Champions find a way: Szoboszlai’s thunderbolt sends Liverpool top and Anfield into rapture

Liverpool’s knack for late, decisive moments continued as Dominik Szoboszlai’s 83rd‑minute free-kick from 30 yards defeated Arsenal 1-0 at Anfield and kept the champions’ perfect start intact. In a tight contest where patience trumped risk, the Hungarian’s strike bent and dipped beyond David Raya to ignite the Kop and underline a familiar truth: this team knows how to win even when not at full fluency.

Arne Slot’s side absorbed Arsenal’s early organisation, raised the tempo after the break, and trusted in the process. The frustration of near‑misses—Hugo Ekitike’s disallowed finish and a chalked‑off sequence following Cody Gakpo’s offside—only primed the explosion when Szoboszlai, filling in at right-back, found the top-shelf moment the night demanded.

A mature control in a game of small margins

The first half was about discipline. Arsenal pressed high and tried to tempt errors as they played out, but Liverpool’s back line held their nerve. On 34 minutes, when Raya erred and Virgil van Dijk outmuscled Martín Zubimendi, the captain still chose restraint—seeking Mohamed Salah with a pass that wasn’t quite on rather than snatching at a shot. The message: don’t feed a game that wanted chaos.

With Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch anchoring the midfield, Liverpool kept their shape, trusted their spacing, and prepared to climb the pitch after half-time. The Kop’s demand for a higher line was answered; territory and pressure followed.

Back‑line bite: Konaté dominates, Szoboszlai does it all

Ibrahima Konaté bullied Viktor Gyökeres throughout, giving the Arsenal striker nothing to cling to. Van Dijk marshalled the rest, while Milos Kerkez made crucial recovery tackles as Noni Madueke tried to stretch the flank; Alisson’s sharp stop from the winger preserved the platform.

Forced into right-back duty with Jeremie Frimpong out, Szoboszlai snuffed out Gabriel Martinelli’s threat for most of the afternoon. Then he stepped into the spotlight at the other end, his technique from distance as pure as it has looked in a Liverpool shirt.

Disallowed drama before the decisive moment

Liverpool’s spark flickered before it caught. Ekitike thought he had forced the breakthrough in front of the Kop, only to see the flag raised for offside. It was a reminder of how slender the margins were in a match of tiny openings.

The clearest second‑half surge previewed the winner: Mac Allister zipped into Florian Wirtz, whose low strike squirmed from Raya’s gloves. As Gakpo arrived, the goalkeeper cleaned him out—an obvious penalty but for the offside. The ball then glanced in off Cristhian Mosquera and still would not count. Frustration never tipped into panic; belief remained.

A statement sealed by a 30‑yard screamer

Seven minutes from time, the dam burst. Szoboszlai’s free-kick arced and dipped with violence and precision, finding the postage stamp inside Raya’s right-hand post. The Kop detonated; the champions had mined a result from a game that offered very little to either side.

It capped a start that has become a calling card. Late winners against Bournemouth at Anfield and at Newcastle were followed by this latest dagger. As Jamie Carragher noted, Liverpool have nine points from nine in two very difficult fixtures without being near their best. With Manchester City beaten earlier in the day, daylight at the top has opened—Liverpool now the only perfect side, edging ahead in the early running.

Context, resilience and what comes next

There were costs—Wirtz departed injured and Konaté limped off near the end—but the collective composure never frayed. Slot’s team look secure enough to suffer and still strike. And with transfer‑window whispers suggesting possible late moves for Alexander Isak and Marc Guéhi, the champions could yet add more steel and sting.

Attention turns to Burnley away on 14 September, then Atlético Madrid at Anfield on 17 September in the Champions League. On nights like this, though, the takeaway is simpler: even when boxed into a narrow game, Liverpool’s belief and set‑piece quality travel. Champions, finding a way—again.