Liverpool take on Arsenal in their final Premier League clash of 2018 this evening (5.30pm GMT). Here are all the key stats and facts ahead of kickoff at Anfield.
Best-Ever Records Continue
Liverpool have 51 points from 19 league games—their best start to a league campaign in their history. They are 16 points better off than at this stage last season.
A victory today will see Liverpool take 88 points from 37 league games in 2018—the best ever points-per-game ratio in a calendar year in their history (it would be 2.38).
New Era of Dominance?
Liverpool have won 19 Premier League games against Arsenal with the Londoners winning 15 and 19 draws. At Anfield in this era Liverpool have recorded 12 victories, drawing eight and losing six.
The Reds have won three of the last five meetings and are unbeaten in the last seven, with three victories and four draws.
Liverpool have not gone unbeaten in eight successive league fixtures against the Gunners since February 2000 when they extended that sequence to 12.
Clean Sheet Challenge
Arsenal are returning to the scene of a 4-0 defeat last season when Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and substitute Daniel Sturridge all on target.
That was Liverpool’s first clean sheet in 12 Anfield meetings.
In league and cup, they have kept four clean sheets in the last 44 meetings with the Gunners home and away while in the league it is three in the last 26.
Stay to the End
Liverpool have scored from the 90th minute onwards against Arsenal in three of the last four Anfield fixtures.
The meetings have now produced 17 goals in added time—a Premier League record.
Incredible Unbeaten Run
The Reds have now extended their unbeaten home league run to 30 games. They have won 21 and drawn nine since losing to Crystal Palace in April 2017.
Only on four previous occasions have they gone 30 or more without defeat in front of the Kop.
Avoid defeat in this game and 31 games will be their joint-third longest ever.
If they do so in this game Liverpool will remain unbeaten in the opening 20 league games of a season for only the third time in their history and for the first time in 30 years.
They have won 8 league games in a row: their best sequence since 11 straight victories from February to April 2014.
The first of those 11 was the 5-1 home win over Arsenal while the last team to prevent the Reds from winning this season was…Arsenal.
Mixed Omens for Arsenal
Arsenal have kept only one clean sheet in their last 19 Premier League away matches—the 1-0 win at Huddersfield last May in Arsene Wenger’s final game in charge.
In their game with Burnley a week ago Arsenal led at half time for their one and only time this season.
But going into this weekend’s fixtures, the Gunners have scored 21 goals away from home so far during the league campaign.
Only Tottenham (25) have scored more, although Liverpool have also scored 21.
This Season’s Scorers
Liverpool: Salah (15), Mane (8), Firmino (6), Milner (5), Shaqiri (6), Sturridge (4), own goals (2), Alexander-Arnold (1), Fabinho (1), Lovren (1), Matip (1), Origi (1), Van Dijk (1), Wijnaldum (1)
Arsenal: Aubameyang (15), Lacazette (8), Welbeck (5), Mkhitaryan (4), Ozil (4), own goals (4), Smith-Rowe (3), Iwobi (2), Mustafi (2), Ramsey (2), Torreira (2), Xhaka (2), Guendouzi (1), Lichtsteiner (1), Monreal (1), Sokratis (1), Willock (1)
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