Arsenal have been the talk of the Premier League this season, sitting five points atop the table and hoping to win their first title since 2004. Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale says his side are relishing all of the pressure this pressure brings - an atmosphere which Ramsdale says they're relishing.
They've also welcomed Oleksandr Zinchenko from City as their set-piece coach, adding some winning mentality to the squad. However, this season they have allowed more chances through off set plays - with an xG rating jump from 0.18 to 0.34.
Aaron Ramsdale has been the key figure in Arsenal's recent surge to the top of the table, and if you had to pick one player who played an especially significant role, it would likely be him. Signed at a reported PS30 million (PS30million) fee last summer despite suffering consecutive relegations from Premier League with Bournemouth and Sheffield United, Ramsdale helped secure their position at the summit of English football.
Arsenal made a risky decision when they invested so much money on Ramsdale, who was only expected to serve as backup to Bernd Leno who had an established long-term contract. After Leno struggled early in the season, Mikel Arteta cut Leno loose and gave Ramsdale his first start of the season.
It only took him four games to keep Arsenal's first clean sheet this season - and his outstanding form has been the catalyst for their incredible start to the campaign. Not only has he kept Arsenal unbeaten thus far, but he also continues to rise rapidly up Gareth Southgate's England pecking order.
- Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold has come under heavy criticism this season for his defensive performance at right-back. Despite being an excellent player, he has often been caught out of position and lacks the necessary defensive awareness.
Liverpool have achieved remarkable success with him at right-back, but Jamie Carragher believes the time may have come for him to move forward.
The Reds have a preference for playing direct football and have had great success in the final third. As such, space in central areas remains wide open.
For Liverpool to succeed, Alexander-Arnold will need to transition into a central role at some point during his career. Fortunately, this should be possible from his right-back position.
Last season, Granit Xhaka was one of Arsenal's key players who helped them secure the title and has continued this success this season. He has scored three goals in four matches and created 1.5 chances per 90 minutes from midfield this year.
In addition to his iconic status as Arsenal's number one, Xhaka has also been an integral member of their defensive unit this season and has kept 13 clean sheets in 33 Premier League matches so far this campaign.
On Sunday against Liverpool, he provided Roberto Firmino with a stunning assist to head in an equaliser and was an integral part of Liverpool's attacking play with his fast pace and clever positioning down the right wing.
Football pundit Gary Neville has dispelled the notion that Trent Alexander-Arnold should move into midfield, despite his impressive performance on the pitch. He believes a move will not allow Alexander-Arnold to use his creativity more often and instead make him more of a defensive minded player.
After some weeks pass and the season-crowning montages are finalized, it could be tempting to suggest that Aaron Ramsdale saved Arsenal's title race at Anfield with his last-ditch full-stretch save in stoppage time against Mohamed Salah. That might have been the moment which kept Arsene Wenger's side in contention for the Premier League crown.
Mikel Arteta conceded his team lost two points in the title race by surrendering a 2-0 lead against Liverpool at Anfield, and acknowledged it needed some "magic" from Ramsdale to avoid an even worse outcome.
The Spaniard has often deployed Fabio Vieira in midfield, with varying degrees of success. But with Granit Xhaka set for five months out with a knee injury, Arteta wants to make an even greater impact with Emile Smith Rowe set as a substitute in their 3-0 victory against Wolves. By using England international Rowe at the centre of the pitch, Arteta demonstrated how versatile his player can be when given the chance.