Given how tight title races have been in recent years we may look back at this narrow Liverpool win against Arsenal as the deciding factor in the Premier League title race.

Who knows. It’s a bloody long season and we’re still in August. But what we do know is that Liverpool’s penchant to take more risks will surely pay off long-term if Arsenal continue to be content with going away to the big boys and being happy with a draw.

MORE — Arne Slot reaction | Mikel Arteta reaction

That may sound harsh on Arsenal. But it has been the same old story for a few seasons and they’ve come up just short again in a big game. Unless Mikel Arteta changes the setup and mentality of his team in these huge games, they are likely to come up just short again in the title race this season.

Why didn’t Arsenal take more risks against Liverpool? Arteta’s mentality in big games has to change.

Okay, Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz were out through injury for this trip to Anfield. Then William Saliba went off injured early and captain Martin Odegaard was only able to play 30 minutes in the second half. Eberechi Eze will be superb when he’s settled in and other new signings Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi and Noni Madueke have improved the squad massively too.

But Arsenal had Liverpool were they wanted them. They were the better, more adventurous team in the first half as Noni Madueke had run Liverpool ragged. This was Arsenal’s chance to stake their claim and then they stalled. They didn’t want to risk it in the second half.

They were stuck in the same cycle of being happy enough with a draw. They didn’t want to risk anything for the win. Even before Dominik Szoboszlai’s stunning free kick, Liverpool took more risks and poured forward and played balls into the box and forced the issue in the second half. And they won.

This current mentality hasn’t won Arsenal a title in recent years and that same mentality isn’t likely to win it for them this season either. Afterwards Arteta discussed what the final step is for Arsenal in these big games.

“At the end of the day you need to find a way to win these big matches. A lot of time individual magic moments decide them and for sure that was the case with an unbelievable free kick,” Arteta explained. “You have to put the ball in the back of the net when you have it. We were much better than last year when we drew the game. Much, much better. No difference. Today when we had three, four, five situations inside the box, one-v-one, when Ebz [Eberechi Eze] is completely through, just to finish the action you have to put those balls in the back of the net if you want to win the game.”

Extended HLs: Liverpool v. Arsenal Matchweek 3 Relive full-match highlights from Arsenal’s trip to Merseyside to take on Liverpool at Anfield in Matchweek 3.

Arteta defended Arsenal’s approach when asked if they needed to take more risks, saying they went man-to-man and played out from the back. He also bristled at the suggestion that Eze should have started and wanted to focus on the positives.

“You have to take a lot of positives from the game. The way we competed I haven’t seen Liverpool at home suffering like they did against us. We go again,” Arteta said.

There’s no doubt Arsenal will be very close to winning the title again this season. But something in the mentality of their coach and players has to change, significantly, if this is going to happen.

They have to take more risks in these big games when they have opponents on the ropes. They have to be okay with going for it even if that might mean losing the game. The scars from past pummeling’s away from home in Arteta’s early days at Arsenal are long gone.

Arsenal know they can now grind out draws away from home against rivals. They’ve passed that step. Now the final hurdle to get over is actually going for it against the teams who will be up there with them when all is said and done.

Liverpool took more risks in the second half and were rewarded as Arne Slot has spoken about his side being more adventurous and their games being more open this season.

When it mattered most at Anfield, Arsenal did the opposite. They retreated into their shell and were happy with a draw as they had zero shots on target in the second half. It cost them.

We can’t read too much into one game so early in the season, but the second half at Anfield on Sunday showed us why Liverpool are still ahead of Arsenal in the title race. Fortune favors the brave.