Szoboszlai is the second most valuable player in the English top flight.Continue reading
It was a difficult start to the game, but Liverpool managed to win against Sheffield in the 15th round of the Premier League. Captain Virgil van Dijk’s first-half goal was followed by Dominik Szoboszlai’s goal in extra time to make it 2-0. He saluted the fans after scoring. Not only did Szoboszlai score his second goal of the tournament, but he also put in a fine performance, as the reviews confirm.
Sheffield started the game well against Liverpool, reports Magyar Nemzet. In the first part of the match Dominik Szoboszlai dominated, but could not break down Sheffield’s compact defense. However, in the 37th minute, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner kick was headed in by captain Virgil van Dijk and gave the visitors the lead. Within two minutes, the Dutch came close to a double: Alexander-Arnold finished off a corner kick again, but Van Dijk’s second effort went over the goal.
Dominik Szoboszlai played the full match for Liverpool for the first time since the end of October.
As it turned out, it was worth keeping him on the pitch as he scored the second goal in the 94th minute.
Liverpool’s 2-0 win keeps them on top of the table, two points clear of Arsenal.
An exquisite first touch matched by the finish #TeamPixel | #AD pic.twitter.com/ymDgd9Tl0f
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 7, 2023
There have been analyses in England that have already predicted that Szoboszlai could be out of the Liverpool starting line-up, or more specifically, that it was about time Jürgen Klopp benched him after running out of steam at the start of the season. Szoboszlai responded to the criticism in the best possible way: he played the entire Premier League match against Sheffield and scored a fine goal to give Liverpool a 2-0 win.
Szoboszlai’s performance was praised by the Liverpool Echo, which is important because it was the paper that argued for him to be given time to rest. Here is what they wrote about the Hungarian team captain: “Dominik Szoboszlai, meanwhile, may not quite be hitting the heights of the early days of his Liverpool career, but this was most certainly a step firmly in the right direction, the Hungarian willing to do the dirty work and having sufficient composure on the ball to start making an impact as the hosts tired under the weight of relentless Liverpool possession.”
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Szoboszlai played in his first 10 Premier League games, but then he was often on the bench. However, now he was back on the pitch for the whole game against Sheffield.
Not only was he a key figure in Liverpool’s victory because of his goal, but his statistics also put him among the best in the field.
Szoboszlai touched the ball 91 times, passed with 90% accuracy, won 10 duels, and had two key assists.
WhoScored gave him a rating of 8.5, making him the fourth best player on the pitch, with only three members of Liverpool’s defense – Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Ibrahima Konaté – receiving slightly better ratings.
Overall, Szoboszlai scored his third goal in his 20th game in a Liverpool shirt, his second in the Premier league, and his third in the League Cup.
Via Magyar Nemzet, Featured image via Twitter/Liverpool FC