Arsenal at their best have made the round of Premiership away matches look like a lap of honour for a championship they are bound to retain. The side was so quick-witted and fleet-footed at St Andrews recently that an awe-struck Birmingham City seemed to decide the match had been none of their business.

Arsenal's charisma, however, can occasionally be a brittle shield and tonight's trip to Anfield may just see a recurrence of their intermittent fallibility. Arsenal have so far visited three of the other clubs in the top six without recording a win. Chelsea had a 1-1 draw with them, while Everton and Manchester United have beaten the Highbury side. They have yet to venture to Newcastle United and the five-point advantage could be trimmed sooner or later.

There is a refinement to Arsenal's play that means they are sometimes nonplussed by a direct approach from the opposition. Manchester United did not let hauteur prevent them from using a disruptive, aggressive style to fracture Arsenal's pattern.

In general, for example, Arsenal derives little benefit from aerial prowess at set-pieces and Thierry Henry, at 6ft 2in, had not headed a goal in the Premiership until the recent victory over West Ham United. In view of the disciplinary record, it would be unwise to treat the Arsenal squad as a bunch of paragons, but they are at their best when at their most sophisticated. There is no fall-back tactic that would let them trample a path to goal. Sometimes Arsenal seem taken aback when opponents dispense with the niceties.

There is a suspicion, too, that the equanimity of the Arsenal defence can be disturbed. For reasons of age, arrangements there can look provisional. David Seaman and Martin Keown are bound to be replaced in the foreseeable future. The latter, suspended tonight, will be replaced by Pascal Cygan who, after a good start at Arsenal, began to look more like a stopgap acquisition.

Wenger has been applying his energies to that area of the squad, with an agreement struck for the Swiss centre-half Philippe Senderos to join the club in the summer, but he is only 17. The expected purchase of a goalkeeper has yet to be completed.

The strain is still greater on Gerard Houllier. The goalless draw at Crystal Palace was more evidence that the revival of Liverpool is a faltering process. It is only human a manager should brood over the undeserved setbacks, such as the penalty kick Francis Jeffers secured to get Wenger's side a draw last month.

"Not winning at Arsenal has cost us," said Houllier. "It has made a big difference because I felt we turned the corner that day, and those two lost points could make a real difference in our season."

With Chris Kirkland ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, Jerzy Dudek returns to Premiership action for the first time since a calamitous display in a defeat by Manchester United at Anfield. Houllier admits he was "stunned" by the error-ridden patch the Pole endured but the accent should not be on Liverpool's goalkeeping this evening. Above all they must shake Arsenal's assurance.

Guardian Service