Szoboszlai’s set‑piece magic
Liverpool drew 1‑1 with Tottenham after Dominik Szoboszlai struck his fifth free‑kick goal of the season — but Richarlison bundled home the equalizer to salvage a point for Spurs late on match recap analysis. That free‑kick form keeps Szoboszlai as one of Europe’s deadlier set‑piece specialists this campaign and a clear tactical weapon for Liverpool highlight reel.
The set‑piece was awarded after Alexis Mac Allister was fouled on the edge of the box (caughtoffside.com), and Szoboszlai bent his effort past goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario in the 18th minute (nytimes.com). It was recorded as his fourth direct free‑kick in Premier League matches this season, a run that has him closing in on Luis Suárez’s Liverpool single‑season mark of five from 2012–13 (espn.com). Media coverage and match statisticians listed the strike as his fifth free‑kick goal when competitions beyond the league are included, underlining the volume across all fixtures this campaign (nbcsports.com). That output has seen analysts elevate his status among global dead‑ball specialists, with Planet Football placing him near the top of their free‑kick rankings for the 2025–26 season in January 2026 (planetfootball.com). Liverpool’s own reporting has highlighted his technique work and willingness to attempt long, riskier set‑pieces—Szoboszlai himself said he “took a risk” after a previous free‑kick winner against Arsenal earlier in the season (liverpoolfc.com). After the match he urged teammates to “wake up,” explicitly linking performance lapses to the club’s Champions League prospects in post‑game comments captured by The New York Times. (nytimes.com)
