Dominik Szoboszlai proved his worth for Liverpool once again after the performance he put in during their Champions League tie against Real Madrid on Tuesday evening.
The game ended 1-0 in the Reds’ favour with the Hungarian teeing Alexis Mac Allister up perfectly.
The Argentinian then made his way above most of Real Madrid’s defence and finally broke down the barrier of Thibaut Courtois with a glorious header.
Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid reacts during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD4 match between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid C.F. at Anfield
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
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And, even though without Szoboszlai, Liverpool wouldn’t have won the game, his assist isn’t the only reason why he’s more important to the Anfield outfit than Mohamed Salah is at the moment.
Dominik Szoboszlai is the cog that keeps Liverpool moving
Szoboszlai has been played across the pitch by Arne Slot this season, with some of his best performances coming as the Reds’ right-back.
This only happened at the start of the season when Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley were not fit enough to play.
However, after Bradley’s performance for Liverpool on Tuesday, nobody is taking his place in Slot’s starting XI.
This is good news for Szoboszlai as it means his keen eye for goal can be put to good use, with the attacker nearly scoring a brace against Real after two of his long-range efforts were parried away.
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His range of passing can also flourish, which means that Liverpool’s attack will be much better off.
When the Hungarian isn’t played in his natural position, fans can tell that the energy of their starting XI massively drops.
Not only does this outline why he must be used in his natural position, but it also proves how important he is to the flow of Liverpool’s games and why he’s now more crucial to the Reds than Salah.
Dominik Szoboszlai is more important to Liverpool than Mohamed Salah at the moment
Aside from Szoboszlai and Hugo Ekitike, the 2025-26 season has been far from any Liverpool players’ best.
Salah may have chipped in with over 50 goal contributions last term, but this time around, he’s been poor.
In fact, Chris Sutton has even said that Salah looks like he’s playing with his shoes on the wrong feet.
And, while that may be a tad harsh, it’s clear that he’s no longer Liverpool’s star man.
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD4 match between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid C.F. at Anfield.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Most thought that the Egyptian King leaving for AFCON in December would be the end of the Reds’ season, but now, it feels like it could be a good time to experiment and for Slot to understand how to get the best out of his men.
Plenty of the campaign still remains and, unless something drastic happens, Szoboszlai will be seen as the Reds’ most important player by the end of the term.