Liverpool vs. Arsenal score: Premier League result, highlights, stats as Szoboszlai screamer ignites Anfield

Dominik Szoboszlai scored a free-kick for the ages as Liverpool downed title rivals Arsenal 1-0 in a tense Anfield affair.

There was little to split last season's top two in the Premier League across the 90 minutes, but Arsenal fans will again leave with the sense that Mikel Arteta sent out a team with the handbrake on when the stakes were highest.

Reference to the Gunners' draw with Liverpool at Emirates Stadium last term and the stalemate against Manchester City during the 2023/24 run-in will be made, and Arteta must find a convincing answer after this latest setback.

The visitors were the better side in a first half of few chances. Noni Madueke gave Milos Kerkez a torrid time at left-back, but there was a lack of end product, and Viktor Gyokeres was virtually anonymous.

In defence of the former Sporting CP striker, Arteta's focus on solidity is stymying. New signing Eberechi Eze was on the bench despite Martin Odegaard not being match fit. Mikel Merino joined Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice in a midfield with plenty of attributes but not so much craft and guile.

A Liverpool team so porous against Newcastle United, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace already this season were seldom threatened, and they grew into the match after Hugo Ekitike scrambled home from an offside position.

Szoboszlai was superb as an emergency right-back before he thrashed his laces through the ball from 32 yards out. It is a goal to live long in the memory and underscore the current balance of power in English football.

JUMP TO: Commentary and highlights | Key match stats | Team news and lineups

Liverpool vs. Arsenal score

Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
Referee: Chris Kavanagh

Keep track of every game and every goal via SN's live Premier League scoreboard

Lineups:

Liverpool (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Alisson (GK) — 8. Dominik Szoboszlai, 5. Ibrahima Konate (2. Joe Gomez), 4. Virgil van Dijk, 6. Milos Kerkez — 38. Ryan Gravenberch, 10. Alexis Mac Allister (17. Curtis Jones) — 11. Mohamed Salah, 7. Florian Wirtz (3. Wataru Endo), 18. Cody Gakpo — 22. Hugo Ekitike (14. Federico Chiesa)

Arsenal (4-3-3, right to left): 1. David Raya (GK) — 12. Jurrien Timber, 2. William Saliba (3. Cristhian Mosquera), 6. Gabriel, 33. Riccardo Calafiori — 23. Mikel Merino (8. Martin Odegaard), 36. Martin Zubimendi, 41. Declan Rice — 20. Noni Madueke (56. Max Dowman), 14. Viktor Gyokeres, 11. Gabriel Martinelli (10. Eberechi Eze)

MORE: Is Declan Rice the Premier League's top midfield general?

Liverpool vs Arsenal stats

Liverpool vs. Arsenal live updates, highlights, and commentary

Fulltime

Liverpool get the win, Dominik Szoboszlai is the toast of Anfield. The champions have three wins out of three and have probably not played well yet. Same old story for Arsenal.

90 mins+7: VAR are examining a potential handball against Szoboszlai in his own box from Timber's long throw. Liverpool break, Chiesa has a shot deflected behind. The check is complete, no penalty, and that should be that.

90 mins: There will be seven minutes of stoppage time.

87 mins: Flashed into the area towards Odegaard but he can't keep it down.

85 mins: Eze shuffling into the Liverpool box, he goes down under pressure from Gomez but the referee says no penalty. He seemed to be looking for it.

83 mins: GGGOOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!!! Dominik Szoboszlai!!!!!

Does he ever fancy it!!! Unbelievable strike! Swerving, whipping and dipping into the corner at a rate of knots. Fantastic goal.

Available in the US

DOMINIK SZOBOSZLAI RAISES THE ROOF AT ANFIELD. SIMPLY MAGNIFICENT. pic.twitter.com/IeqsXYNyTP

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) August 31, 2025

Available in the UKL

Dominik Szoboszlai. WOW. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/AmSa5lVgcx

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 31, 2025

82 mins: Smart dribble from Jones and Liverpool have a free-kick about 30 yards out. Szoboszlai might fancy it.

80 mins: Liverpool will have to do without Konate for the closing stages. Konate is on in his stead, while Chiesa replaces Ekitike.

73 mins: The set-piece is half-cleared before Gabriel makes a superb block.

72 mins: Salah has been quiet but here he is, in the position he'd want in front of the Kop. But the touch is heavy from the Egyptian hero and his effort is closed down. Corner.

70 mins: Odegaard and Eze on for Arsenal. Saucy.

68 mins: The temperature has cranked up since that Liverpool disallowed goal. Feels like we're in grave danger of a football game breaking out.

63 mins: Calafiori tries his luck from range and Konate flings himself in the way. Corner.

60 mins: Ball into the Arsenal net... but the flag is up. Snapshot on the turn from Wirtz, Raya can't hold on and Ekitike puts away the rebound after Gakpo challenges the goalkeeper successfully, but the Dutchman was offside when the shot came in.

54 mins: Madueke again the man probing and asking questions, but at this stage there has to be some question about end product.

Kickoff: 2nd Half

We're back. Will this game catch for or, as I fear, will the idea of not losing so early on in the season appeal too much to both sides?

Halftime

Can't lie, that's been hard work. An Arsenal team with four centre-backs, three central midfielders and an in-form winger in Noni Madueke have been the best team. Liverpool's only slither of an opening came when David Raya gave them the ball. You sense Arsenal have this game where they want it but it's been so predominantly turgid that you wonder if they'll rouse themselves to take advantage.

