Arteta Urges Arsenal to End 14-Year Anfield Wait

The Gunners manager has challenged his players to approach Sunday’s clash against Liverpool with conviction and purpose as they seek their first win at Anfield since 2012

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has challenged his players to end the club’s 14-year wait for a Premier League victory at Anfield when they face Liverpool on Sunday, November 1, 2026.

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The Spaniard said the Gunners must approach the encounter with conviction and a clear sense of purpose, insisting that the team had come close to securing victory at the venue in recent seasons but needed to seize the opportunity this time.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Arteta acknowledged Arsenal’s lengthy winless run at Anfield but expressed confidence that his players could change the record.

“It’s 14 years that we haven’t won there, so it’s time to do it,” he said.

The Arsenal manager described Sunday’s fixture as an opportunity for his side to overcome a difficult record, drawing comparisons with previous occasions when his teams had ended long spells without victories at particular grounds.

“It’s an opportunity. I came here and in many places we were 20, 22 years, 18 years without winning, and we’ve been doing all these things, so on Sunday, that’s the opportunity that we have,” Arteta added.

He said the squad had spent the past few days discussing what needed to change, stressing that Arsenal must attack Liverpool with greater determination and make their intentions clear from the start.

According to him, the team must go to Anfield with the belief and purpose required to secure all three points.

“Well, going there with full conviction, that’s number one, and we’ve been very, very close in the last few years to win. But something is missing, and that’s what we’ve been discussing the last few days.

“To go there with a real purpose. To hurt them and get away from there with a victory,” he said.

Arteta also anticipated a demanding tactical contest, highlighting the aggressive pressing approach associated with Liverpool and other teams managed by Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola.

He noted that both sides were accustomed to pressing opponents high up the pitch and limiting the time available to play the ball, making Arsenal’s ability to escape that pressure an important part of the contest.

“We are both teams very aggressive in our high press, not giving any time to the opponent.

I know Andoni really well. So we’re both going to face a lot of moments that are very similar, and to escape or to break that, it will be important,” he said.

However, he stressed that overcoming the press would not be the only factor that determined the outcome.

The Arsenal manager also acknowledged Liverpool’s attacking threat, particularly the quality of striker Alexander Isak and the players who provide support around him.

Arteta said his team would need to keep the forward as far away from goal as possible while remaining alert to Liverpool’s ability to exploit spaces and launch dangerous attacks.

“By keeping him as far from the goal as possible. We always try, it’s not only him, it’s all the connections that they have, especially when they have space to run.

“We know how dangerous they are in that kind of moment, and the quality of the striker that we are talking about. That’s the opposition in the Premier League,” he said.

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Arsenal will travel to Anfield on Sunday, November 1, hoping to secure a significant away victory and end their long-standing wait for success at the Liverpool stadium.