Liverpool vs. Arsenal: 6 Things We Learned at Anfield

The crisis continues at Anfield, but as Arsenal head back to London with a satisfying win, Arsene apparently still knows.

Arsenal scored their first goals and first victory of the new English Premier League season on Sunday, beating Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield. The loss kept the Reds winless under new manager Brendan Rodgers and condemned the storied club to their worst league start since 1962-63.

New Arsenal signings Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla combined for both goals, and despite a slow start of their own, the Gunners are still unbeaten on the season without conceding a goal.

Here are six things we learned from Sunday's match.

For the second year running, August served as one extended migraine headache for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

Captain and (last season's) talisman Robin van Persie left the club, and the transfer deadline passed without a peep. The former caused fans and media alike to hoot and squawk, and the latter caused fans and media to hoot and squawk some more.

And yet Wenger persisted. On Sunday, he earned some measure of "I told you so" cred.

Santi Cazorla excelled again. Abou Diaby's loping stride and all-around performance gave Gooners flashbacks to Patrick Vieira. Lukas Podolski finally scored, Cazorla added the second, both players were involved in both goals and Wenger's side put together an uproariously satisfying victory at Anfield, traditionally an Arsenal house of horrors.

So, through three matches, Arsenal have five points, an unbeaten record and an unblemished defense. Simply put, there was lots to like Sunday, and there's lots to like going forward.

So let's all say it together one more time: Arsene knows.

As the sea around him forever pitches and yaws, Wenger forever remains Arsenal's anchor. That will be true for some time too.

It started with a thud, the opening-day loss at West Brom, and continued with a false start, the oh-so-close home draw with champions Manchester City.

The latest chapter of Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool revolution came Sunday. So what are we to make of it?

Liverpool were the better team in the first half, Lukas Podolski's opening goal aside. The Reds bossed possession and created chances while limiting Arsenal's time on the ball.

They didn't score, though, and by the end of the match, Arsenal fully deserved their victory.

The lack of scoring underlined the reality that Rodgers' Reds share some of the same downfalls that dogged Kenny Dalglish's side last season.

Problem No. 1 is finishing, and culprit No. 1 is Luis Suarez. As always, the crafty Uruguayan weaved magic with the ball at his feet, tricking Arsenal defenders and beating Per Mertesacker for pace with ease.

He never scored, though, and it wasn't for lack of chances. If Liverpool are to turn around their fortunes this season, he'll have to find his finishing boots.

Not that Suarez deserves all the blame. Fabio Borini failed to make an impact, and Pepe Reina didn't exactly excel against Arsenal's attack.

Nor was it all bad for Liverpool. Joe Allen completed more than 90 percent of his passes, and Raheem Sterling shined again on the wing, especially in the first half.

But at this stage of Sterling's career—he is only 17, remember—a supporting role would probably benefit him more than back-to-back 90-minute outings.

Such is Liverpool's situation at the moment, though.

Promising signs keep popping up for Liverpool. Rodgers must pull the strings together soon or risk losing the support of the fans—or worse, his superiors.

Arsenal's summer signings have known each other for a matter of weeks. They've played a handful of matches together and now have three league matches together under their belts.

Whatever the language is that they're speaking, it's starting to sound like the language of sharp football.

Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski combined for both of Arsenal's goals Sunday, and though Olivier Giroud misfired again, the combo of Santi and Poldi was more than enough to get Gooners salivating again.

It was, if we're being honest with ourselves, always going to be merely a matter of time before players as talented and creative as Cazorla and Podolski started creating goals. We saw that inevitability blossom Sunday.

Podolski started the counter-attack that led to the opening goal, and he finished the move too, after a deft dribble-run-and-pass from Cazorla right down the heart of Liverpool's squad.

The pair then played a neat one-two on the edge of Liverpool's box before Cazorla scored the second with a helping hand from Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina.

Giroud missed another big chance, and by this point, he really should have at least a pair of goals in league play. All the same, he worked hard and again served as a strong target man up front. If he continues that aspect of the game, Gooners will be content to wait on him to come good in front of goal.

But it looks like the wait is over for Cazorla and Podolski. Now let's see what they can really do.

Steven Gerrard is a Liverpool legend, and for years he's been the Reds' talisman and captain.

Three league matches into the Brendan Rodgers era, it's unclear where he fits.

Rodgers, as we all know, wants Liverpool to play a short-pass-oriented style. That style depends heavily on strict discipline in Rodgers' 4-3-3 formation.

Strict positional discipline hasn't been Gerrard's defining point with Liverpool. Rather, his trademark has been marauding runs and free rein to be himself.

As ESPN FC's James Martin writes:

While Rodgers wants Liverpool to play possession-based football, Gerrard still desires fast breaks. Where Rodgers sees short passes, Gerrard envisions longer ones. Too many times, quick interchanges were snuffed out not by Arsenal's pressure but by Gerrard's poor touch or inability to stick to the game plan.

A problem might be brewing at Anfield. How it plays out could be fascinating.

Theo Walcott and Arsenal butted heads in the press this week. Reports of showdowns and ultimatums emanated from the Emirates this week, and as of Sunday, Walcott remained unsigned beyond the 2012-13 season.

The England winger didn't play Sunday, and as the coach in Dazed and Confused would say, "Don't think I haven't noticed."

Walcott's conspicuous absence—speed demon Andre Santos even played before him—said plenty about manager Arsene Wenger's feelings about the issue. Arsenal's victory said perhaps more about the necessity of Walcott's presence.

Among all the bright spots for Arsenal on Sunday, few provided a more pleasant sensation than Abou Diaby's performance in midfield.

In the past, manager Arsene Wenger has pointed to Diaby as justification for his restraint in the midfield transfer market. Sunday suggested why that might have been yet another prudent bit of business by Le Professeur.

Diaby galloped up and down the pitch throughout the match, and at times, he was even breath-taking. We've seen this before, of course, only to be disappointed by Diaby's long injury history.

But if Diaby can stay healthy and maintain his form, he really will feel almost like a new signing—and an impactful signing at that.

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