Liverpool 1 Arsenal 0: Szoboszlai’s screaming 30-yard free-kick sees Reds take early lead in title race after drab match

DOMINIK SZOBOSZLAI leathered home a 32-yard free-kick to settle the world’s most expensive game of cat and mouse. 

Two teams who had spent more than half a billion pounds between them could not be separated until the 83rd minute when stand-in right-back Szoboslai struck the winning blow. 

For Arne Slot’s champions, it was a third successive late win to leave them two points clear at the top of the pile. 

And Liverpool, who have already shelled out £290million in this transfer window, could yet land Alexander Isak and Marc Guehi on deadline day tomorrow. 

For Arsenal, it was a sickening finale after a strong defensive performance had threatened a third consecutive clean sheet. 

In a game of few chances, £67.5million new boy Eberechi Eze – who arrived as second-half sub – had a late penalty shout turned down as Mikel Arteta’s side left it too late to breach a Liverpool defence, which had corrected their own early-season difficulties. 

Even in August this was a fixture which felt it could be seriously significant in the title – a clash between last season’s top two and the two biggest spenders in world football this sumer, who were defending the last remaining 100 per cent records in the Premier League. 

While Arsenal arrived on the back of two clean sheets, the champions had tossed away two-goal leads in both of their previous matches only to win them late on. 

It is now 13 years since Arsenal won a Premier League match at Anfield – Arteta was a Gunner player back then.

The Spaniard resisted the temptation to hand a start to Eze, despite Martin Odegaard only being fit enough to start on the bench after hurting his shoulder in the 5-0 drubbing of Leeds. 

Instead, Mikel Merino started in midfield – where Alexis Mac Allister returned for Liverpool, with Dominik Szoboszlai still filling in at right-back. 

Just four minutes in, Arsenal’s injury jinx struck again – William Saliba fell awkwardly under a challenge from Hugo Ekitike and was replaced by Christhian Mosquera, a summer signing from Valencia. 

It was a tense, tight opening quarter – both sides better without the ball than with it. 

Cody Gakpo fizzed a shot narrowly wide and Noni Madueke – in lively form as Bukayo Saka’s understudy – won a couple of early corners and had a shot pushed out by a sprawling Alisson. 

From one corner, Mac Allister was probed for grappling with Merino – yet the VAR bar had been set back to high.

This, after the atrocious decision to disallow Josh King’s goal for Fulham at Chelsea, which led to the guilty official Michael Salisbury being shunted out of Stockley Park for this match. 

Liverpool were struggling for rhythm, with Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi both impressive on patrol in midfield. 

Madueke had a shot deflected over and each time Rice stood over a corner kick, The Kop seemed to collectively inhale – yet Liverpool were keeping the set-piece masters in check. 

Finally on the hour, Liverpool conjured a shot on target – Florian Wirtz’s effort spilled by David Raya to Cody Gakpo, who was felled by the Arsenal keeper as Hugo Ekitike bundled over the line – yet Gakpo had been offside from the initial shot. 

Viktor Gyokeres, struggling for service, was yellow-carded for a nasty challenge on Virgil Van Dijk. 

Then midway through the second half, came Eze and Odegaard – in place of the ineffective Gabiel Martinelli and Merino. 

They arrived just as Liverpool were beginning to pin Arsenal back. 

Ibrahima Konate, who had been excellent after a dodgy start to the season, suffered a thigh injury and was replaced by Joe Gomez, Federico Chiesa also arriving in place of Ekitike. 

And then the breakthrough finally arrived – Zubimendi upending sub Curtis Jones and Szoboszlai hammering home an effort which glanced off the post and left Raya helpless. 

Eze then found space in the penalty area and was nudged over by Gomez but ref Chris Kavanagh turned it down and the VAR high bar saved Liverpool.

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