Arne Slot was a happy man after Liverpool secured a late win against Newcastle United in the Premier League.
The Reds were involved in a rollercoaster of a game on Monday night.
Having gone two goals up following a red card to Anthony Gordon, Slot would’ve hoped to see a comfortable end to the game, but Newcastle managed to equalise.
Just when it looked like the game would end 2-2, Rio Ngumoha stepped up and scored the winner.
The teenager has become the talk of the town since, but Slot heaped praise on another one of his players too after the win at St James’ Park.
Arne Slot praises Dominik Szoboszlai one week after criticising him
Dominik Szoboszlai has been a key player for Liverpool since he joined them from RB Leipzig.
The Hungary international, on his day, is a fantastic player. He is good on the ball, works hard off it, and he has the ability to create and score goals.
Szoboszlai started for Liverpool against Bournemouth in their Premier League opener, and the midfielder made a mistake.
The 24-year-old attempted a flick in the middle of the park and lost the ball. That led to Antoine Semenyo scoring at the other end of the pitch.
Slot blamed Szoboszlai for that goal after the game, but now, just 10 days later, the Hungarian has earned some big praise from his boss.
Dominik Szoboszlai celebrates after Liverpool beat Newcastle United
Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
Szoboszlai started at right-back against Newcastle on Monday night and had a solid game. Slot raved about his mentality in his post-match press conference.
He said: “Talking about mentality, it is not easy to play as a full-back if you’ve only been a midfielder in your career.
“He played there once in pre-season – I think it was against Stoke when we played behind closed doors – but in that game we only had the ball and now he had to defend a lot.
“For him to put in a performance like that, you can say a lot about his mentality.”
Dominik Szoboszlai could lose his place against Arsenal despite his performance vs Newcastle
Szoboszlai has been a regular starter for Liverpool in recent years, but his place is under threat.
The Reds take on Arsenal in the Premier League next in a game that could have big implications on who will win the title this season.
Arne Slot will want his best team out on the pitch, which means Conor Bradley, who has returned to training, and Alexis Mac Allister, whose injury is not serious, could come back into the side.
Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones will likely have to make way for them against the Gunners on Sunday.