iraola.

Five wins, but questions still follow Liverpool

Liverpool are fourth in the Premier League and have built momentum through a sequence of results across competitions. They have won their last five games, including a Premier League win over Brentford and a victory against Villarreal in which they conceded three.

They also knocked Chelsea out of the Carabao Cup at Anfield on penalties, adding another result to a run that has improved the mood around the club.

Yet there remains a sense that nobody quite trusts what they are watching. Liverpool are still regarded as a work in progress, with questions over whether they can create enough chances and break down stubborn opponents.

That is why Arsenal’s visit is more than another high-profile home game. It is a chance for Liverpool to show whether their recent run is built on sustainable performance rather than isolated moments.

Brighton win offered a cleaner argument

The strongest recent evidence in Liverpool’s favour came against Brighton. After a period in which wins arrived with caveats, the “asterisks finally ran out” in that match.

Liverpool beat the Premier League’s top scorers 2-0 and kept a clean sheet against a side that had scored 23 goals in their first seven games. It was also Liverpool’s first home league win since April.

That matters because the result addressed two concerns at once. Liverpool found a way to win at Anfield in the league again, and they did so without giving up a goal to one of the division’s most productive attacking teams.

The challenge now is whether that performance becomes a platform rather than an exception. Arsenal will test both the substance of the clean sheet and Liverpool’s ability to impose themselves in a fixture with title-race implications.

Scoring issue remains part of the debate

One reason the Arsenal match carries weight is that Liverpool’s improvement has not removed all attacking doubts. Iraola’s team have shot up the table after a slow start, but they are still not scoring enough goals.

That concern sits alongside the wider question of chance creation. Liverpool can point to the Brighton result, the Brentford win and the cup success over Chelsea, but the next step is producing a convincing attacking display against elite opposition.

Arsenal’s visit therefore becomes a test of balance. Liverpool need to keep the defensive control shown against Brighton while also proving they can create and finish enough opportunities against a side expected to expose any hesitation.

What happens next

Liverpool’s position is stronger than it was after their slow start, but the Arsenal match offers a sharper reading of their level. A win would support Merson’s argument that they belong in the Premier League title conversation; another uncertain performance would leave the same questions hanging over a team still searching for full trust.