Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai struck the first telling blow in the Premier League title race with a dazzling free kick late on giving his side a 1-0 victory over rivals Arsenal in a cagey contest at Anfield on Sunday.
Both sides had won their opening two games to set the early pace and it looked like they had opted to keep their powder dry for the battles ahead until right back Szoboszlai stepped up in the 83rd minute to seal it.
After Arsenal's Martin Zubimendi brought down the speeding Curtis Jones around 30 metres from goal, it looked a long way out but Hungarian Szoboszlai struck his right-foot effort with power and precision to leave David Raya clawing at thin air.
"I had to take a risk and shoot a little bit harder because I knew Raya likes to jump behind the ball. He's an unbelievable goalkeeper. If it goes a bit more inside he saves it," said Szoboszlai, who was outstanding all afternoon.
It was a rare moment of quality in a game that promised a great deal but delivered little in terms of excitement.
But champions Liverpool, who looked rock-solid again after having conceded four goals in their opening two games, will not care about that as they made a big statement of intent in their quest to win back-to-back titles.
Arsenal have not won a league game at Liverpool since 2012 and that sequence now extends to 16 matches.
"It was going to be decided in two possible actions, an individual error or a magic moment and it was decided in a magic moment," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said.
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