Young blood and fans, secret of Arsenal's new resolve

Arsenal 3-2 win over Liverpool, not only took them back atop the Premier League but showed that Mikel Arteta's side have added backbone and self-belief to their thrilling brand of football, making them title contenders at last.

Arsenal have at times been one of the Premier League's most exciting teams but, have been characterised by their mental fragility and their tendency to crumble against top opponents.

That seems to be a thing of the past. In a pulsating match against Juergen Klopp's side, who pushed Manchester City all the way in last season's title race, they recovered twice from surrendering the lead, to come out on top.

It was only the second time Arsenal have beaten Liverpool in the Premier League in the last seven years, but the performance confirmed the team's new-found resolve.

For the fourth consecutive home game in the league, they have either fallen behind or conceded an equaliser but have still gone on to win, beating Fulham, Aston Villa and north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur before their latest scalp.

"I saw a team I really identify with, the personality they show in difficult moments," said Arteta.

Arsenal have been renowned for blooding young players since Arsene Wenger became manager in 1996, although a lack of success since their last league title in 2004, has often been put down to not having enough senior players.

But Arteta's team are also characterised by their youthful nature. The average age of their starting line-up on Sunday was 24, with goalscorers Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, both being a young 21.

The difference between this side and the under-achieving teams towards the end of Wenger's reign is their experience. Martinelli made his debut in 2019 while Saka has been a regular since the 2019-20 campaign.

The winger missed England's last penalty in the Euro 2020 final penalty shootout, but barely flinched when he stepped up to score the winning goal against Liverpool from the spot.

Another factor behind Arsenal's rise this season has been the attitude of the supporters, who have turned their ground into an unlikely fortress, winning all six games there this season in all competitions.

Arsenal's previous ground Highbury was jokingly referred to by rival supporters as the library and the 60,000-capacity Emirates Stadium, which they moved into in 2006, has also been mocked for a lack of atmosphere, with fans leaving early or lashing out at their own players when results went against them.

The home fans rose to their feet to rally their team after Roberto Firmino and Darwin Nunez's equalisers on Sunday and Arteta said the fans played a huge part in the win.

"I've never seen it like this. You cannot imagine how much it helps the players and how much belief and confidence, how much support it gives us. It's one of the nicest things we've done since we've been together here, to unite everybody and feel like you go here and you're going to have some experience," added the manager.

A video showing Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang criticising the Arsenal manager, had him clarify his comments on Mikel Arteta, saying that he had "a lot of bad feelings" for the north London club at that time, but wishes them well now.

The video, which leaked on social media, showed Aubameyang saying "Big characters and big players. He can't deal with it. He needs some young players who don't say anything." as spoke about Arteta.

On Monday, the Gabon international Aubameyang said that the video was recorded just after he arrived at Barcelona, whom he joined in February on a free transfer after terminating his contract with Arsenal.

"At the time I still had a lot of bad feelings in me. Arsenal are doing great things this season and I wish all my old guys well," tweeted Aubameyang, who signed for Chelsea in September.

"Just not on November 6," he added, referring to Chelsea's London derby against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.

Aubameyang had a fall-out with Arsenal and Arteta last season over disciplinary issues, as he was first stripped of the captaincy before having his contract terminated.

The 33-year-old has scored once in the Premier League for Chelsea, who are fourth on 16 points after eight games.