Dominik Szoboszlai's Thunderbolt Goal Sparks Liverpool Victory

Dominik Szoboszlai did not bother scrolling through the criticism. He answered it instead – with a thunderbolt.

On a cold Carabao Cup night, the Hungarian lit up Anfield and dragged Liverpool past Tottenham with a 3-1 win, his long-range rocket snapping the recent narrative about his form in a single, vicious swing of his right boot. It was the kind of strike that silences a stadium for half a second before it explodes.

Was he aware of the noise around him?

"Was there a criticism? I don't know, I didn't see but thanks for telling me," Szoboszlai said afterwards, a hint of defiance in his words. "You know this goal [against Spurs] was for the people who are always next to me because we are also humans so we can have bad games."

Those “bad games” have been replayed and dissected in recent weeks, none more so than his flat display in the 0-0 draw with Fulham. In that one, he won just one of his 10 duels. One out of 10. The numbers fed the debate: is he being used properly, and where exactly does he belong in Andoni Iraola’s reshaped Liverpool?

At the heart of Iraola’s Liverpool

The new manager has ripped up the old blueprint at Anfield. His system leans on a fluid, aggressive midfield, and Szoboszlai has been right in the middle of the experiment – sometimes literally, sometimes not.

"I think you guys see a little bit different because we play with one 6, one 8 and one 10," he explained, keen to clear up the picture. "So the 6 and the 8 are not next to each other, the 8 is a little bit higher and the 6 is a little bit deeper and the 10 is a little bit even higher so it is not two next to each other."

This is not a simple double pivot. It is a rotating carousel, and Szoboszlai has ridden every horse on it.

"Last week against Fulham I was a No. 8, I have been No. 2 as well, I have been No. 6, No. 8, No. 10, No. 7 also," he said, listing roles like a player leafing through his own highlight reel. Iraola has praised his intelligence and adaptability since the day he walked through the door, and it is easy to see why. Few 23-year-olds are asked to wear that many tactical hats at a club of this size.

The flip side? When the team stutters, the conversation quickly turns to whether he is being moved too much, whether he needs a fixed home on the pitch.

Labels for others, responsibility for him

Supporters and pundits argue over his best role: is he the attacking No. 10, threading passes and arriving late in the box, or the deeper playmaker who sets the rhythm? Szoboszlai does not seem remotely interested in that debate.

"No, I just want to be on the pitch," he said. Simple, blunt. Then he went back to Fulham. "Maybe I am not at the best in the 6 position because I win one of the 10 duels, maybe next the game I am going to win eight out of 10, so I am then a good 6? So it's always balance."

For Iraola, that versatility has been priceless. Injuries, tactical tweaks, shifting shapes – Szoboszlai has been the plug-in solution across the midfield line and beyond. For the player, it is a test of mentality as much as talent: accept the role, deliver the performance, live with the scrutiny.

The strike against Spurs felt like his own response. A reminder of the raw quality that made Liverpool invest heavily and build part of this new era around him.

Reaction over reputation

Liverpool’s win booked a fourth-round tie against Chelsea, a fixture that sells itself. Yet inside the dressing room, the eyes are already on Sunday and Bournemouth in the Premier League. The Carabao Cup goal will be replayed again and again, but Szoboszlai is clear about what really counts at a club of this scale.

"There will be games where we are not playing at our best as a team, as personally me or somebody else," he said. "But trust me it is always leave the past and then the next one, the next one, the reaction is what matters."

The criticism came. The numbers dipped. The questions grew louder.

His answer was a 25-yard missile and a reminder that his story at Anfield is only just getting started. The real question now is not where he plays on the teamsheet, but how far this version of Szoboszlai can drag Liverpool in a season that is already demanding every ounce of his range.