It was an inauspicious start for the visitors, who had to contend with a William Saliba injury, forcing him off just five minutes into the contest.
Undeterred, the Gunners produced the first genuine chance when Noni Madueke swung a boot at a loose ball, forcing Alisson Becker into a smart save.
After a conservative and measured first half hour, a misjudged pass from David Raya allowed Virgil van Dijk to steal possession high up the pitch, but nothing came of the opening.
Since the start of 2023/24, no side in Europe’s top five leagues had converted more corners than Arsenal’s 33, yet Liverpool remained organised to repel several deliveries, seeing last season’s top two sides go in level at the break.
Playing in his favoured right-wing role in the absence of Bukayo Saka, Madueke posed a considerable threat in the first period, and that continued after the restart.
Nonetheless, it was Liverpool fans who were briefly celebrating on the hour mark, seeing Hugo Ekitike react first to help bundle over the line after Raya had parried Florian Wirtz’s close-range strike, only for the flag to be raised for offside.
Facing Liverpool for a third time in his last four club games, Eberechi Eze came off the bench to make his Arsenal debut alongside captain Martin Odegaard, but neither was able to make an impact.
Shortly after the game entered its final 10 minutes, Dominik Szoboszlai then bent a spectacular free-kick beyond Raya’s outstretched glove.
That late strike sets a club record 37th successive PL game in which they’ve scored and extends Liverpool’s 100% start to the season, with their solid home H2H record bolstered.
Despite a creditable away performance, Arsenal came away with nothing, losing ground on the Reds at this very early stage of their title challenge.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
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