But given the team in second are Manchester City, who are likely to be facing at the very least a major points deduction, perhaps more significant is that they are five clear of Brighton in third.
asserted
are → give → third
The season of domination that many anticipated from the champions appears to be coming to pass.
asserted
many → anticipate → champions
Liverpool challenged them on Sunday.
asserted
Liverpool → challenge → Sunday
There was a 20-minute spell before half-time when they swarmed all over Arsenal, and Anfield felt at least like it did in the golden years of Jürgen Klopp, when it buzzed with an energy that could overwhelm visitors.
uncertain
that → be → visitors
But Arsenal got through that, reset at half-time, and navigated the second half with relative comfort.
asserted
Arsenal → get → comfort
For the second league game running, they denied Liverpool a shot on target.
asserted
they → run → target
If there is a lesson, it is that Liverpool, like Brighton, demonstrated that a very aggressive press can unsettle Arsenal.
asserted
press → be → Arsenal
But then, a very aggressive press can unsettle anybody.
asserted
press → unsettle → anybody
In Arsenal’s loss at Brighton, Pascal Gross and Charalampos Kostoulas took difficult opportunities; at Anfield Liverpool were denied what should surely have been a penalty when Jurriën Timber tugged Alexander Isak’s shirt – another bad moment for VAR, in that the no-call essentially mandated players to go down and highlight contact.
asserted
call → take → contact
Later, Alexis Mac Allister put a free header over.
asserted
Allister → put → header
That was the difference, and this Arsenal team will not give opponents many chances.
asserted
team → give → chances
They are good at closing games out.
asserted
They → close → games
They also have a strong bench.
asserted
They → have → bench
The policy has been to make the squad deeper rather than adding the very highest quality – which is why the links with Vinícius Júnior over the summer were so unexpected.
asserted
links → make → summer
That has frustrated some, but it has been successful.
asserted
it → frustrate → some
Arsenal on Sunday could bring on Myles Lewis-Skelly, Piero Hincapié, Viktor Gyökeres and Mikel Merino to protect their lead with very little diminution of quality.
uncertain
Arsenal → bring → quality
But it’s not just on a man-to-man level that Liverpool’s options suffer by comparison; their changes upset the balance.
asserted
changes → ’ → balance
They never really had control of the game once Dominik Szoboszlai had come on for Trey Nyoni.
asserted
Szoboszlai → have → Nyoni
It’s been a recurring feature of this season that Arsenal turn half-time draws into full-time wins – it’s already happened seven times.
asserted
it → recur → wins
Winning individual games, though, is only part of it; a deeper squad means there can be more rotation, which should help prevent fatigue as the season goes on, as well as providing additional cover when injuries do occur.
asserted
injuries → win → cover
That said, their depth was not sufficient to get them past Fleetwood in the Carabao Cup last week, although they will face few games in conditions as challenging as those on the Lancashire coast.
asserted
they → say → coast
There are still three-quarters of the season to go, and Arsenal were in a similarly commanding position at this stage last season, four points clear of second-placed Bournemouth after nine games.
asserted
Arsenal → be → games
The expectation then was for a procession that didn’t materialise and looked, amid a spring wobble, to have gone awry.
asserted
that → materialise → wobble
Then as now the feeling was not merely that Arsenal were very good, but that none of their rivals looked especially threatening.
But this season they have the memory of winning the title; the insecurity of three successive second-place finishes should be lessened.
asserted
insecurity → look → finishes
There is a resilience to them that has already brought a first win at Anfield since 2012 and a victory at Nottingham Forest after successive goalless draws at the City Ground.
asserted
that → be → Ground
They’re picking up points at grounds where they’ve stumbled.
asserted
they → pick → grounds
Last season, City were more resilient than had been anticipated.
asserted
City → anticipate → ?
After seven straight wins they have lost successive league games to Aston Villa and Brighton, but the vulnerabilities that have been exposed had been apparent earlier in the season: a high defensive line that can be exploited.
asserted
that → lose → season
Liverpool are starting to coalesce under Andoni Iraola but they haven’t clicked quite yet and are, anyway, nine points adrift.
asserted
they → start → Iraola
Brighton have probably been the best other side, but they don’t have the depth to be considered a title challenger.
asserted
they → have → depth
Sunday made clear what was already widely suspected: Arsenal are the best team in the league by some margin.
asserted
are → make → margin
It’s not just their depth, their cohesion and the wide variety of situations from which they can score goals, it’s that they now have belief and are picking up points at places where they have often failed in the past.
asserted
they → ’ → past
And if they do build up a substantial lead by Easter, that could be hugely beneficial to their European challenge, which remains the one unconquered frontier.
uncertain
which → build → challenge
The Aporia
