Liverpool scored near the beginning of each half. Arsenal left Anfield without a reply.
John Toshack and Tommy Smith secured the 2–0 victory on 30 January 1971, interrupting a championship challenge that would eventually end with Arsenal winning the Double. For Bill Shankly, it was a useful measure of a Liverpool side still finding its way.
The league table showed the distance between them. Even after winning, Liverpool stood eighth, with nine victories and twelve draws from twenty-six matches. Arsenal remained second, five points behind Leeds United, having played a game fewer than the leaders.
Liverpool’s difficulty was turning games into wins. Their defence had conceded only sixteen league goals, but too many afternoons had ended level. Against Arsenal, they established a lead almost immediately.
Toshack scored the opener, with Brian Hall providing the assist. Liverpool carried that advantage into the interval, then Smith added the second early in the second half. Emlyn Hughes supplied the captain’s goal.
Shankly’s selection brought generations together. Ron Yeats played alongside Larry Lloyd, while Toshack and Steve Heighway were part of the attack. Across from them, Ray Kennedy was still an Arsenal forward.
For Bertie Mee’s side, this was a second consecutive league defeat, following their loss at Huddersfield. The January setback would not decide their season. They recovered to win the championship and beat Liverpool in the FA Cup final.
Nor was this the limit of Liverpool’s winter improvement. A week later they went to Elland Road and beat Leeds 1–0, again through Toshack. In successive league matches, Shankly’s team had defeated the two sides who would finish first and second. The league position still needed work; these results showed what Liverpool could already do.