Arne Slot has said Dominik Szoboszlai doesn’t always get the credit he deserves following Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Newcastle United.
The Hungarian got the ball rolling for the Reds at Anfield as he tucked the ball past Nick Pope in the away goal after 11 minutes to give his side the lead. Alexis Mac Allister added another in the second period to secure the victory on a night when Liverpool moved 13 points clear at the top of the table.
It was Szoboszlai who was the star performer on Wednesday, earning the player-of-the-match award and scoring in successive Premier League games for the first time. But it wasn’t just the midfielder’s offensive output that impressed Slot, with Szoboszlai completing four tackles and eight recoveries in another tireless display.
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“I think he [Szoboszlai] has been very important for us the whole season,” the Liverpool boss told TNT Sports after the game. “Not always this was seen, but today maybe people talk about his goal, which they should have because it was an important goal and a good goal, but I think what helped the team even more than him scoring was the amount of times he wins the second ball, he wins the ball back for us.
“He runs for two players. So, that probably deserves even more credit than him scoring a goal. But it's nice that he starts to score goals as well because that, in the end, is also what you need to do if you are an attacking midfielder that wears the Liverpool shirt.”
Slot’s comments come a few weeks after Jamie Carragher criticized Szoboszlai and said Liverpool “need more“ from the 24-year-old. “I’m not Dominik Szoboszlai’s biggest fan, but he’s got great athleticism,” said the former defender. “He gets talked about as Liverpool’s No. 10 and people say he’s great off the ball, but he’s a no.10 and only scored three goals.”
Coincidentally or not, Szoboszlai’s performance and offensive numbers have improved since those comments and Liverpool’s No. 8 had a hand in both goals in the 2-0 win over Manchester City last weekend.
“I am really happy to help the team,” Szoboszlai told TNT after the Newcastle match. “The most important is the team, and if I can score back-to-back, I will be happy. But I am more happy about being in the first position in the league.”
