After an intense battle for over 80 minutes at Anfield between the two 英超聯賽 giants, Curtis Jones earned the hosts a free-kick after being brought down by Martin Zubimendi. The Spanish midfielder was immediately shown a yellow card while the Reds were awarded a free-kick. Nearly 25 yards from goal, Szoboszlai unleashed a stunning shot which hit the post and went in. Raya made an attempt to stop the ball but it curled and hit the back of the net.
Earlier this summer, it was revealed Puma had replaced Nike and would design the Premier League balls starting from the 2025-26 campaign. While Raya did not blame the Puma ball directly for conceding the goal, he admitted he is still getting used to the new ball.
正在說話 Sky Sports after the match, the Spaniard said: “It’s different to the Nike ball so we have to adapt to it. The grip is different, the kick is different. We just have to adapt after playing with the Nike ball for many years. It’s the same for everybody. We wanted to go forward to attack them, to keep them quiet in the first half. We showed a lot of character to keep Liverpool quiet. You have to take the positives from it. It’s fine margins and a magical moment from them. We haven’t been beaten from the top six clubs in many games. There are a lot of steps forward to take and learn in every single aspect. There’s always things you have to learn.”
Raya further expressed his disappointment on being unable to stop the ball from entering the goal as he added: “I haven’t seen it [the goal] back yet. Disappointed not to save it like every goal you concede. I think it’s a hell of a strike. I remember the ball moving a lot and moving away from me. Hopefully, the next one I can save. It’s a very good strike especially with the new balls and everything. We still have to adapt. It’s going away from me so it’s harder to gauge and save it.”
Liverpool, who are in red-hot form at the start of the season, will be back in action after the international break on September 14 when they travel to 伯恩利 for a Premier League fixture.
