Arsenal's team the last time they beat Liverpool in the league at Anfield | OneFootball

Highlights

Arsenal head to Anfield in search of their first win against Liverpool in the Premier League for 11 years. Mikel Arteta's side have been on fire in the opening half of the 2023/24 season and can ensure they spend Christmas at the top of the table with a win over Jürgen Klopp's Reds.

The atmosphere at Liverpool is revered as one of the best in the country and one of the best examples of this being the case in recent memory came in the 2022/23 season against Arsenal. The Gunners strolled into a 2-0 lead in their most recent visit to the stadium as they looked to wrap up a first league triumph in almost two decades.

A flare-up between Granit Xhaka and Trent Alexander-Arnold was the catalyst for the home crowd to get on their feet and spur their side on to grab a dramatic late equaliser, extending the run of winless trips to the red side of Merseyside for Arteat and co.

GK: Vito Mannone

Current team: Lille

The man tasked with keeping Luis Suárez, Steven Gerrard and co at bay was the Italian shot-stopper, Vito Mannone. Arsenal had many years of struggles trying to find a regular number one that could keep the club performing at the highest level and Mannone never nailed down a recurring place in the starting line-up. After making only 23 competitive appearances for the club, the goalkeeper was moved on to fellow Premier League side at the time - Sunderland - before then heading to Reading.

After his time in England ended in 2020, Mannone has been plying his trade in Ligue 1. First, he signed for Monaco, but was once again limited in his appearances over his two-year stint with the club. A single season at Lorient saw Mannone play 20 times, earning some much-needed game time. The 35 year old joined Lille in the summer of 2023 and is back to being the number two once more as he approaches the twilight years of his career.

RB: Carl Jenkinson

Current club: Newcastle Jets

Part of the back line that kept a clean sheet on that day at Anfield, Carl Jenkinson was a young English full-back that was expected to go on to achieve big things. Having been brought in from Charlton Athletic the year before, 2012 looked to be the year he was going to step up and nail down the right-back position at the Emirates for the next decade at least. That didn't turn out to be the case, however, as we look back in hindsight.

Jenkinson was contracted to Arsenal for eight years in total but spent a large portion of that time out on loan to the likes of West Ham United and Birmingham City. After struggling to make a mark while representing the Gunners, the defender was moved on to Championship side at the time, Nottingham Forest, in 2019. At 31 years old, he has spent the past 18 months in Australia, where he now turns out for Newcastle Jets in the A-League.

CB: Per Mertesacker

Per Mertesacker was known to not be blessed with blistering pace throughout his career - the majority of which was spent in the Bundesliga - but the big German defender had a very strong knowledge and understanding of the game. To keep top-level strikers such as Suarez quiet goes to show the intelligence of the centre-half. The success against Liverpool took place at the start of his second full campaign with the North London club and Mertesacker looked to be growing in confidence in his new environment.

He became a popular figure with the fans despite not playing in the most glorious era of Arsenal's history, and the former captain even retired at the Premier League club in 2018, at the age of 33. Some fans may be unaware, but Mertesacker's relationship with the club is still going strong as he has been in charge of the Arsenal Academy side since he hung up his boots. Tasked with harnessing the latest batch of extremely talented youth players, Mertesacker has already coached the likes of Emile Smith-Rowe and Bukayo Saka on their journey to the first-team squad.

CB: Thomas Vermaelen

Current club: Retired

Next to Mertesacker was a man that had all the talent to be one of the best centre-backs in the entire division. Thomas Vermaelen was supremely talented as he had plenty of pace and defensive awareness. Not only was the Belgian adept at protecting his own goal, but he was also more than willing to charge forward effectively to help his side in attack. Vermaelen averaged a goal every 10 games for Arsenal as he netted 15 times in 150 appearances.

Injuries limited how often he was able to get on the pitch, however, and by the time he departed the club in 2014, the former Ajax defender had an entire catalogue of prior fitness problems. going on to play for Barcelona, Vissel Kobe, and Roma, Vermaelen continued to suffer from these issues and never really hit the heights that were expected of him after his impressive start to life in England in 2009. Nonetheless, his performance at Anfield was imperious alongside his German partner in crime.

LB: Kieran Gibbs

Kieran Gibbs was a product of the Arsenal youth academy and a very solid left-back. Despite this, the Englishman struggled to establish himself as a regular first-team starter under Wenger. Initially breaking into the team as the understudy to Gael Clichy, Gibbs was given his opportunity to stamp his authority on the team as the Frenchman departed for Manchester City in 2011. While Gibbs was always a hard-working and talented option, Nacho Monreal was brought in to take the left-back position in the team.

The 34-year-old retired from football in 2023 after spending two years with Inter Miami, meaning he narrowly missed out on being Lionel Messi's teammate at the MLS club. This spell followed a four-year stint with West Brom. An up-and-down time at The Hawthorns saw Gibbs play in both the Premier League and the Championship. He completed the back four that kept Liverpool out during Arsenal's last win at the Merseyside club in the league.

