It was men against boys on Sunday at Anfield as Liverpool emphatically put Manchester City to the sword with a 2-0 Premier League win.
Goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah either side of half-time gave Arne Slot his biggest win yet since taking over the reigns from Jurgen Klopp at the start of the season.
The Dutchman has now won 18 of his 20 games in charge of Liverpool and has got the Anfield faithful dreaming of the Premier League title as they find themselves nine points clear of second-placed Arsenal.
Several Reds stars were at the top of their games against Man City, but Paul Merson has singled out one player for special praise.
Paul Merson praises Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai
(THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool showing his appreciation to the fans at the end of the Premier League match be...
Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
In recent weeks, Curtis Jones’ stunning form for club and country has led to him starting over Dominik Szoboszlai in midfield for Liverpool.
However, against the reigning Premier League champions, the Hungarian got the nod as he partnered Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister in the centre of the park.
Szoboszlai was a bundle of energy and showed his reliability in such a big game as his industrious display helped Liverpool control the midfield against Pep Guardiola’s side.
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And Merson believes the Hungarian showed his class after being drafted into the side in place of Jones, who came on in the second half to help see off the game.
He wrote in his column for Sportskeeda: “Dominik Szoboszlai was excellent in midfield against City and it just shows how confident all the Liverpool players are at the moment. He came into the line-up and looked like he belonged there.”
Szoboszlai’s stats vs Man City
Merson praised Szoboszlai last season for his stunning start to life at Liverpool, but the Hungarian midfielder has blown hot and cold for the Reds in 2024.
He hasn’t been bad for any stretch of the imagination, but you could argue that a player of his ability on both ends of the pitch could have performed a bit more consistently, particularly. at the business end of the 2023-24 campaign.
Nevertheless, he was fantastic against Man City – as seen below by the underlying numbers from his performance – and should keep his place in the team against Newcastle United tomorrow.
72 touches
48/58 passes completed (83% pass accuracy)
4 key passes
4/6 duels won
3 long balls
2 shots on target
With Liverpool set to play almost every three days between now and the turn of the year, Szoboszlai’s engine is set to be tested but it’s a challenge he’ll relish having.
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