Liverpool 1-0 Arsenal Player Ratings: Dominik Szoboszlai Rated 7.5/10 As The Reds Clinch a Hard-Fought Victory Over The Gunners

Liverpool locked horns with Arsenal on matchday 3 of the English Premier League 2025/26 season, on 31st August, 2025, at 4:30 PM (GMT), at Anfield in Liverpool. Liverpool were coming off a gritty win against Newcastle United in their previous game, while Arsenal were looking to build on the momentum they gained after thrashing Leeds United by 5 goals in their last encounter.

Both teams were difficult to separate in the first half, as they both enjoyed a fair share of possession. Liverpool had their chances but were unable to find that touch of magic in the final third. Arsenal kept possession slightly better than Liverpool and had their fair share of chances too but were unable to find the back of the net. William Saliba was forced off in the 6th minute of the game as he seemed to pull a muscle and was replaced by Christian Mosquera. In the 23rd minute, Noni Madueke had a shot on goal saved by Alisson, as the Brazilian flew to his right to parry away the danger. Arsenal's crosses in the first half were quite below par, something that hasn't been the case recently. The two teams headed into the tunnel after the half-time whistle with nothing to separate them.

In the second half, Liverpool were the better team, as they created more chances than the visitors but struggled to find the back of the net. Arsenal were happy to sit back and defend by maintaining their shape and depended on counters to make a difference. However, it was Liverpool who drew first blood as they got a free kick outside the penalty box in the 81st minute. Dominik Szoboszlai stepped up and hit it sweetly to put Liverpool in the lead in the 83rd minute. Anfield erupted as they saw the ball fly past David Raya and nestle into the back of the net. Arsenal tried their best but couldn't find that final pass that could have made things happen in the final third. Here are the Liverpool vs Arsenal Player Ratings.

Liverpool Player Ratings

Here are Sportsdunia's Liverpool player ratings.

Goalkeeper:

Alisson - 6.5/10

Made a good save from Noni Madueke in the first half to keep the score level. Alisson was quite decent with his distribution in the game.

Defenders:

Dominik Szoboszlai - 7.5/10

Szoboszlai played out of position again but did a decent job on the right-hand side. He tracked the runs of Gabriel Martinelli quite well and got forward occasionally. Scored a brilliant free kick in the 83rd minute to put Liverpool in the lead.

Ibrahima Konate - 6/10

Konate was on hand to make a few interceptions in and around the Liverpool penalty box and covered the spaces well.

Virgil van Dijk - 6.5/10

Virgil van Dijk was at his usual best in the Liverpool backline. The Dutchman held the defensive line well and played a few neat line-breaking passes from the back.

Milos Kerkez - 6.5/10

The Hungarian was on point with his tackling and dealt with the threat possessed by Noni Madueke quite brilliantly. Kerkez did put in a few overlapping runs, providing the much-needed width to Liverpool.

Midfielders:

Ryan Gravenberch - 6.5/10

Gravenberch was on point with his tackling and made a lot of interceptions in the middle of the park. He got forward at times and played some neat passes into the final third.

Alexis Mac Allister - 6/10

The Argentine was a bit dull as compared to his usual standards. Alexis Mac Allister was tasked with controlling the tempo for Liverpool and did a decent job. He lost a couple of duels but was quick to make amends.

Mohamed Salah - 5.5/10

Mohamed Salah made some good runs with the ball on the right flank and brought his best tricks to the game. However, he was well dealt with by Ricccardo Calafiori, who gave little to no space for the Egyptian to exploit.

Florian Wirtz - 6.5/10

Florian Wirtz made some sleek twists and turns and played some exquisite through balls down the middle.

Cody Gakpo - 6/10

The Dutchman tried to make things happen on the left-hand side and got rid of Jurrien Timber on a few occasions with his usual burst of pace and trickery.

Forwards:

Hugo Ekitike - 5/10

Ekitike dropped deep at times to combine with his midfielders and got into really good positions in and around the Liverpool penalty box. However, he was marked well by the Arsenal centre backs and got little to no space to do his usual thing.

Substitutes:

Curtis Jones - 6/10

Federico Chiesa - NA

Joe Gomez - NA

Wataru Endo - NA

Manager:

Arne Slot - 6/10

Arne Slot played his usual 4-2-3-1 formation with Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister in the double pivot. His team was on point with their defending and dealt quite well with Arsenal's most lethal weapon - their corners. His players pressed Arsenal well and won the ball in important areas of the pitch but lacked that magic in the final third.

Arsenal Player Ratings

Here are Sportsdunia's Arsenal player ratings.

Goalkeeper:

David Raya - 6/10

David Raya was quite efficient with his distribution and made some really good outings to prevent the Arsenal attackers from getting into one-vs-one positions. The Spaniard tried his best but couldn't save Szoboszlai's brilliant free kick late in the second half.

Defenders:

Jurrien Timber - 6/10

Timber had a really hard time defending against the likes of Cody Gakpo, as the Dutchman was caught out of position on a number of occasions. Offensively, he offered very little.

William Saliba - 4/10

Saliba played just 6 minutes in the game before he was taken off due to possible injury after going into an aerial duel with Viktor Gyokeres.

Gabriel - 6/10

The Brazilian held his lines well and blocked a few Arsenal shots, which could have been dangerous. Gabriel didn't shy away from coming forward and making a few interceptions and played some neat line-breaking passes from the back.

Riccardo Calafiori - 6/10

The Italian dealt quite well against Mohamed Salah, as he gave the Egyptian little to no space to operate. His tackling was on point, and he made a few overlapping runs, which helped Gabriel Martinelli to get into better positions in and around the Liverpool penalty box.

Midfielders:

Mikel Merino - 6.5/10

The Spaniard got into some really good positions in the danger areas with his incisive runs. His passing was on point, and made a few neat interceptions by tracking back as well.

Martin Zubimendi - 6/10

Martin Zubimendi linked the Gunners' defense to attack quite well and won numerous duels in the middle of the park.

Declan Rice - 6/10

Rice was tasked with controlling the tempo for Arsenal and did a pretty decent job. However, his set pieces were a bit off the mark, which isn't the case usually.

Forwards:

Noni Madueke - 6/10

Noni Madueke had a decent outing on the right-hand side, as he got the better of Milos Kerkez at times. However, he was marked quite well by the Hungarian for most of the game but still managed to get a shot off, which was well saved by Alisson in the first half.

Viktor Gyokeres - 5.5/10

Viktor Gyokeres had an off game according to his standards. The Swedish international saw very little of the ball, as both Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk offered him little to no space to make his incisive runs.

Gabriel Martinelli - 6/10

The Brazilian tried a few tricks on the left-hand side and got the better of Dominik Szoboszlai at times. However, his passing was quite blunt and he failed to make the most out of his chances in the final third.

Substitutes:

Cristhian Mosquera - 6/10

Eberechi Eze - 6/10

Martin Odegaard - 6/10

Max Dowman - NA

Manager:

Mikel Arteta - 5.5/10

Arteta played his usual 4-3-3 formation, with Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, and Mikel Merino in the middle. His team saw most of the ball in the second half but were unable to take their chances neatly. Their corners were way off the mark, and they lost a bit of concentration in the second half, which led to a silly foul around the penalty box, which was ultimately converted into a goal by Dominik Szoboszlai.

Sportsdunia Player of the Match: Dominik Szoboszlai