CM: Abou Diaby

An example of a player that would have been incredible had injuries not plagued his career. Abou Diaby was a powerhouse in the middle of the park while also possessing the elegance and grace of a smaller player. His lung-bursting runs through opposition midfields gave Premier League fans a glimpse of what Yaya Toure would go on to do in the years that followed. Diaby wasn't all about his physical attributes either, as the French midfielder was skillful in his dribbling and had a thunderbolt of a strike on him.

Playing less than 200 times for the club in nine years, Diaby really had no luck when it came to injuries. After leaving and heading back to France, his fortunes didn't improve either, as he was forced to retire at the age of 31 after spending two years with Marseille. His talent was incredible, but the availability unfortunately wasn't there. He did run the game as Arsenal beat Liverpool 2-0, however.

CM: Mikel Arteta

Current club: Retired

The man looking to end the 11-year barren run at Anfield. Arteta will be on the touchline going head-to-head with Klopp in a tactical battle with the winner taking the top spot in the Premier League table in 2023. Rewind back in time, and the Spaniard was spraying balls around the pitch from the middle of the Arsenal team in 2011. The cultured midfielder was the man giving Diaby the license to get forward and support the attack as the Gunners outplayed their opponents.

After hanging up his boots in 2016, the former Arsenal captain went on to learn under the very best manager the Premier League has to offer - Pep Guardiola - as the Man City assistant manager. Having helped the Citizens to multiple trophies, the ex-Everton man decided to take his shot as a manager. He now finds himself embroiled in a second successive title race with his former employers, City.

RW: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Current club: Besiktas

One of the few players to still be playing at a high level, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was an exciting young winger at the time of Arsenal's success at Anfield. Little did anyone know that the English winger would go on to wear the famous red shirt too. Oxlade-Chamberlain would have to swap allegiances to earn another career victory in a Liverpool vs Arsenal fixture in the Premier League. He also went on to win every trophy on offer, including the league title and a Champions League while playing for Klopp's side.

In the 2023 summer transfer window, 'The Ox' left English football to pursue a new adventure abroad. Besiktas is the new home of the former Southampton youth prospect. His contract at Liverpool came to an end, and he was given a fitting sending-off alongside James Milner, Naby Keïta, and Roberto Firmino, who all departed the club at the same time. Oxlade-Chamberlain will be remembered fondly by both sets of fans.

AM: Santi Cazorla

Current club: Real Oviedo

Santi Cazorla was an absolute magician in the middle of the park during his time at Arsenal and the Spanish maestro dazzled the travelling fans that made the trip to Liverpool for the 2-0 win. This was one of the first games he played in the red and white shirt after securing a move from La Liga side - Malaga - in the summer of 2012. Cazorla scored the second goal of the game to tie up the victory. He was a huge success and perhaps one of Wenger's best-ever signings, which is a huge compliment when considering the calibre of players the French boss brought in over his long time at the North London club.

Injury issues threatened to end Cazorla's career, but one of the most two-footed players in Premier League history was determined to continue playing and still does so in 2023. He is back with the club he started his long and storied career with - Real Oviedo - in the Spanish second division. Having played for both Villarreal and Al Saad, the playmaker continued to play at a relatively high standard after leaving the Emirates in 2018.

LW: Lukas Podolski

Current club: Gornik Zabrze

It may not have been the most prosperous spell of his career, but Lukas Podolski added a certain threat to the Arsenal attack that had opponents worried. The German hitman spent the majority of his time in England as a left-winger and was one of the men to find the net in the last Arsenal win at Anfield. Opening the scoring on the day, he set his team on the right path to picking up the three points.

This was one of 31 goals in total that he managed for the club in a three-year period. Podolski has never found a bigger club to represent, but he is still playing in 2023 for Gornik Zabrze in Poland. Galatasaray, Vissel Kobe, and Antalyaspor are the other clubs to have secured his services in the eight years that have followed his exit from Arsenal in 2015.

Olivier Giroud

Current club: AC Milan

Olivier Giroud was one of the most underrated players to play for the club during the 2010s. The French striker was signed along with Podolski and Cazorla in 2012 to replace the outgoing Robin van Persie. He had fired Montpellier to the Ligue 1 title the previous year and his stock was very high upon his arrival in London. Giroud went on to score over 100 goals for the Gunners from 2012 to 2018, proving he was very capable at finding the net.

Arsenal fans may have split opinions on the forward as he went on to sign for fierce rivals Chelsea after being dislodged from the team by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. He would meet his former club in an all-English Europa League final in 2019 and even scored as Chelsea cruised to victory. Since then, Giroud has played his football in Serie A with AC Milan. He has lifted the Italian league and reached the semi-final of the Champions League during a successful period in Italy.