Liverpool picked up an incredible important victory on Saturday evening, overcoming Arsene Wenger's side 3-1 at Anfield.

Goals from Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum sealed the victory despite an improved second half performance from Arsenal.

The win moves the Reds back into the top four ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixtures and maintains their unbeaten streak against teams in the top six this season. They've played the teams around them 9 times so far this term, winning 5 times and drawing 4 times, a mighty impressive record.

For Arsenal it's just another sign that they have hit a dead end this season and for many fans all blame leads back to the man in charge Arsene Wenger.

Here are FIVE lessons we learned during the 90 minutes...

Alexis Sanchez needs to start every Arsenal game when fit

Arsene Wenger's decision to bench Alexis Sanchez becomes more and more baffling the longer you think about it. The Chilean striker has scored a massive 20 goals for the Gunners this term including 17 in the Premier League. Fair enough, bringing Olivier Giroud in to play through the middle could've worked out well, but not deploying Sanchez on the left in that scenario? That doesn't make much sense.

If the Gunners are to dig themselves out of a hole and ensure Champions Leaugue qualification then he needs to start every match he is fit and available for.

Arsenal aren't very good at direct football

Britain Soccer Football - Liverpool v Arsenal - Premier League - Anfield - 4/3/17 Arsenal's Olivier Giroud with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger after being substituted Reuters / Phil Noble Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.  Please contact your account representative for further d

Arsene Wenger needed to make tweaks at Anfield to keep things tight after their heavy defeat to Bayern Munich but going so far in the other direction and going for direct football as opposed to their more traditional possession heavy game didn't work out.

It was clearly a system the players were unfamiliar with and while showing versatility is something Arsenal fans want to see more of out of Wenger, he needs to have this way of playing in his back pocket after months of practice on the training pitch, not a hastily arranged switch in response to heavy defeat in Germany.

Liverpool are very good against the top 6

Britain Soccer Football - Liverpool v Arsenal - Premier League - Anfield - 4/3/17 Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp celebrates after the game Reuters / Phil Noble Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.  Please contact your account representative for further details.

If Liverpool do finish outside of the top four this season, it won't be because the teams around them have beaten them in head-to-head action. The Reds are still unbeaten against sides in the top 6 of the Premier League this season and always seem to turn up for the big occasions, no matter their current form.

If they can just start dealing with games that they go into as heavy favourites then they can firmly establish themselves in the UEFA Champions League qualifying positions.

When Mane plays well, Liverpool win

When Sadio Mane plays well, so do Liverpool. It's been a very simple pattern for the Reds this season and was again evident on Saturday. The Senegal international was in lethal form, scoring one and setting up another.

He was very poor in the defeats to Hull and Leicester but in the big games his ability to impact the match is undeniable. On his day no opposition in the Premier League is able to contain him.

The pressure on Wenger is reaching massive levels

The pressure on Arsene Wenger is reaching new heights, especially after the decision to drop Arsenal's star man backfired massively on the manager. He's unlikely to leave the club before the season ends but as the calls for "Wenger Out" grow, his position at the club at the end of the season becomes increasingly untenable.

Is this is the last season of a magnificent era at the club?