A smart reservation? The ban of Szoboszlai from Liverpool might actually be a boon. Dominik Szoboszlai, a vital midfield player for Liverpool, is suspended for this weekend’s Premier League match against West Ham United. Prior to the Boxing Day match against Leicester City, the Hungary international had received four yellow cards for the season and was benched in favor of Curtis Jones. Even though the 24-year-old’sdisciplinaryrecord may have contributed to his demotion, head coach Arne Slot decided to bring in Szoboszlai halfway through the second period. Szoboszlai was sent into referee Darren Bond’s book for cynically cutting down Leicester scorer Jordan Ayew as he attempted to spearhead a counterattack, but that move backfired.
The former RB Leipzig player will serve his one-match suspension on Sunday away to West Ham after receiving a historic fifth yellow card in the first 19 Premier League games.
Szoboszlai would have missed the crucial match against fierce rivals Manchester United on January 5 if he had been cautioned in the match against the Irons instead of coming out on top in Thursday’s game.
On Boxing Day, Ayew stunned Anfield into silence with the first goal of the evening. However, the league-leading Reds, who were trying to capitalize on Chelsea’s shocking 2-1 home loss to Fulham, responded through Cody Gakpo, Jones, and Mohamed Salah.