"Channels his inner Cristiano Ronaldo", "Was our missing piece" - Fans hail Liverpool star for his showing in 1-0 win against Arsenal

Liverpool fans on X have hailed Dominik Szoboszlai after he scored a sensational free-kick and had a brilliant performance as a makeshift right-back during their 1-0 win over Arsenal. The two sides faced each other in the Premier League at Anfield on Sunday, August 31.

Both sides struggled to get going offensively in the first half and were pedestrian at times. Hugo Ekitike thought he had opened the scoring for the Reds in the 60th minute after finding the back of the net. However, the goal was ruled out due to an offside in the build-up by Cody Gakpo.

With the game needing a moment of magic, Szoboszlai unleashed an unstoppable, dipping free-kick from 30 yards out into the top-left corner in the 83rd minute to win the game for Liverpool.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot opted to start Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back ahead of Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez due to Jeremie Frimpong being sidelined due to a hamstring injury. Fortunately, the 24-year-old had an excellent performance in terms of his work rate across the pitch and looked solid defensively. He created one chance, won both his attempted tackles and three duels, and made five recoveries.

One fan posted:

"Szobo at rb was our missing piece....."

Aye

@tortugaass

szobo at rb was our missing piece.....

Another fan compared Szoboszlai to Cristiano Ronaldo:

"Dominik Szoboszlai channels his inner Cristiano Ronaldo. What a free kick"

Al Nassr Zone

@TheNassrZone

Dominik Szoboszlai channels his inner Cristiano Ronaldo. What a free kick 🤯

Other fans reacted below:

Rumir

@Rumirud

@Abtilibaan Szoboszlai has been immense since we bought him. People realise now you can't bench szobo.🤩😂

Justin

@jand__

Szobo what a player, filling in at rb and bangs in a free kick from downtown

𝙸'𝚖 𝙰𝚋𝚍𝚘𝚞𝚕

@officialabdulak

@TouchlineX Szoboszlai is just that versatile, can change the game no matter where he plays. Every team needs to watch out.

Tower

@TheTower163

@brfootball This game was down to a set piece and it was an absolute stunner 🔥

feastx 👑 π²

@Feastx_

@TouchlineX Szoboszlai can play anywhere, and he’ll still make an impact! His versatility and skill are unmatched. he’s a nightmare for any defense.

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"Arsenal bring an ugly brand of football to our game!" - Peter Schmeichel blasts Mikel Arteta's Arsenal following 1-0 loss to Liverpool

Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel has criticized Mikel Arteta and Arsenal for their defensive style of play, admitting he wanted Liverpool to win the game due to this. Arteta opted for a more defensive setup at Anfield and avoided taking many risks for most of the 90 minutes, starting three defensive midfielders in Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, and Mikel Merino.

Following the game, Schmeichel said (as quoted by @TouchlineX):

"I have never in my life EVER wanted a team to win a game of football more than Liverpool today. Arsenal bring an UGLY brand of football to our game!"

He added:

"Arteta... LET YOUR TEAM PLAY FOOTBALL! Let them LOOSE, let them be FREE! I am absolutely convinced that if Arteta does this, they will WIN more games!"

Following their win, the Reds are at the top of the Premier League table with nine points from three games. Meanwhile, Arsenal are in third with six points, having suffered their first loss of the season.

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Disclaimer: The above stats were taken from FotMob on August 31 at 11:30 PM IST. They are subject to change.