Liverpool 2025–26 Season Review: Alarm Bells Blaring

Liverpool supporters will be mightily relieved to see the back of an excruciating campaign.

A record summer spend enhanced expectations for a Premier League title-winning squad, but a fortuitous start to the season soon turned ugly. A term littered with disaster after disaster will quickly be banished from memory.

Liverpool’s pitiful title defense was exacerbated by a mediocre Champions League campaign and embarrassing domestic cup exits, not to mention defeat in the curtain-raising Community Shield to kick off the torture.

Here’s Sports Illustrated’s review of a testing season for the Reds.

Liverpool 2025–26 Player of the Season

Dominik Szoboszlai

There is simply no competition for Liverpool’s Player of the Season prize, Dominik Szoboszlai an undisputed hero amid the misery.

Channeling former No.8 Steven Gerrard in the early 2010s, Szoboszlai single-handedly carried Liverpool on his shoulders throughout the campaign. A team-high 25 goal involvements were matched by indefatigable displays and moments of magic, no teammates able to reach the lofty heights the Hungarian hit.

At the end of a turbulent campaign, Szoboszlai can hold his head up high.

Honorable Mention: Hugo Ekitiké

Liverpool 2025–26 Goal of the Season

Dominik Szoboszlai vs. Arsenal

Do you think Dominik Szoboszlai's winner against Arsenal is the best-ever free-kick?

Enjoy these other contenders, featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, Cole Palmer, Wayne Rooney and more ⬇️
— Premier League (@premierleague) September 3, 2025

Szoboszlai once again reigns supreme, the midfielder having conducted his own personal Goal of the Season contest. The majority of his 13 strikes were inspired finishes, including four direct free kicks.

One of those masterful dead-ball hits came after just three matches of the Premier League season, Szoboszlai delivering a stupendous 30-yard free kick that swerved over the Arsenal wall and into the top corner beyond David Raya. A worthy winner against the now Premier League champions.

Similarly gorgeous efforts against Manchester City and Barnsley deserve recognition, too.

Liverpool 2025–26 Performance of the Season

Real Madrid (H)

Alexis Mac Allister and Hugo Ekitiké. — A rare moment of ecstasy. | Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/AllstarGetty Images

There were not many genuinely impressive performances for this current Liverpool crop, but their 1–0 win over Real Madrid—which should have been even more convincing—was one of many false dawns for fans.

Alexis Mac Allister’s winner decided a completely one-sided contest that Liverpool bossed from start to finish. In beating former Reds Xabi Alonso and Trent Alexander-Arnold, they produced 2.51 expected goals (vs. Madrid’s 0.45) and registered nine shots on target as they peppered Thibaut Courtois.

Liverpool generally saved their best performances for Europe in 2025–26.

Honorable Mentions: Newcastle (H), Galatasaray (H)

Liverpool 2025–26 Signing of the Season

Hugo Ekitiké

What epitomized a dreary campaign was Liverpool’s struggling signings (we’ll get to them), but Hugo Ekitiké proved a rare breath of fresh air.

The summer recruit from Eintracht Frankfurt immediately hit the ground running with a well-taken finish in the Community Shield, and followed up with clinical efforts in his first two Premier League matches.

Despite there being natural ups and downs for the France international, he managed 17 strikes before suffering a devastating Achilles injury in April that could rule him out until 2027.

A brutal end to an encouraging debut term.

Honorable Mentions: N/A

Liverpool 2025–26 Most Improved Player

Dominik Szoboszlai

The bulk of Liverpool’s squad regressed in 2025–26, but their Player of the Season at least improved upon last term’s displays.

Szoboszlai was integral to Liverpool’s success last season with 16 goal involvements, but both his output and technical level have improved. The 25-year-old has gone from an impressive all-rounder to a world-class talent.

A shoutout to Rio Ngumoha is due, too, Liverpool’s teenage phenom offering a ray of hope.

Honorable Mention: Rio Ngumoha

Liverpool 2025–26 Disappointment of the Season

New Signings

There are plenty of candidates for Liverpool’s biggest disappointment, but the underperformance of their summer signings was undeniably the prevailing theme of the campaign.

Liverpool’s record signings must take the majority of the blame. Despite glimpses of his genius in short bursts, Florian Wirtz endured an arduous debut season in which he failed to provide meaningfully effective performances, especially against stellar opposition. Alexander Isak’s injury-riddled campaign was dreadful both before and after his broken leg.

Milos Kerkez’s iffy season improved as the months wore on, but still left an underwhelming taste in the mouth. Jeremie Frimpong suffered consistent fitness setbacks and looks a shade of the player seen at Bayer Leverkusen, while Giovanni Leoni’s debut ended with him tearing his ACL and missing the entirety of the term.

The drop-off in form of Mohamed Salah and plenty of his teammates deserves scrutiny, as does Arne Slot’s grim campaign at the helm. However, it’s Liverpool’s signings who promised so much, yet delivered agonizingly little.

Honorable Mentions: Mohamed Salah, Alexis Mac Allister, Cody Gakpo, Ibrahima Konaté, Arne Slot

Liverpool 2025–26 Most Appearances

Player	Total Appearances	Premier League	Cups
Virgil van Dijk	55	38	17
Alexis Mac Allister	55	37	18
Dominik Szoboszlai	53	36	17
Cody Gakpo	52	36	16
Ibrahima Konaté	51	36	15

Liverpool 2025–26 Top Scorers

Player	Total Goals	Premier League	Cups
Hugo Ekitiké	17	11	6
Dominik Szoboszlai	13	6	7
Mohamed Salah	12	7	5
Cody Gakpo	9	7	2
Virgil van Dijk	8	6	2

Liverpool 2025–26 Record in All Competitions

Competition	Finish
Premier League	Fifth
Champions League	Quarterfinal
FA Cup	Quarterfinal
Carabao Cup	Fourth Round
Community Shield	Runners-up

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