Throughout this turbulent season, Dominik Szoboszlai has made remarkable progress, from an important link in Liverpool's system to becoming the most outstanding player in the squad. This was once again confirmed when his creative free kick helped The Kop win convincingly 3-0 against Marseille in the UEFA Champions League.
After a season when Szoboszlai received many compliments for his tireless ability in midfield, he has become the focus of attention in recent weeks due to controversial situations.
The Hungarian international was once criticized by Barnsley coach Conor Hourihane for being disrespectful after careless heel handling leading to Liverpool's goal conceded in the FA Cup. Next, the missed penalty kick against Burnley last weekend caused the red team to lose more valuable points in the Premier League.
However, amidst increasing pressure, Szoboszlai still maintained his composure at the Stade Velodrome. His goal right before the half-time break fully showed his playing personality: mischievous, bold and technical. The dangerous free kick of the 25-year-old midfielder broke through Marseille's wall and defeated goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, thereby relieving tension for Liverpool.
When celebrating, Szoboszlai smiled and touched his temples - as an affirmation that he did not let external noise affect focus in the important stage of the season.
Even before scoring the opening goal, Szoboszlai had many outstanding moments. He once assisted Hugo Ekitike to put the ball into Marseille's net, although the French striker's goal was later disallowed for offside.
With this goal, Szoboszlai became the first Liverpool player to score from a direct free kick in the Champions League since Trent Alexander-Arnold in the match against Rangers in October 2022. He is also the third player in club history to contribute to goals in at least 5 consecutive Champions League matches, after Steven Gerrard and Mohamed Salah.
Legend Gerrard - who once wore the number 8 shirt at Anfield - watched the match from a television studio in London and praised his successor.
You can see he is full of confidence. I like that confidence. I like him trusting himself. Many players will give the free kick to Salah, but Szoboszlai won't" - Gerrard said.
The goal against Marseille was Szoboszlai's seventh goal in all competitions this season - only one goal behind the total goals he scored in the entire previous season. Although unable to score more goals in the second half, the Hungarian midfielder was still central to Liverpool's proactive play.
He was unlucky when he did not have another assist in the 60th minute, when a delicate pass helped Ekitike escape and face the goal, but the shot hit the post.
Immediately after that, Jeremie Frimpong scored to increase the score to 2-0 with a close-range dribbling and cross that goalkeeper Rulli could not stop. In injury time, Cody Gakpo sealed the 3-0 victory, in a situation where Szoboszlai continued to contribute his mark with a pass to open the combination leading to the goal.
It is not surprising that Liverpool are promoting long-term contract extension negotiations with this midfielder. This is also the second consecutive European match that Szoboszlai shines, after scoring the decisive goal on penalties in the away match against Inter Milan in early December last year.
At that time, Liverpool needed a mental boost after a turbulent week, when Mohamed Salah publicly criticized coach Arne Slot and said that the club pushed him to the abyss.
Salah was eliminated from the squad in the match against Inter but returned to start against Marseille after finishing the African Cup, where he and the Egyptian national team won fourth place in Morocco.
Although the Egyptian international missed a regrettable opportunity at the end of the match - reflecting his recent unstable form - his presence partly helped close the tensions in December and may open a new period of recovery.
The victory in France helped Liverpool extend their 13-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, the longest among clubs in the top 5 European leagues today.
This number does not fully reflect the whole story, because many unconvincing performances caused Slot to face no less criticism. However, this is still an unbelievable achievement compared to the beginning of the season, when Liverpool continuously conceded many goals.
This is a difficult match, not only because of the atmosphere in the stands but also because of the quality of the opponent. Today we controlled the ball well, created many opportunities and scored 3 goals. Perhaps this time, we really deserved the victory" - Slot shared.
Although admitting that luck has not often been on the side of the team in recent times, the Dutch coach understands that standards need to be raised if he wants to convince those who are skeptical about his long-term future at Anfield.
However, with Szoboszlai's current form, Liverpool still has many grounds to believe that this turbulent season has not closed. And the Hungarian star can completely be a fulcrum for them to move forward.
