After the brilliant performances Dominik Szoboszlai has put in for Liverpool since his arrival at Anfield, it seems difficult to believe that he could even become a subject of trolling online. But anything is possible on the internet, and there's been a lot made recently about his lack of goal contributions for the Reds so far.
One such meme posted by Manchester United fans showed how even Jonny Evans had more assists than the Liverpool midfielder. Of course, such statistics are bogus, especially since Szoboszlai had created the most chances for Liverpool in his first nine games for the club (21) according to Stats Zone, breaking a 20-year record set by Harry Kewell.
But beyond just the chances created, Szoboszlai has also won two penalties for Liverpool against Bournemouth and Brighton, and he's also been involved in so much more going forward and defensively. He's also up there among Liverpool's best players for recoveries, interceptions, dribbles and tackles, ranking in the top five for all metrics in the squad, which speaks volumes about his contribution in a red shirt so far.
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So to have even been criticized for his lack of assists just seems ludicrous, although Manchester United fans won't have anything to cling onto anymore after his performance against Nottingham Forest. Szoboszlai has well and truly silenced the Red Devils supporters, and potentially Squawka as well.
A tongue-in-cheek comment on Squawka's X (formerly Twitter) account after Szoboszlai's first assist against Forest saw him compared to Hungarian goalkeeper Gábor Király in a similarly nonsensical post to the one that has been circulating comparing him to Evans. Yet again, Szoboszlai had the last laugh as he notched up another assist in the second half.
His first assist demonstrated his desire to get into the box, and his brilliant energy to burst past Forest's defenders and create space to cut the ball across goal. His second was all about technique, sending a long arching ball towards Mohamed Salah which beat Forest's defenders and goalkeeper as well.
It means the Hungarian now has four goal contributions in 13 games for Liverpool in all competitions. Compared to Szoboszlai's previous seasons, that doesn't seem a lot.
However, when you take into account the fact that Liverpool scored from his rebounded shot against Bournemouth, and how he won two penalties as well from which the Reds scored from, if you add all of that up, you get seven direct or indirect goal contributions. That's before you even start to mention the chances he created for his teammates that were not scored.
![Liverpool Dominik Szoboszlai](https://i2-prod.liverpool.com/incoming/article28006353.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Szoboszlai.jpg)
Szoboszlai gives Liverpool a totally different dimension, and sooner or later more of the chances that he creates will turn into assists. He'll get more goals as well. This was only his 10th Premier League game, and he's still adjusting to the league, but not every midfielder is required to constantly score goals like Jude Bellingham. A game of football is more than just about the players who get on the end of chances.
Liverpool will know the reality of Szoboszlai's performances. That's why he has become a fan favorite among the club's supporters. However, if he can start to add more assists and goals to his game as he did against Nottingham Forest, the Reds won't be complaining, and rival fans will have nothing else left to say.