Premier League weekend: Arsenal win at Anfield, Bournemouth extend streak and Lavia makes progress
On the Premier League weekend of 2 November 2026, Arsenal beat Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield, Bournemouth extended their winning run to six matches and Roméo Lavia completed consecutive 90-minute appearances for Chelsea; Tottenham’s Roberto De Zerbi also handed an 18-year-old his first league minutes.
Arsenal’s victory at Anfield arrived where they had not won in the previous 13 visits and followed Mikel Arteta’s decision to “lock down” after taking the lead, a tactic that prevented the occasion or the stadium from unsettling his side. Liverpool registered no shots on target and conceded to Kai Havertz’s decisive goal, leaving them with “zero margin for the errors” that preceded the strike; the result left them nine points behind Arsenal with a quarter of the season gone. The piece recalled Arsenal’s 2-2 draw at Anfield in April 2023, when Granit Xhaka’s confrontation with Trent Alexander-Arnold helped shift momentum back to the hosts.
Bournemouth have won each of their past six matches, scoring 16 goals while Alex Scott has been absent with a muscle injury, and the run has coincided with added defensive solidity under Marco Rose. Goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic has not conceded since the 5-1 defeat at Chelsea on 10 October and said: “The Chelsea game was the moment we changed all momentum.” Rose acknowledged the early weeks of the season forced a rethink and stressed collective work, adding: “Everyone in the team, starting from the attackers, is doing their job offensively and defensively.” Petrovic also emphasised the role of intensity: “If you have that intensity with the attackers, it gets easier.”
Roméo Lavia completed his first 90 minutes for Chelsea in the Carabao Cup defeat by Liverpool and followed that with a second consecutive full game in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Manchester United, in which he created the opening goal for Morgan Rogers. Lavia warned of caution because of past fitness problems but expressed satisfaction, saying: “As long as I feel good, I’ll do everything possible to help the team to get this type of result and I’m feeling good, so I’m very happy with my performance.” He added: “All I can say is that the work that we’re doing with all the people at the club is going well. It’s just about keeping it going. Hopefully it can continue this way.”
Tottenham moved toward a third successive Premier League victory against 10-man Crystal Palace and Roberto De Zerbi introduced 18-year-old Luca Williams-Barnett in the 88th minute, the academy graduate making an immediate impact with a first touch and pass before creating a chance for Mohammed Kudus. Williams-Barnett is described as “one of the best prospects to emerge from the Spurs academy in many years,” and De Zerbi explained his approach to youth: “My career is clear: when I have young, talented players, nothing changes.” He added: “I thought it was the right moment for him in the Premier League – but as a quality, he’s a big, big talent.”
Brighton’s Fabian Hürzeler credited the culture he is building after masterminding a 1-0 win at Manchester City that lifted the Seagulls to 19 points, saying: “For me, I think it’s a lot about connection. We work in the people business. And we speak a lot about players. But for me, it’s more important to understand the person behind the player. And therefore, we try to build a lot on connection. We try to build a lot on culture. Because I think having the right values, having the right connection, the right relationship between the players helps you massively on the pitch. On the pitch, they need to rely on each other, trust each other. And you can only build this on and off the pitch. And therefore, we try to emphasise this a lot.”
Brentford’s performances have produced optimism over a first potential European qualification despite a feeling points have been left behind; their 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest was their first win in five and their first clean sheet since the 3-0 win over Chelsea six weeks earlier. Igor Thiago scored his second goal of the season for Brentford, with the finish looping in off Nikola Milenkovic after Thiago’s movement created space for team-mate Jaidon Anthony to pick him out.
Julio Enciso’s loan return to Ipswich has coincided with increased influence: he has two goals, two assists and leads the club with 14 chances created, nearly double the next names on the list — Sasa Lukic, Emersonn and Abdul Fatawu, who have eight each. Enciso’s long-range strike earned Ipswich a vital point in a 2-2 draw at Hull. Sunderland’s head coach Régis Le Bris reflected on European demands, saying: “First year in Europe, you will have on average 10 less points. It’s our reality.” The report noted Sunderland have 12 points fewer after nine games than last season, that only Crystal Palace have conceded more goals and only Nottingham Forest have scored fewer, while Coventry have responded from a poor start by winning three of their past five.
Aston Villa face a “glamorous trip to Barcelona” first in their immediate schedule, with Unai Emery’s next Premier League assignment due to come at Old Trafford, according to the weekend coverage.