Dominik Szoboszlai knew exactly what he wanted to see from his Liverpool teammates versus Manchester City.
Sunday’s Premier League meeting was a very important fixture for both sides.
Man City had to win in order to keep pace with Arsenal in the title race.
Who was Liverpool’s best player during the breathless defeat against Man City?
Liverpool v Manchester City - Premier League
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Liverpool, meanwhile, kicked off at Anfield five points behind fourth-place Manchester United, who beat Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
In turn, defeat at the hands of the Sky Blues would have been a big blow to the Reds’ Champions League hopes.
One man who certainly knew the importance of the fixture was Dominik Szoboszlai.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s message to Liverpool teammates
Liverpool have had a tricky season to date, but did win two in a row before facing Man City.
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the tie, Szoboszlai highlighted the high-profile nature of the fixture.
The Hungarian also wanted to see the ‘real Liverpool’ and players fighting ‘for each other’.
He said: “It is important to see the real Liverpool. We would like to do the same we did last season. We are on it to do it today.
“We had steps forward and setbacks as well. I think everybody takes it very seriously. It is a big game and we need to do our job. Fight for each other.
“I play there because I have to but I will try and do my best. They have crazy wingers so I have to be careful.”
Where will Dominik Szoboszlai rank among PL midfielders when all is said and done?
The Steven Gerrard comparisons are obvious, but what’s a realistic ceiling for the Hungarian? 👀
Dominik Szoboszlai celebrates Liverpool goal
Photo by Giuseppe Cottini/Getty Images
Liverpool were so close to beating Manchester City
The second-half performance was especially positive, with Liverpool playing with fire and at pace to get at City.
Liverpool could easily have scored a couple of goals before Szoboszlai’s free-kick, were it not for some weak efforts from Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike.
Szoboszlai’s pre-match message was demanding, but his teammates did their best to live up to expectations.
Even Slot should be praised for his half-time message that led to Liverpool being more expansive and preventing City from playing through midfield constantly.
However, it quickly fell apart thanks to Erling Haaland winning a header to set up Bernardo Silva before Alisson made a rash challenge to give away a penalty.
So close to a brilliant showing and Szoboszlai’s message being answered, it just all went wrong in the final stages.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox