Dominik Szoboszlai’s brilliant free-kick on Sunday fired Liverpool to a dramatic 1-0 win over title rivals Arsenal, and the Reds agreed a deal to sign Swedish striker Alexander Isak from Newcastle United, while Manchester City lost 2-1 at Brighton & Hove Albion to extend their troubled start to the season.
Szoboszlai curled a sublime set-piece past Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya with seven minutes left at Anfield in a tense clash between the two leading contenders for the English Premier League crown.
The Hungarian midfielder’s gem was enough to seal a third successive league victory for champions Liverpool as Arsenal lost for the first time this term following consecutive wins.
Photo: AP
The Gunners finished as runners-up behind Liverpool last season, and the clubs have been engaged in an expensive arms race since the end of the season.
Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike, and Arsenal’s Martin Zubimendi and Viktor Gyokeres had their chance to shine under the spotlight on Sunday.
None of the new additions dazzled. Instead, it was Szoboszlai, deployed out of position at right-back, who delivered the defining moment.
Photo: AFP
Zubimendi fouled Curtis Jones 23m from goal and Szoboszlai stepped up with a masterful finish.
Liverpool, who have the only 100 percent record in the top tier, go into the international break in a familiar position on top of the table as they chase a record 21st English title.
“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,” Liverpool coach Arne Slot said. “In the end, we needed a moment of magic. We will know at the end of the season what it’s worth.”
Arsenal must lick their wounds after a result that suggested their bid to end a run of three successive second-place finishes is still a work in progress.
“At the end of the game, I said we have to find a way to win these big matches,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said.
Earlier, at the Amex Stadium in Brighton and Hove City, striker Erling Haaland marked his 100th Premier League appearance with his 88th goal in the competition since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2022.
However, the 25-year-old’s third goal this season was not enough to help Pep Guardiola’s side bounce back from last weekend’s 2-0 home loss to Tottenham Hotspur.
James Milner’s second-half penalty hauled Brighton level before Brajan Gruda’s late strike completed City’s collapse.
“We forgot to pass the ball, just played long balls, and we were not good enough,” Guardiola said.
Matheus Nunes’ handball handed Brighton a lifeline in the 67th minute.
Milner sent James Trafford the wrong way with a clinical penalty before copying Diogo Jota’s goal celebration in tribute to his former Liverpool teammate who died in a car crash in July.
It was the 39-year-old’s first Premier League goal since 2019, making him the second-oldest scorer in the competition’s history behind Teddy Sheringham, who was 40 when he set the record.
City were in disarray, and German youngster Gruda made them pay in the 89th minute, breaking into the area before delivering a composed finish to spark wild celebrations.
West Ham United eased the pressure on coach Graham Potter with a 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest.
Potter had faced calls for his sacking after West Ham conceded eight goals in two successive top-flight defeats, then crashed out of the English League Cup at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Former Chelsea and Brighton boss Potter, who has only been in charge of West Ham since January, might have earned a stay of execution thanks to three goals in the last six minutes from Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Callum Wilson.
Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign Isak on a long-term contract for a British record fee of about ￡130 million (US$176 million), Sky Sports News and The Athletic reported.
Protracted negotiations over the deal have dominated the Premier League transfer window, which closed yesterday, with a Liverpool bid of 110 million pounds for the 25-year-old rejected last month.
Isak scored 23 league goals last season to guide Newcastle back to the UEFA Champions League with a fifth-placed finish while he also scored in the League Cup final against Liverpool to give them their first domestic trophy in 70 years.
He did not join Newcastle on their preseason tour and was forced to train separately in a tense standoff with the club, which manager Eddie Howe grimly described as a “lose-lose” situation.
Isak accused Newcastle of breaking promises and misleading supporters in a statement that confirmed he wanted to leave the north-east club, saying that change was in the “best interests of everyone.”
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