Another 1-0 for relentless Arsenal - but did Odegaard spare VAR blushes?

It was not pretty, but Martin Odegaard's goal was enough to secure the 1-0 win that ensured Arsenal go into the international break as the Premier League leaders. It was Arsenal's 34th 1-0 win under Mikel Arteta, to equal their best start to a Premier League season under the Spaniard of 27 points earned after 10 games in 2022-23.

No team has enjoyed more 1-0 wins since Arteta was appointed back in 2019, with the Gunners winning their past 10 home games in all competitions, keeping eight clean sheets in that time. A controversial video assistant referee (VAR) decision, which denied the Gunners a first-half penalty, threatened to be the story as a largely uneventful game drifted by.

When referee Farai Hallam was sent to the pitchside monitor for a VAR review for a shirt pull by Nobel Mendy on Kai Havertz, surely everyone inside the Emirates was expecting a penalty. The irony would not be lost on Liverpool fans, who were denied a VAR penalty for a shirt pull last weekend when Arsenal 's Jurrien Timber tugged back Alexander Isak.