Wenger lauds 'clinical' Arsenal performance

An eight-minute first-half spell in which Hector Bellerin, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez all scored set the hosts on their way to a big victory at the Emirates Stadium.

Jordan Henderson's 76th-minute penalty proved a mere consolation for Liverpool, with the in-form Olivier Giroud adding the fourth following Emre Can's late dismissal as Arsenal climbed to second.

"It was a first half of quality on both sides," Arsenal manager Wenger told BT Sport.

"We had a strong start with big intensity. The keeper kept them in the game for a while.

"They had a good chance before we scored our first goal, but we were focused and clinical. If you look at the table and see the number of goals we've scored, it's not a coincidence."

Arsenal's fine form had Wenger musing on the possibility of a title challenge before the game, but he was staying grounded after a ninth home league win on the bounce.

He added: "We look up, yes, but we look even more game by game because, as I told you before the game, we need 100 per cent results and the only way to get that is to focus on the next one.

"We need other teams to have a weakness and we cannot master that."