Liverpool manager Arne Slot hailed the ‘moment of magic’ from makeshift right-back Dominik Szoboszlai that propelled his team to a stunning late victory over title rivals Arsenal at Anfield.
Man-of-the-match Szoboszlai scored a magnificent dipping, swerving free-kick from 30 yards out seven minutes from the end of a tight, intense contest that had looked as if it were heading for stalemate.
It means that the Premier League champions still have a 100 per cent record in the new season with three wins from three matches, two of them against top five teams from last season.
It was an ominous statement of renewed hunger from Liverpool, who will take their £120m pursuit of Newcastle striker Alexander Isak down to the wire on transfer deadline day. If their pursuit is successful, the evidence, even at this early stage of the season, is that they will be hard to catch.
Arsenal played well enough to confirm the opinion that they will be Liverpool’s closest challengers but manager Mikel Arteta’s conservative team selection cost them the chance to beat Slot’s team at a time when they are still struggling to find their balance.
Already forced to start without Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, Arsenal suffered a fresh blow inside five minutes when defender William Saliba limped off with a twisted ankle sustained in the warm-up.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot hailed the ‘moment of magic’ from makeshift right-back Dominik Szoboszlai that propelled his team to a stunning late victory
The Hungary skipper scored a magnificent dipping, swerving free-kick from 30 yards out seven minutes from the end of the clash
Slot reserved his most effusive praise for Szoboszlai, who he started at right back at St James’ Park on Monday
Liverpool’s record signing Florian Wirtz limped off in the final minutes but Slot said the German playmaker was suffering from cramp. ‘It was his welcome to the Premier League,’ Slot said. ‘I don’t think he knew he could get cramp in so many different places.’
Slot reserved his most effusive praise for Szoboszlai, who he started at right back at St James’ Park on Monday. The Hungary midfielder responded with a man-of-the-match performance that he replicated against Arsenal.
‘He has always been a player who understands what a Liverpool player should look like,’ Slot said. ‘He tracks back, he presses high and it was an unbelievable game from him today in a position he has played once or twice in his life.
‘We have nine points now out of matches where we only got five points last season. I know we have had criticism for being too open in our first two games but you cannot say we were too open today.’
Arteta insisted he had picked a team to win the game, not to try to grind out a draw and Arsenal did enjoy the best of the first half. But Liverpool came back into the game after the interval and by the time new signing Eberechi Eze was brought off the bench 20 minutes from time, his chances to influence the game were limited.
‘We had a game plan to win it,’ Arteta said. ‘We elevated the performance to a point where they had to raise it and they did. You cannot dominate Anfield for 95 minutes and that is why the game changed. It was either going to be won by an error or a magic moment and they produced a magic moment.’
