The Liverpool hierarchy protected Arne Slot’s authority by axing Mohamed Salah from the Champions League trip to Milan. The Liverpool team followed suit by inflicting a first European home defeat on Internazionale since September 2022 courtesy of Dominik Szoboszlai’s 88th minute penalty. A brooding superstar with a bruised ego looked on from afar. Salah would have been on penalty duties had he not talked himself out of a showpiece occasion at the San Siro, another legend of the game that is showing its age. Instead it fell to Szoboszlai, the friend he argued should not be playing on the right ahead of him, to give Slot a precious victory after Alessandro Bastoni was penalised for pulling Florian Wirtz’s shirt in the box with minutes remaining. Continue reading...

Forward part of preparations for game against Inter No guarantee he will play following outspoken attack Mohamed Salah took part in a Liverpool training session on Monday afternoon as speculation continues to swirl around the Egyptian’s future following his outspoken attack on the club and Arne Slot at the weekend. Salah was all smiles as he and his teammates began preparations for Tuesday evening’s Champions League fixture with Inter at the club’s AXA Training Centre, most eye-catchingly speaking and laughing with Dominik Szoboszlai. Slot, meanwhile, could be seen watching the open session in the presence of a couple of his coaches. Continue reading...

As the pressure lifted inside Anfield and Liverpool entered stoppage time of their first Premier League win since 20 September, the Kop broke into a rousing chorus of Arne Slot’s name. But it’s easy to stand by your man when victory is in sight. A more significant rendition came at nil-nil, when the pressure was still firmly on and Dominik Szoboszlai had just squandered a glorious chance to punish the kind of lackadaisical defending that would ultimately prove Aston Villa’s downfall. Support for Slot was unequivocal when it mattered most. Liverpool, the Premier League’s crisis club before kick-off after six defeats in seven games, sit third in the table after starting an important week with a deserved win against Villa. A first clean sheet in 11 games reflected a more controlled performance from the Premier League champions and, as Slot admitted, a change in fortune. Unai Emery’s team struck the woodwork twice when the game was delicately poised but would prove the perfect guests for a team and head coach in need of recovery. Continue reading...

Sunday’s match was defined by a brilliant free-kick, but the way it came about showed the difference between the clubs’ managers Sign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson here There was a time, not that long ago, when almost all big games were stiflingly tense affairs – cautious, cagey, almost unwatchable but for the exquisite tension, the sense that this was too important to expect the football to be entertaining. The goal-heavy thrillers of the Pep Guardiola-Jürgen Klopp rivalry were a welcome diversion, but they always felt oddly transgressive – were we sure major clashes were supposed to be that much fun? In that sense, Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Arsenal on Sunday fit into a long-established tradition; in time the tedium will fall away in the collective memory and all that will remain is the majesty of Dominik Szoboszlai’s match-winning free-kick. Two other more recent traditions were observed amid the anxiety of Anfield: that Arne Slot will always somehow find a way, and that Arsenal will always somehow come up short. Few managers have ever had such a golden touch as Slot; he has a remarkable capacity to make decisions that don’t just change the outcome of a game, but do so in an obvious and unmissable way. This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com, and he’ll answer the best in a future edition. Continue reading...

Benjamin Sesko lacks sharpness, VAR spoils Josh King’s day and Sunderland have a man for the big moments It was always going to be a tight match but in the end it took a moment of genius from Dominik Szoboszlai to settle it in Liverpool’s favour. The Hungarian is an attacking midfielder by trade but since Jeremie Frimpong’s injury Arne Slot has found a new role for him at right-back. Szoboszlai had clearly learned some free-kick technique from Trent Alexander-Arnold over the years but his ability in the alien position was almost more impressive. He had almost no problems with Gabriel Martinelli and he quickly adapted to Eberechi Eze, who was a greater threat than the man he replaced, but Szoboszlai remained calm and collected throughout. He was able to defend well and also produced some stunning passes, distributing long and short, changing the dynamic of the match as Alexander-Arnold used to. The victory over Arsenal will be remembered for a split second of quality but Szoboszlai should take great credit for how he has adapted to help Slot and his teammates. Will Unwin Match report: Liverpool 1-0 Arsenal Match report: Manchester United 3-2 Burnley Match report: Chelsea 2-0 Fulham Match report: Brighton 2-1 Manchester City Match report: Tottenham 0-1 Bournemouth Match report: Leeds 0-0 Newcastle Match report: Wolves 2-3 Everton Continue reading...

Dominik Szoboszlai's sensational free-kick seven minutes from time proved the difference at Anfield in a contest in which chances were few and far between.

Watch Premier League highlights as Liverpool beat Arsenal at Anfield courtesy of a brilliant Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick.

Midfielder’s wonder strike clinches win against Arsenal ‘He was taking free-kicks. Finally I could have my chance ‘ Dominik Szoboszlai sent Liverpool top of the Premier League with a stunning free-kick against Arsenal and admitted he would not have taken the set piece had Trent Alexander-Arnold stayed at Anfield. The Liverpool midfielder maintained the champions’ 100% start to their title defence with the late “moment of magic” that Arne Slot said a boring game desperately needed. Continue reading...

Liverpool manager Arne Slot praises Dominik Szoboszlai's "quality and mentality" playing as a right back, after the Hungarian scored from a free-kick in a "moment of magic" to beat Arsenal in the Premier League.

If Liverpool are to successfully defend their Premier League title, they will look back on the moment when Dominik Szoboszlai sank Arsenal with a late and sensational free-kick as a foundation stone. There had been little between these rivals, the only clubs that maintained 100% records at kick-off time; pragmatism holding sway for long spells. Or maybe it was the fear of defeat. Would Arsenal have taken another Anfield draw beforehand? The answer was probably yes and it appeared that Mikel Arteta had placed the emphasis on being difficult to beat, first and foremost, with his line-up. He would use his new signing, Eberechi Eze, only as a 70th minute substitute. Continue reading...

Updates from the 8pm BST kick-off at St James’ Park Get in touch. You can mail Scott Newcastle did everything but score in their opening Premier League match at Villa Park. No big surprise, then, that they name the same starting XI as they did for that goalless draw last Saturday. Jacob Ramsey, the new arrival from Villa, is named as a sub. Liverpool make two changes in the wake of their emotional 4-2 victory over Bournemouth two Fridays ago. Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch come into the midfield; Jeremie Frimpong is injured, while Alexis Mac Allister is missing due to personal reasons. Frimpong’s place at right back will be taken by … either Jones or Dominik Szoboszlai. Let’s see. Continue reading...

Arne Slot spent the week partying in Ibiza after guiding Liverpool to their 20th league title with four games to spare. But against a Brighton team still desperate to qualify for Europe next season, the Dutchman and his side were brought back down to earth as Jack Hinshelwood’s late winner with his first touch off the bench sealed a memorable comeback for Fabian Hürzeler’s side. It was no more than the hosts deserved after twice falling behind to goals from Harvey Elliott and Dominik Szoboszlai, with Yasin Ayari and then another substitute – Kaoru Mitoma – equalising acrobatically to spark a frantic finale. Slot had no complaints as Mohamed Salah endured a night to forget in front of goal and Trent Alexander-Arnold looked relieved that he didn’t even get on the pitch after being booed by his own fans last week. Brighton can now travel to Tottenham on the final day knowing that their fate is in their own hands having edged ahead of Brentford in the race for eighth spot. Continue reading...

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