Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Inter: Reds Crown Salah Replacement
A late penalty bailed out Liverpool on Tuesday evening, sealing a 1–0 win over Inter Milan without Mohamed Salah.
The Egyptian superstar was left out of Arne Slot’s squad for the Champions League clash after launching an explosive attack on his manager and club. The distraction loomed large for the Reds on their trip to San Siro.
Beyond a disallowed first-half goal from Ibrahima Konaté, Liverpool struggled to get much of anything going against the Italian giants. The match seemed destined to end in a goalless draw before Florian Wirtz won his side a controversial penalty on the brink of stoppage time.
Dominik Szoboszlai stepped up for the Reds and buried the winner to snag his side’s fifth win in its last 16 matches across all competitions. The three points sent the 20-time English champions to 10th in the league phase standings.
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Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Inter (4-4-2)
GK: Alisson—7.9: Denied Lautaro Martínez with a nice save in the first half, but never truly tested on the night.
RB: Joe Gomez—6.9: Sturdy at the back, but selfish in the final third. Did Isak no favours on the right flank.
CB: Ibrahima Konaté—7.4: Not at the centre of the crime on this occasion, much to Slot’s delight. Kept his mistakes to a minimum and was unfortunate not to score.
CB: Virgil van Dijk—7.3: Did his job with little fanfare. Made crucial blocks and interventions that helped his side keep a clean sheet.
LB: Andy Robertson—7.5: Recovered well after a crunching tackle sent him flying in the early stages. Created a couple chances out of seemingly nothing as well.
RM: Dominik Szoboszlai—7.9: Struggled to get into the game in the first half, but played hero in the second from the penalty spot.
CM: Ryan Gravenberch—7.9: Did an exceptional job on the counter attack, as well as tracking back to cover for his teammates’ shortcomings. Tidy in possession.
CM: Alexis Mac Allister—7.4: Fortified the midfield, but would have liked to better progress the ball forward.
LM: Curtis Jones—7.4: A bright spot in the first half and hardly put a foot wrong with the ball at his feet.
ST: Alexander Isak—6.5: Virtually a bystander on the night. Dispossessed easily, lacked physicality and never looked a threat to create or score.
ST: Hugo Ekitiké—7.0: Played as if he was alone up top. Made no effort to link up with Isak and had little impact himself apart from a few flashes of flare in the first half.
Substitute | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
Conor Bradley (68’ for Gomez) | 6.5 |
Florian Wirtz (68’ for Isak) | 7.3 |
Subs not used: Freddie Woodman (GK), Giorgi Mamardashvili (GK), Milos Kerkez, Wellity Lucky, Rio Ngumoha.
Inter (3-5-2)
Starting XI: Yann Sommer; Manuel Akanji, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Luis Henrique, Nicolò Barella, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco; Lautaro Martínez, Marcus Thuram.
Subs used: Piotr Zieliński, Yann Bisseck, Carlos Augusto, Petar Sučić, Ange-Yoan Bonny.
Player of the Match: Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool)
Inter 0–1 Liverpool—How It Unfolded at San Siro
Both coming off defeats in their previous Champions League matches, Inter and Liverpool locked horns in front of an electric atmosphere in Milan. Two injury stoppages took the sting out of the early stages, though, before either side could find its rhythm.
Thanks to a great spell spearheaded by Curtis Jones, the Reds eventually found their footing 20 minutes into the clash and tested Yann Sommer with two threatening strikes from distance. Neither found the back of the net, but it was a bright sequence from a Liverpool side desperate to get back to winning ways.
The visitors kept the pressure on Inter and thought they found the breakthrough in the 32nd minute. Szoboszlai whipped in a tantalising ball from the corner flag that Hugo Ekitiké flicked onto the head of Konaté. The centre back beat Sommer from close range to briefly put his side up 1–0.
Immediate protests rang from Cristian Chivu’s men, who claimed a handball in the build up. A lengthy VAR review showed it was indeed Ekitiké’s arm—albeit accidentally—that sent the ball the way of Konaté. Referee Felix Zwayer disallowed the opener, bringing the match back level.
The decision seemingly woke Inter up. The hosts took control of the game, with Lautaro Martínez managing the Nerazzurri’s best chance deep into first-half stoppage time. The skipper sent a glancing header the way of Alisson, who made a sublime save to deny the striker.
As the second half unfolded at San Siro, it became abundantly clear that both sides were missing the creative flare needed to facilitate a moment worthy of beating either disciplined defence. Inter looked to strike on the counter attack, but were missing the end product.
Liverpool, meanwhile, enjoyed prolonged spells of possession, but lacked imagination. The lack of chemistry between Ekitiké and Isak did not help matters; the two forwards had virtually no partnership up top, prompting Slot to replace the Swede with Florian Wirtz in the 68th minute.
The Germany international would go on to be the catalyst for the visitors’ winner. Wirtz had a handful of his shirt pulled by Alessandro Bastoni inside the penalty area, prompting the midfielder to fall to the ground. The referee let the challenge go in real time, but reversed his decision once he was called to the monitor.
No Salah. No Problem.
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) December 9, 2025
Liverpool need a new talisman and Dominik Szoboszlai is putting his name forward for the role. pic.twitter.com/E4CVvIsroq
Szoboszlai did his best Salah impression from the spot and converted from 12 yards out, sealing all three points for Liverpool in the 88th minute.
Inter vs. Liverpool Half-Time Stats
Statistic | Inter | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
Possession | 56% | 44% |
Expected Goals (xG) | 0.21 | 0.12 |
Total Shots | 5 | 3 |
Shots on Target | 2 | 2 |
Big Chances | 1 | 0 |
Pass Accuracy | 90% | 90% |
Fouls Committed | 5 | 5 |
Corners | 3 | 3 |
Inter vs. Liverpool Full Time Stats
Statistic | Inter | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
Possession | 50% | 50% |
Expected Goals (xG) | 0.43 | 1.47 |
Total Shots | 9 | 12 |
Shots on Target | 2 | 5 |
Big Chances | 1 | 2 |
Pass Accuracy | 86% | 89% |
Fouls Committed | 14 | 11 |
Corners | 6 | 3 |
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