Szoboszlai, Liverpool make statement start to 2025-26 in win over Arsenal

Mark OgdenBeth LindopCloseBeth LindopCorrespondentBased in Liverpool, Beth Lindop is ESPN’s Liverpool correspondent and also covers the WSL and UWCL.Aug 31, 2025, 02:16 PM ETLIVERPOOL, England — Dominik Szoboszlai scored one of the greatest free kicks in Premier League history to seal a 1-0 win for Liverpool against title rivals Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday.The Hungary international beat Gunners keeper David Raya from 30 yards with a powerful right-footed strike in the 83rd minute after Liverpool had struggled to make any headway against Mikel Arteta’s side. Arsenal had controlled the game without being able to create clear chances and they paid the price when Szoboszlai scored his incredible free kick — an effort that drew comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo’s stunner for Manchester United against Portsmouth in 2008.Liverpool’s win means they are now the only team in the Premier League with a 100% record after just three games of the season and it moves them to top of the table ahead of second-place Chelsea going into the international break. — Mark OgdenSzoboszlai is Liverpool’s unsung heroIn the early weeks of the campaign, several Liverpool stars have grabbed the headlines. Summer signing Hugo Ekitike has been rightly lauded for his fine start to life in a red shirt, while Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha have stolen the show with winning cameos against AFC Bournemouth and Newcastle United, respectively.On Sunday, though, it was unsung hero Szoboszlai who put his name up in lights with a dazzling free kick to seal a precious three points for Arne Slot’s side. It is no less than the Hungary international deserves and further underlines his importance as one of the most crucial cogs in the Liverpool machine.With injuries to both Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong in recent weeks, Szoboszlai has been drafted in at right back and was arguably Liverpool’s man of the match against both Newcastle and Arsenal. His relentlessness and athleticism have been instrumental in two huge victories for the champions, and he showed his class at the other end of the pitch on Sunday by curling home a phenomenal strike from 30 yards.Despite Liverpool’s raft of summer signings, Szoboszlai looks set to be one of the first names on the teamsheet for the foreseeable future. — Beth LindopWirtz and Gyökeres not yet meeting expectationsFlorian Wirtz and Viktor Gyökeres arrived in the Premier League this summer as two of the biggest incoming signings — the former as the £116.5 million British record at Liverpool — but both are struggling to settle for their new clubs. That they were both signed as potential match winners, the keys that would unlock doors, makes their early performances even more alarming.Wirtz has done little of note in the Liverpool No. 7 shirt so far, and his game against the Gunners ended with the former Bayer Leverkusen forward limping off clutching his right thigh. The Germany international is clearly a classy player, but the speed of the game in England is leaving him in a whirl right now, and he needs to adjust to make an impact for Slot’s side.The same applies to Arsenal forward Gyökeres, who has been underwhelming since completing a £64 million move from Sporting CP.He scored twice in last week’s 5-0 win at home to Leeds United, but at Manchester United on the opening day and at Liverpool on Sunday, he looked well out of his depth. The Sweden international was dominated physically by Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté and he never posed a threat.The former Coventry City striker looks out of shape having had a disrupted preseason, but while he has ended Arsenal’s search for a center forward, he looks a long way from being the finished article. — OgdenLiverpool make statement start to 2025-26At the full-time whistle, Anfield let out an almighty roar. We might be only three games into the new Premier League season, but already there is a sense that Liverpool — psychologically, at least — have gained important early ground in this season’s title race.Before Sunday, Liverpool hadn’t beaten Arsenal in the Premier League since March 2022. Of the six subsequent encounters, the Gunners had won two and will have fancied themselves to continue that strong record against a Liverpool side that has been defensively porous in recent weeks.It was not a vintage Liverpool display by any means, however the champions — as champions so often do — found a way to win. There is still a very long way to go before the major prizes are handed out, and Arsenal have shown enough in these early weeks of the season to suggest that they will very likely be in contention for silverware come the spring.For now, though, Liverpool are the only team in the Premier League with their 100% record still intact, having beaten both Bournemouth and Newcastle already this term. There are issues for Slot to iron out but, as far as title defenses go, Liverpool have made a pretty impressive start. — LindopMadueke proving his doubters wrongNoni Madueke was the big-money signing that the Arsenal supporters didn’t want this summer.When news of the club’s interest in the Chelsea and England winner became public, Madueke was targeted on social media by Gunners supporters who believed that the 23-year-old was not good enough for their team. It was a sickening campaign targeting the player, but Madueke vowed to prove his worth in an Arsenal shirt, and he did just that at Anfield.Madueke’s work down the right helped Arsenal control the game and he repeatedly got the better of Liverpool defender Milos Kerkez. Arsenal weren’t able to capitalize on Madueke’s performance, but make no mistake, he silenced his critics with his performance. — OgdenLiverpool defense steals attack’s thunderFor all the talk of Liverpool’s defensive struggles over the past few weeks, it was in attack that Slot’s side struggled to shine against Arsenal.Across their first two games of the season, Liverpool conceded four goals, with Konaté coming in for plenty of criticism for his nervy displays. However, against Arsenal, the France international was one of the standout performers in a back line that reduced their opponents to an expected goals (xG) value of just 0.39.Alongside him, Kerkez — who has also been under plenty of scrutiny in recent games — also impressed despite the joy Madueke found on his flank, although it was a more difficult afternoon for their colleagues in the forward line. Liverpool recorded an xG of just 0.34 and, for much of the afternoon, struggled to create big chances against a robust Arsenal defense.Ultimately, Slot’s side came away with the victory, however the lack of attacking game changers from the bench — in spite of Chiesa and Ngumoha’s recent heroics — was glaring. Liverpool’s forward options could be bolstered in the next 24 hours if they are able to secure a deal for wantaway Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, but if not, the Reds risk going into a busy few months with a worrying lack of offensive options. — Lindop