A late equaliser by Cesc Fabregas cancelled out Steven Gerrard's first-half opening goal to earn a point for Arsenal at Liverpool and move Arsene Wenger's side back to the head of the Premiership table.
The draw ensured both teams maintained their unbeaten league records but it was Arsenal who scored the moral victory, standing up to Liverpool's robust, determined display to demonstrate that Wenger's emerging young side have the steel to maintain their impressive start.
The London club now sit above Manchester United having scored more goals than Sir Alex Ferguson's side and with a game in hand.
For Liverpool there was the disappointment of squandering a late lead but after a troubled week, Rafael Benitez and his players will take heart from their display despite remaining six points adrift of the league leaders.
Benitez had found himself under growing pressure after the midweek Champions League defeat against Besiktas in Istanbul that cast grave doubts over his side's ability to progress to the knock-out stages of Europe's premier competition.
Domestically, Liverpool's expected title challenge has so far flattered to deceive and with Arsenal, Manchester United and now Chelsea all moving through the gears, the Merseysiders desperately needed a positive result to boost flagging confidence.
Benitez delivered a clear statement of intent with a team selection that included record signing Fernando Torres at the head of a three-pronged attack alongside Dirk Kuyt and Andriy Voronin.
And the fiercely competitive opening - summed up by Voronin's late lunge on Fabregas that earned the Ukraine forward a yellow card - demonstrated the importance Benitez and his players were placing on a fixture crucial to their early season ambitions.
That combative approach quickly drew reward with Gerrard firing Liverpool ahead after just six minutes after Fabregas, still smarting from Voronin's challenge, upended Xabi Alonso as Arsenal struggled to snuff out a home attack.
Presented with a free kick just outside the Arsenal area, Gerrard finished ruthlessly, receiving a short ball from John Arne Riise and driving a powerful shot through the flimsy defensive wall and past a stranded Manuel Almunia.
Arsenal reacted in customary style, refusing to panic and weaving neat passing patterns all over the pitch that eventually forced Liverpool onto the back foot.
But as so often the case last season with Wenger's side, they lacked a cutting edge and apart from a 17th minute chance that fell to Emmanual Adebayor and was expertly blocked by home keeper Jose Reina, Arsenal struggled to carve open the home back-four.
In fact it Almunia who was the busier keeper and was forced into an excellent full length save to deny Gerrard a second when the England midfielder fired a dipping half-volley from the edge of the box.
Benitez's decision to restore Torres appeared to have back-fired by the interval when the former Atletico Madrid man, still clearly struggling with a groin problem, was replaced by Peter Crouch.
The change did little to disturb Liverpool's efforts with the substitute quickly forcing another smart save from Almunia. Arsenal's efforts at the other end, though, were far less impressive and fears grew this would not be their day when Emmanuel Eboue fired against a post and Fabregas blasted the rebound wide in front of an open goal.
Arsenal's controlled pressure began to tell as the game wore on with cracks finally beginning to appear in the previously stout home defences.
And the visitors were finally rewarded 10 minutes from time when Alexander Hleb's weaving run down the left flank stretched the Liverpool back-four. The Belarus international slipped the ball into the path of Fabregas who stabbed the ball past Reina.