40 mins: Another Rice corner. Calafiori's header goes wide under pressure. Liverpool standing up well to a physical bombardment but they're definitely playing Arsenal's game at this stage.

36 mins: Arsenal have zeroed in on this Madueke vs. Kerkez battle. The England winger gets into the box. Kerkez scrambles to deflect his shot over but the Liverpool left-back is living on his wits a bit.

34 mins: Raya gives away a dreadful pass from inside his own box and is probably fortunate he picks out Van Dijk a good distance from his natural habitat. The Liverpool skipper passes and Mac Allister has his shot blocked. That was Liverpool's first touch inside the Arsenal penalty area.

29 mins: Rice clatters an ambitious free-kick halfway up the Kop. It's made me feel a bit silly.

22 mins: Rice's corner is half cleared and Madueke gets off a decent left-footed attempt, given the ball fell slightly awkwardly to him. Alisson plunges to his right to save.

21 mins: Madueke has impressed as Arsenal's main attacking outlet so far. He tears into Kerkez here and wins a corner as the Kop serenade the late Diogo Jota.

13 mins: Gakpo thuds a drive wide from the edge of the box. Liverpool maybe warming to things.

10 mins: Aside from the drama of that early Saliba exit, there's been little of note as the two teams feel each other out. David Raya taking his time on restarts.

5 mins: Arsenal forced into an early change and it's a potentially huge development. William Saliba hobbles off to add to Arteta's injury list and on comes summer signing Cristhian Mosquera.

Kickoff

We're away. Arsenal kicking towards the Kop in the first half.

5 mins: Here come the teams, out into the late summer sunlight on Merseyside. 

30 mins before kickoff: If you wanted anything else to stoke up the idea that this is a battle between the two title chasers, Manchester City have just lost 2-1 at Brighton from 1-0 up.

1 hour before kickoff: Here are the hosts. Alexis Mac Allister comes in as the only change from the team forced to go to the well against 10-man Newcastle on Monday.

Your Reds to take on Arsenal 👊 #LIVARS

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 31, 2025

1 hr 10 mins before kickoff: The teams are in. Mikel Arteta has gone for the robust option of Mikel Merino in midfield, with Martin Odegaard only fit enough for a place on the bench alongside new signing Eberechi Eze. Another of Arsenal's summer recruits, Noni Madueke, does start with Bukayo Saka sidelined.

⚪️ 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 🔴

©️ Gabriel skippers the side
↩️ Merino into midfield
🔙 Martinelli returns to the starting XI

Bring the fight, Gunners 💪

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 31, 2025

1 hr 20 mins before kickoff: Before the team news, we have some, errr, officials news. VAR Michael Salisbury has been stood down from duty for today's game after PGMOL acknowledged be made a mistake in recommending Rodrigo Muniz's goal for Fulham against Chelsea yesterday was disallowed.

1 hr 30 mins before kickoff: Arsenal did not lost to Liverpool last season; they didn't beat them either. Indeed, the title was sewn up by the time the Gunners arrived at Anfield for this fixture in 2024/25. Given the defensive vulnerability shown by Arne Slot's side over the past couple of weeks, you sense Mikel Arteta's men must take the chance to... as their club Twitter says... make a statement.

Make a statement. pic.twitter.com/GMAkq1ab0e

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 31, 2025

2 hours before kickoff. Welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of Liverpool vs. Arsenal in the Premier League. It's first against second from last season; who can land an early blow in the battle for the title?

Liverpool vs. Arsenal kick off time

The Premier League match kicks off in Liverpool, UK at 4:30 p.m. local time.

Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories:

Liverpool vs. Arsenal lineups, team news

Slot faced some key selection calls on the back of a bruising and dramatic 3-2 win at Newcastle United on August 25.

Dominik Szoboszlai covered at right-back, with Jeremie Frimpong sidelined with a hamstring injury, and Conor Bradley not fit enough to start. Slot said the latter has trained well this week but Szoboszlai continues as a makeshift option.

Curtis Jones drops back to the bench, with Alexis Mac Allister recalled after missing the Newcastle game with a minor injury.

Virgil van Dijk has been passed fit after being hurt by the challenge that saw Anthony Gordon sent off.

Liverpool starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Alisson (GK) — Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez — Gravenberch, Mac Allister — Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo — Ekitike

Liverpool subs: Mamardashvili (GK), Gomez, Endo, Bradley, Robertson, Chiesa, Jones, Elliott, Ngumoha.

Arteta has been dealt a blow with Bukayo Saka ruled out until mid-September with a hamstring strain.

The England star was forced off in the second half of Arsenal's 5-0 home win over Leeds United last weekend and his absence is a big setback, albeit one that the Gunners should now be better equipped to deal with after thanks to this transfer window.

Captain Martin Odegaard was also taken off with a shoulder problem against Leeds, but Arteta has the Norway international among his substitutes as Mikel Merino completes the midfield. Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz are still out, though, and Ben White has a minor niggle that keeps him out.

Noni Madueke gets he nod to start in Saka's right-sided slot. New signing Eberechi Eze starts on the bench with Gabriel Martinelli preferred.

Arsenal starting XI (4-3-3, right to left): Raya (GK) — Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori — Merino, Zubimendi, Rice — Madueke, Gyokeres, Martinelli

Arsenal subs: Kepa (GK), Mosquera, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman, Harriman-Annous, Odegaard, Trossard, Eze, Nwaneri.

Liverpool vs. Arsenal live stream, TV channel

Here is how to watch the match in some of the world's major regions: