Dominik Szoboszlai produced a moment of brilliance to hand Liverpool a late 1-0 victory over Arsenal in a cagey Premier League clash at Anfield.
With the game seemingly destined for a stalemate, the Hungarian midfielder stepped up in the 83rd minute and curled a sensational free-kick into the top corner, leaving Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya helpless and sending the Kop into raptures.
Arsenal’s afternoon began poorly when key defender William Saliba limped off after just five minutes, replaced by summer arrival Cristhian Mosquera.
Mikel Arteta later revealed the Frenchman had twisted his ankle in the warm-up.
Chances were scarce throughout, with both sides showing one another plenty of respect.
Liverpool briefly thought they had broken the deadlock in the first half, but Hugo Ekitike’s close-range finish was correctly ruled offside.
Liverpool pressed harder as the second half wore on, but it ultimately took Szoboszlai’s piece of individual brilliance to preserve their perfect start to the season while condemning Arsenal to their first defeat.
Liverpool head into the international break with nine points from nine, yet still without fully hitting the exhilarating levels that carried them to the title last season. For rivals, that is a sobering prospect.
The hallmark of champions is the ability to find a way, and Jürgen Klopp’s side have done exactly that—late goals to beat Bournemouth, an injury-time winner at Newcastle, and now Szoboszlai’s decisive strike against Arsenal.
While not at their free-flowing best, Liverpool’s resilience and quality in key moments remain undeniable.
They now sit top of the Premier League and could yet strengthen further, with Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi a defensive target and continued speculation linking Newcastle striker Alexander Isak with a move to Anfield.
Arsenal came to Anfield hoping to prove they can truly challenge Liverpool this season, but instead left empty-handed once again.
While a defeat in just their third league game is no catastrophe, frustration will linger for Arteta, who watched his side contain Liverpool for long spells only to be undone late on.
The statistics make grim reading: Arsenal are now winless in 13 consecutive league visits to Anfield, with eight defeats and five draws since their last victory in September 2012.
New signing Viktor Gyökeres endured a frustrating afternoon against Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté, with service in short supply.
Substitute Eberechi Eze offered glimpses of creativity after coming on with 20 minutes to play, but Arsenal rarely troubled Alisson beyond Noni Madueke’s first-half effort.
Once again, Anfield proved an unhappy hunting ground for the Gunners, who must regroup quickly to avoid losing early momentum in the title race.
