Dominik Szoboszlai’s brilliant free-kick secured Liverpool a dramatic 1-0 victory against title rivals Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday.
The Hungary midfielder curled a sublime set-piece past Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya with just seven minutes remaining in a tense Premier League clash.
Szoboszlai’s moment of quality decided a match where expensive summer signings from both clubs failed to make their expected impact.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot acknowledged the significance of defeating last season’s runners-up by stating “if you win against a team like Arsenal, who last season were such a good team and have strengthened so much, it is very positive.”
The victory maintains Liverpool’s perfect start to the season and sends them into the international break atop the Premier League table.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta conceded his team must improve in major fixtures, saying “at the end of the game, I said we have to find a way to win these big matches.”
Manchester City suffered their second consecutive defeat with a 2-1 loss at Brighton despite Erling Haaland marking his 100th Premier League appearance with his 88th goal.
City manager Pep Guardiola criticised his team’s performance by stating “we forgot to pass the ball, just played long balls and we were not good enough.”
James Milner converted a 67th-minute penalty against his former club before Brajan Gruda’s 89th-minute strike completed Brighton’s comeback victory.
West Ham manager Graham Potter received some respite with a 3-0 victory at Nottingham Forest following mounting pressure after consecutive heavy defeats.
Aston Villa’s winless start continued with a 3-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace amid speculation about goalkeeper Emi Martinez’s potential departure. – AFP
