Key events
“Wonder goal from Liverpool worthy of winning any game,” writes Nic Oatridge. “However Arsenal should have been less tentative because they had Liverpool on the ropes at times. Martinelli was kept on too long but, there was a lot to like about Manueki’s performance.”
Konate gives his shirt away to a young fan. That’s nice.
Joe Pearson says: “Kerkez must have been reading his reviews. He had an excellent match.”
Slot is wandering around the pitch applauding the fans. He knows that days like this are significant.
Phwoar! Liverpool showed why they are champions against a very good Arsenal team. It was the tightest of matches and the greatest piece of quality settled it.
Full time: Liverpool 1-0 Arsenal
Szoboszlai’s brilliant free-kick settles a tense match in Liverpool’s favour.
90+7 mins: Calafiori’s long throw isn’t immediately cleared and a cross is sent back in but this time Liverpool whack it away. There is a little VAR check for a potential handball but nothing is doing for Arsenal.
90+6 mins: Eze produces a beautiful touch to beat Szoboszlai at the byline but he can’t find a pass in the box.
After the delay with Timber, we should get another minute or two.
90+5 mins: Calafiori sends in a swirling cross from the left; Alisson is concerned by it and eventually tries to palm it away. The ball reaches down who shoots but his effort is blocked.
90+4 mins: Kerkez performs a fine tackle on Dowman and moves Liverpool up the pitch, finding Chiesa with a pass but Mosquera takes it off the Italian’s toes.
90+3 mins: Timber hobbles away in need of some fluids.
Liverpool are very happy to just clear their lines here and get the ball as far away as possible.
90+2 mins: Timber goes down with cramp after sending a cross over everyone. Arsenal will want him up quickly.
“Early days, miles to go etc etc,” writes Mary Waltz. “But this is a big loss for Arteta. Arsenal management gave him everything he could want and he comes up short. Again. [Assuming Liverpool holds on].”
90+1 mins: The Liverpool fans are booing Arsenal’s every touch. There are almost 10 red shirts behind the ball at this stage. Arsenal are putting pressure on.
90 mins: Arsenal have a corner on the right, Odegaard swings it in but Alisson punches it a long way.
Seven minutes added on.
89 mins: Dowman is on for Madueke.
88 mins: A cracking clearance from Gomez who beats Gyokeres to a drilled cross from Madueke. His Liverpool teammates give him plenty of pats on the back because it is a crucial intervention.
Wirtz is down having treatment. He will be replaced by Endo.
“I am sure you know this, as you do your research, but the Hungarian for traction engine, is gőztraktor,” writes Paul Griffin.
86 mins: Alisson comes out to end an Arsenal attack after good defensive work from Kerkez.
85 mins: Eze does his best to get his team back into it, driving into the box with Gomez on his shoulder. The Arsenal winger does down, thinking he’s had a push in the back but it is certainly not a penalty.
84 mins: Can Arsenal react?
GOAL! Jones is bundled over by Zubimendi and the Basque is booked. Liverpool have a free-kick around 30 yards from goal it a very central position. Salah, Szoboszlai and Gakpo have a chat about it. Van Dijk offers his opinion but walks off. The Hungarian eventually thwacks the most incredibly free-kick over the wall, curling and dipping perfectly into the top corner. Raya has no chance. It is one of the best free-kicks I have ever seen.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Arsenal (Szoboszlai 83)
BLOODY HELL!
80 mins: I think Chiesa has gone down the middle … does anyone have Alexander Isak’s number?
79 mins: Konate does some stretches and takes on a pouch of sustenance but it looks like his race is run. Does any have Marc Guehi’s number? Gomez pleases him and Chiesa is on for Ekitike.
Rick Harris says: “There seems to be a general reluctance among football managers to put their new big money signings straight into the team which I struggle to understand especially as in Arsenal’s case they have neither Saka or Odegaard available and the match is crying out for Eberi Eze to inject some quality and creativity into it.”
77 mins: Chiesa is prepared to come on but there is a little delay while Konate has some treatment. Seems to be a problem with his right leg. Gomez has gone to warm up.
76 mins: Eze gets his first chance to threaten and quickly glides beyond Szoboszlai but Arsenal are forced back.
Odegaard almost creates the perfect chance but his through ball is cut out by Konate at the last second.
74 mins: Szoboszlai pings a wonderful 60-yard pass across the pitch to Wirtz. The German lays it off to Salah, whose first touch let’s him down and sees his second blocked by an Arsenal shirt.
Liverpool get another corner and it almost results in a chance when Wirtz piledrives a shot from the edge of the box straight into Gabriel’s midriff. Things have definitely got more interesting here.
72 mins: Gakpo does well down the left but Timber is a worthy foe. It does result with Liverpool winning their first corner of the match. It is whipped to the edge of the six-yard box but Mosquera is there to head clear.
70 mins: Merino and Martinelli are the two to make way for Odegaard and Eze. The away end is joyous.
69 mins: Eze is ready. Odegaard is ready. Arteta must fancy Arsenal’s chances here.
68 mins: Salah clips a cross into the box and Raya teases the Liverpool players by not claiming the ball first time, but he does eventually take hold.
66 mins: At the very least, Anfield has livened up. There’s been an obvious increase in noise levels. They offer a further cheer after Gyokeres is booked for a catching Van Dijk from behind.
64 mins: Maybe the disallowed goal will liven this match up.
There is a bit of pinball on the edge of the Liverpool box. It concludes with Gabriel whacking a shot at Konate, who deflects it wide. Corner to Arsenal … Konate wins the original header and then Madueke whacks over.
62 mins: Jones is on for Liverpool’s first chance. Mac Allister is off.
60 mins: NO GOAL! A lot going on but the early verdict is Ekitike’s goal is ruled out. Wirtz shot, Raya parried, Gakpo followed in but was offside, meaning Ekitike’s bundled effort will not count.
60 mins: “To answer Peter Oh, looks like the last time both teams wore Adidas was in 1993-94. Carlsberg vs JVC,” confirms Russell Eberts.
59 mins: Raya pings a ball straight into the box and Madueke gets hold of it, showing some trickier to bamboozle the defends but his touch is a little heavy, allowing Alisson to bravely claim.
“I’d disagree with Stephen McCrossan’s description of this as a pun of mince because… where’s the beef?” asks Justin Kavanagh. “It feels more like a tofu burger or something, with the appearance of something meaty but actually lacking bite. Maybe the introduction of Eze or Ngumoha will give us the sheep’s stomach it’s been lacking but the first half was tripe.”
57 mins: Liverpool are doing their best to probe Arsenal but they just seem to be going backwards, eventually reaching Allison. It could be part of a cunning plan as then they quickly go long, finding Salah but he cannot create anything.
Jones is readying himself to come on.
55 mins: Madueke does his best to get beyond Kerkez, showing plenty of tricky and direct running, eventually being rewarded with a corner. Liverpool easily clear.
“Since the match isn’t all that interesting (so far), can we talk fashion? When was the last time that this matchup was an all-Adidas affair?” asks Peter Oh.
53 mins: Mac Allister flicks a pass through to Gravenberch, who is confident after scoring against Newcastle but he gets neither the power nor accuracy required, sending his shot well wide.
