Philippe Coutinho Calls Arsenal Free Kick His Best Ever, Hails Important Win

With Liverpool trailing Arsenal 1-0 in the waning seconds of the first half of their season opening game on Sunday, Philippe Coutinho positioned himself behind a long range free kick. He then curled a shot past a helpless Petr Čech to send the team on its way to an encouraging 4-3 triumph.

His strike, which will be a contender for the team's goal of the season, was one of his finest since joining the Reds in 2013. In fact, he called the free kick his "best one" ever.

Coutinho also emphasized the importance of the victory on Liverpool's overall morale. After suffering through a slow start to their last campaign, he hopes the win at the Emirates can push players to jump out to a more promising first month of the season.

"[It gives us] confidence, not only for me but the whole team," he told Sky Sports. "In the first 20 minutes we didn't play very well, in the way the manager wanted. Then we showed we are fit, we were training hard in pre-season. We had a good second half."

"We played a difficult game and played really well. Now we have to focus on the next game, step by step and keep going," he concluded.

If Coutinho can put on the type of performance he did against Arsenal on a regular basis, Liverpool will pose a remarkable challenge to opposing defenses. It's a major positive to have him and the rest of the squad full of confidence after just one week, and hopefully that conviction will inspire similar displays in the future.