Liverpool maintains perfect start to season with win over Arsenal

Goals from Sadio Mane, Andy Robertson and Diogo Jota guided Liverpool to a comfortable victory at home against Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.

Liverpool players celebrate after scoring against Arsenal at Anfield.

Premier League champion Liverpool maintained its 100% start to the season with a 3-1 win against Arsenal at Anfield on Monday leaving it level on nine points with pacesetter Everton and Leicester City.

Liverpool created the early openings with Trent Alexander Arnold causing the visitor problems down its left. His cross was headed goalwards by Virgil van Dijk but Arsenal's David Luiz cleared off the line and then another ball from the full-back was volleyed straight at goalkeeper Bernd Leno by Sadio Mane.

But in the 25th minute, totally against the run of play, Arsenal grabbed the lead when it broke down the left and Andy Robertson miscontrolled Ainsley Matiland-Niles' cross, the ball falling to Alexandre Lacazette whose scuffed shot deceived keeper Alisson.

Highlights: LIV beat ARS 3-1

Liverpool responded swiftly though, drawing level three minutes later when Mohamed Salah burst in from the left and Leno parried his shot straight into the path of Mane who made no mistake from close range.

Robertson then made up for his mistake when he was picked out by Alexander-Arnold at the far post, chested the cross down and flicked the ball past Leno to make it 2-1 after 34 minutes.

Arsenal made life more difficult for the home side after the break and should have drawn level in the 63rd minute when Lacazette sprung the offside trap but his shot was too easy for Alisson, who parried it to safety.

But new Liverpool signing Diogo Jota, the Portuguese forward signed from Wolverhampton Wanderers, marked his debut from the bench with the goal that made sure of the win as he struck a well-taken volley from the edge of the box.

“(We were) dominant against a team in form and careful as hell that we did not get caught on the counter-attack,” said Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp.

“Alisson had to make one save, they had two chances in behind but apart from that the football we played was exceptional tonight,” he added.

The Gunners, which won its first two games, has now gone 28 matches without a win away from home against 'Big Six' opposition but manager Mikel Arteta saw signs of improvement.

“We were in the game for a big part of the game. The reality is they are superior to us in many aspects. You could see that in some phases,” said the Spaniard.

“I'm really happy in the way the team competed and kept believing. This is the standard we have to reach. We are on a different journey. They've been together five years, we've had a few months”.