Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Man City: Hero Turned Villain in Bonkers Conclusion

A manic 2–1 reverse at Anfield could kill off the champions Premier League aspirations.

It all went rather pear-shaped for Dominik Szoboszlai. | Paul ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images

Dominik Szoboszlai found himself front and centre of Liverpool’s wild-eyed 2–1 defeat at home to Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.

After opening the scoring with a stunning free kick, the talismanic Hungary international was at fault for Bernardo Silva’s equaliser. He could do nothing as Erling Haaland converted a stoppage-time penalty before getting himself sent off for pulling the Norwegian striker to the turf during a truly bonkers conclusion.

Liverpool’s hero of the season proved to be the villain of the piece on Sunday after threatening to once again steal the show. It was painfully prophetic that Szoboszlai celebrated his ripsnorting free kick with a snap of his fingers—that’s just how quickly his afternoon unravelled.

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Hero Turned to Villain

Absolutely no one wanted that goal disallowed or Szoboszlai sent off. pic.twitter.com/049ryd8qpg

— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) February 8, 2026

“We are on it,” Szoboszlai promised heading into Sunday’s fixture. While his teammates have failed to live up to that benchmark at points throughout the season, Szoboszlai has almost always been well and truly on it—never more so than in the 74th minute.

There was a snarl to the Hungarian’s vicious free kick, swerving around the wall before barrelling back the other way. Gianluigi Donnarumma was consigned to the same spectator status as the 61,000 people squashed into the Anfield stands, watching on as the ball crashed off the upright on its way into the net.

Eight-time Premier League champion and retired right back Gary Neville was quick to hail the midfielder as “very accomplished” in his unnatural defensive position, yet his unfamiliarity with the role was writ large for City’s equaliser. Caught watching the ball which Haaland headed on, Szoboszlai was the deepest defender playing Bernardo onside—a fact he acknowledged by screaming into the Merseyside night sky.

Alisson was the one to blame for the penalty which Haaland converted yet Szoboszlai took it upon himself to make sure his former RB Salzburg teammate would not notch a second. Both players chased Rayan Cherki’s pass from the halfway line while Alisson watched on after trundling upfield for a late set piece. Szoboszlai took the first tug of Haaland, who kept his balance before grabbing hold of the Hungarian, who fell to the floor as the ball rolled into the unguarded net.

In a fitting coder for the lack of context VAR provides, the distant officials instructed the referee to chalk off the goal, bring it back for a free kick and hand Szoboszlai his marching orders.

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Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Man City (4-2-3-1)

Virgil van Dijk has not been his imperious self this season. | Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Alisson—6.3: Alert right from the off to smother Haaland from close range but undid all his good work with a rash penalty concession.

RB: Dominik Szoboszlai—6.9: Where to begin? That he still ranked as one of Liverpool’s best players despite getting sent off tells you everything you need to know about an all-action performance.

CB: Ibrahima Konaté—7.3: Enjoyed and endured mixed results while tangling with Omar Marmoush, who looked slightly sharper than the French centre back.

CB: Virgil van Dijk—6.5: Both he and Haaland forced each other into clumsy interventions in a duel which the latter ultimately won.

LB: Milos Kerkez—6.6 Up against his former Bournemouth teammate at Anfield for the second time this season, Kerkez performed far better than his chastening Liverpool debut back in August.

CM: Ryan Gravenberch—6.9: Used that rangey stride of his to canter up the pitch but, in doing so, left space for City through the middle.

CM: Alexis Mac Allister—6.4: Struggled to leave his stamp on proceedings.

AM: Florian Wirtz—6.3: Peppered the contest with deft, devilish little touches. Liverpool could have done with a few more of them.

RW: Mohamed Salah—6.6: Emphatically didn’t have the beating of Rayan Aït-Nouri in terms of speed, but his swiftness of thought still poked through on occasion when he was presented with space and the ball at his feet.

ST: Hugo Ekitiké—6.6: Squandered the game’s clearest chance while the match was still scoreless with an oddly poor header.

LW: Cody Gakpo—7.2: Skirted around the periphery of proceedings.

SUB: Curtis Jones (85’ for Gakpo)—N/A

SUB: Federico Chiesa (90+3’ for Kerkez)—N/A

Subs not used: Freddie Woodman (GK), Giorgi Mamardashvili (GK), Andy Robertson, Calvin Ramsay, Trey Nyoni, Wataru Endo, Rio Ngumoha.

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What These Ratings Tell Us

Cody Gakpo (centre) has not been in great form. | Liverpool FC/Getty Images

• Florian Wirtz’s recent scoring form deserted him just when Liverpool needed it most. Drifting across the full width of the pitch, the German playmaker was impressive when he got the ball, but just didn’t see enough of it.
• Cody Gakpo’s struggles this season were highlighted again at Anfield. The biggest impression the Dutch forward left on proceedings was the role he played in the tangle which saw Abdukodir Khusanov have his face rearranged by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
• Alexis Mac Allister forced Donnarumma into a spectacular stop right at the death but his overall contribution was lacking, as it has been for so much of the season. Quite why Curtis Jones remains on the sidelines is a question only Arne Slot can answer.

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The Numbers That Explain Liverpool’s

• Liverpool did not have a shot until the 26th minute and failed to force Gianluigi Donnarumma into a single save inside the opening 50 minutes of Sunday’s contest. Starved of possession and lacking any fluency when on the ball, the Reds really struggled to get going.
• When Liverpool did eventually awake from their slumber in the second half, they squandered their moments: Manchester City scored with both of their Opta-defined big chances while Liverpool wasted each of theirs—that proved to be a crucial difference.
• The Reds have not conceded as many as seven shots on target at home since Nottingham Forest romped to a 3–0 win at Anfield in November. That marked arguably the lowest nadir of Slot’s tenure and promptly forced him to ultimately drop Salah in favour of an overtly defensive setup. It remains to be seen if the same drastic measures are taken.

Statistic	Liverpool	Man City
Possession	46%	54%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.21	2.91
Total Shots	15	17
Shots on Target	4	7
Big Chances	2	3
Passing Accuracy	78%	84%
Fouls Committed	13	16
Corners	5	4

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