When Dominik Szoboszlai stepped up to take a free-kick in the 83rd minute at Anfield last weekend, he knew he had an opportunity to decide a cagey game of tactical chess in which Liverpool and Arsenal had nullified each other.

Remarkably, he had the wherewithal to think clearly. He assessed what ’keeper David Raya was most likely to do, weighed up his options and made the brave choice. A sublime free-kick dipped and curled perfectly in off Raya’s right-hand post to leave the Spaniard helpless. The inch-perfect execution of the strike was as spectacular as the thought that went into it.

Shooting his shot

“I had to take a risk,” Szoboszlai told Sky Sports, “and shoot it a little bit harder because I know Raya likes to jump behind the wall and, of course, he’s an unbelievable goalkeeper. So if I think it goes a little bit more inside [closer to the ‘keeper than the post], he saves it. I should mention Trent [Alexander-Arnold]. He was taking the free-kicks because, obviously, he has an unbelievable shot. But finally I could have my chance and I did it.”

The tense clash between the two leading contenders for the Premier League crown demanded something special. “The game needed a moment of magic for either team to win it,” Liverpool manager Arne Slot said, “and it was Dominik who did so.” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s independent analysis was similar — the margins were so thin, he said, that only an individual error or an extraordinary moment could make the difference.

Match-winning ability is rare, often seen as the preserve of the maverick attacker or the generational talent. Szoboszlai is something of a unicorn — an all-around, tactically intelligent, hard-working midfielder happy to do the team’s dirty work, but ready to change a big game with imagination, ball-striking and, if all else fails, sheer willpower.

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In Liverpool’s previous Premier League game against Newcastle, Szoboszlai played a key role in teenager Rio Ngumoha’s match-winner. He attracted a defender with a sharp central run into the box, having scanned behind him to see that this would buy Ngumoha space. He then sold his marker a convincing dummy, leaving Ngumoha free to bury the ball in the far corner.

In both matches, Szoboszlai operated at right-back — a new position for him, but just another role added to the multifaceted portfolio the Hungary midfielder has steadily built up.

Getting stuck in: In addition to his ability on the ball, Szoboszlai is exceptional without it. The 24-year-old is a determined presser who loves the duel.
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When Jurgen Klopp brought him to Merseyside from RB Leipzig in 2023, Szoboszlai was best known as an attacking-midfielder. But Klopp had identified other uses. “I don’t think he played the position he plays for us at Leipzig. He played on the wing, as a No. 10 more inside. [But with us, he’s played] as an eight, a six, a double six as well, so it is really interesting to watch how quickly he adapts and develops,” Klopp said in September 2023.

Two years on, we know exactly how well he has adapted and developed. In his first Liverpool season, under Klopp, he played in central midfield, fulfilling a range of instructions within the system. Last season, under Slot, his role changed again.

“[In 2023-24], I was more an eight,” he told Sky Sports earlier this year. “This season [2024-25], there’s more of an attacking part, a freer role. But I have to cover a lot [of ground] on the right side. I’m doing that for Mo [Salah], for the team. Sometimes I feel if I wouldn’t do that, I would have more energy for attacking. But I feel if the team is happy, every individual is happy.”

Into the breach

Over four games in 2025-26, Szoboszlai has already morphed into several puzzle pieces so Slot can fit him in where Liverpool has been depleted by injury. In the Community Shield and in the first Premier League game, the 24-year-old was used as a deep midfielder in Ryan Gravenberch’s absence. Then, when right-back Jeremie Frimpong injured his hamstring, Szoboszlai was plugged into that gap. He has still found a way to influence matches.

“He understands what a Liverpool player should look like. If you wear this shirt, you should give everything, no matter in what position you play,” Slot said. “Unbelievable from him in a position he has probably played only two or three times in his life.”

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Szoboszlai’s work ethic and versatility have endeared him to Liverpool fans, but Slot might have found something even more significant than he first anticipated. Alexander-Arnold, who moved to Real Madrid, was impossible to replace because he has such a unique skill-set. But Szoboszlai does a fair impression of the former Reds right-back.

Whether it was spraying cross-field balls or making blindside runs into midfield, he showed that he can provide a different tactical angle even when Slot’s first-choice right-back returns. Indeed, a mid-game shift in position could catch the opposition unawares. For a manager who excels at making small adjustments during the 90 minutes, Szoboszlai offers immense value.

The Hungary captain is very good on the ball, with a record of stepping up in cup finals and games against top rivals. He has the ability to progress play with long passes or short combinations, and can elude pressure with a deft feint or quick burst. He is exceptional without the ball, an intelligent, determined presser who loves the duel.

Defining period: Szoboszlai’s early football life, which included training with his ex-pro father and leaving home as a teenager, has shaped his character.
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“You have to run and press, otherwise you can have as much quality as you want, you won’t be fully taken in,” he told the Red Bull website. “It’s not easy, but that’s what you learn in the Red Bull system. You learn when and how to make your run. The most crucial part, though, is that you can’t miss your sprint. You have to commit to and make the sprint every single time.”

Szoboszlai’s early football life, which included training with his father, a former player, and leaving home as a teenager to turn professional, has shaped his character. “When I started, me and my dad, we had a plan. He put me on the highest level that I should play,” Szoboszlai said. “He was always harder with me than with the others. He always wanted me to be the best, and now I understand why he did it, and now we are close, we are very close.”

Team before self

But the ambitious upbringing has not bred a selfish player. A defining quality of Szoboszlai’s game is his desire to put the team’s interests before his own.

“I just do my things,” he said. “If the goals are coming they are coming, if the assists are coming they are coming. The team should be successful. If the team is successful you’re going to be successful as a person, as a player. I can make decisions that are not easy, but for me the team is in front of everything.” It’s no surprise that he has fit in so well at Liverpool.