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Liverpool will have to cope without Dominik Szoboszlai, but how many games will he miss?
Liverpool had the chance to dent Man City’s Premier League title hopes and at the same time strengthen their own position in the table and serve a reminder to the rest of the division that they are still a force to be reckoned with.
Instead, Arne Slot had to sit and watch the sort of late collapse that has blighted their season and that sees him continue to face calls for the Anfield hierarchy to wield the axe. The frustration continues to be the difference between what Liverpool are capable of and what is being seen most weeks and whether not the blame lies at the manager’s feet for holding back what is a talented and expensively assembled squad as they chase a Champions League place.
How many games will Dominik Szoboszlai miss for Liverpool
What won’t help Slot’s cause, is having to travel up to the north-east to face Sunderland without Dominik Szoboszlai. The Hungary international’s role in a chaotic and farcical close to the defeat to City saw him sent off for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity.
Szoboszlai had fired Liverpool in front with what is becoming something of a trademark, when he outwitted Gianluigi Donnarumma with a laser-like free-kick off the inside of the post. However, City hit back through goals from Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland as City left Anfield with all three points buoyed by closing the gap on Arsenal at the top to six points.
It looked like City had scored a third goal as the clocked ticked closer to the 100-minute mark in what was an epic second half. Rayan Cherki hit an attempt from inside the City half as Alisson Becker struggled to get back in position having attempted to add his 6ft 5inch frame to Liverpool’s attack in search of an equaliser.
Szoboszlai, attempting to keep pace with Haaland, who had put on the afterburners in search of the easiest goal he will ever score, couldn’t help but pull back the big Norwegian who then repaid the favour on the Liverpool midfielder.
Referee Craig Pawson looked to apply common sense before VAR intervened and told him that he had made a clear and obvious error and sent Szoboszlai off, rather than sticking with his on-field decision. Despite already serving a yellow card suspension this season, Szoboszlai will only miss one game – the trip to face Sunderland.
It will be a relief to Liverpool that it is only one game with matches against Brighton and Nottingham Forest following the visit to the Black Cats.
Arne Slot fumes at Szoboszlai red card
Speaking after the game, Arne Slot said via Liverpool’s official website: “I can live with the fact, although I don't like it, that the referee follows the rulebook and Dominik makes a foul on Haaland in that last situation, which is a clear shirt-pull and he was through to goal so he would have scored. So that's a red card. And I think the Sunderland manager is really happy that he gives the red card. So that's the rulebook and you follow the rulebook.
“And if you follow the rulebook and you have a clear shirt-pull from [Marc] Guehi on Mo Salah, who for eight years is scoring that ball every single time - 100 out of 100 times he scores that goal, a bit exaggerated - and that is not a red card, then there is more of my frustration. But I can live with the red card for Dom. If you like football you say, 'Ah, leave it as it is, it's a goal, it's good for them, it's good for everyone.' But if you are the Sunderland manager you prefer to see a red card. That's the rule and follow the rules is all we ask.”
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