Jurgen Klopp Praises Dominik Szoboszlai Impact After Liverpool Advance in Carabao Cup

Liverpool advanced to the last 16 of the Carabao Cup after a 3-1 win over Championship leaders Leicester City, with summer signing Dominik Szoboszlai coming off the bench to fire the Reds into the next round. Jurgen Klopp praised the Hungarian’s impact at Anfield after the game.

Leicester Take Early Lead

The night started badly for Liverpool when Konstantinos Tsimikas’ early free-kick was cleared and the Greece defender was then left on the deck by Marc Albrighton as Leicester raced away to score.

Szoboszlai Strikes

But after Cody Gakpo equalised early in the second half, Szoboszlai struck an unstoppable shot in the 70th minute, moments after coming on, with Diogo Jota wrapping it up with a late goal of his own. Szoboszlai’s rocket from the edge of the D was his second goal since his £60 million summer switch from RB Leipzig and another marker into the impressive start the Hungarian has made on Merseyside.

Klopp Praises Szoboszlai

“I don’t have to tell him to shoot, he knows that better than me,” Klopp said. “He has a pretty good skill. The next [shot] he had which was slightly over was another grenade as well. It was a super goal.” The ease with which Szoboszlai has made himself at home at Anfield has been key to the strong start Liverpool, second in the Premier League, have made in all competitions as they look to have solved many of the midfield problems that dogged them last season.

Asked if Szoboszlai had settled quicker than expected, Klopp said: “It’s so long ago that he’s here that I’ve forgotten what I thought but since the first minute of training it was pretty impressive. That’s how it is. He’s a top bloke, a top guy and it’s easy to step into the team and the dressing room and stuff like this. He’s a very naturally confident boy and that helps but it’s super hard work as well and that’s what you see today.”

Klopp Praises Team’s Response

Klopp said what stood out to him was the way his players responded. “The headline is that we are 1-0 down but it was a completely different goal – I’m not sure if it was a foul or not but we could have defended a bit better in that first moment, and then it’s a good pass and a good finish,” he said. “Then it is all about the reaction. Our players responded well. We created massive chances that were difficult to miss, but we did, and the goalkeeper saved some and we hit the crossbar. How [we didn’t score] I have no clue but at half-time it was clear we were going to make sure we didn’t get frustrated. We were not really chasing the game but playing the game and that’s what the boys did. It was a top performance.”

Maresca Proud of Leicester Performance

It was only a second defeat of the season for Leicester as they chase an instant return to the top flight and Enzo Maresca said the performance was more important than the result. “I’m very, very proud of the players because to come to this stadium against this opponent and to continue playing in the way we want to play I think they showed they were very brave,” he said. “Even after 45 minutes when we were 1-0 up I was not focused on the result, it’s always important of course, but I told them before the game the focus for us is to go there and continue to play in the way we want.”

Jurgen Klopp praised summer signing Dominik Szoboszlai after his stunning strike helped Liverpool advance in the Carabao Cup. The Hungarian has made an impressive start to life at Anfield since his £60 million move from RB Leipzig and Klopp said his skill and hard work have been key to Liverpool’s strong start in all competitions this season. Leicester City put up a brave fight but ultimately fell short, with Enzo Maresca saying he was proud of his players’ performance despite the result.