Dominik Szoboszlai gave Liverpool the lead against Barnsley and did it brilliantly.
The Hungarian midfielder has been Liverpool’s best player this season and carried his brilliant form into the FA Cup.
In the 9th minute, the atmosphere at Anfield went from anticipation to frenzy. Collecting a pass nearly 30 yards out, Szoboszlai poised himself with a calm touch and unleashed a rocket.
The ball traveled with such speed and precision that Barnsley’s goalkeeper watched helplessly as it darted into the top left corner.
The strike drew immediate comparisons to the club’s iconic former captain Steven Gerrard. Szoboszlai currently wears Gerrard’s legendary No. 8 shirt with immense pride.
See the goals below.
Successor to number 8: drawing parallels to Gerrard
For many Liverpool supporters, Szoboszlai is the closest thing to a true Steven Gerrard replacement the club has seen since 2015.
The similarities in their characteristics are striking. A relentless engine, the ability to transition from defense to attack with a single diagonal ball, and most notable, a penchant for scoring ‘world class players’ when the team needs a breakthrough.
He himself is aware of it. Steven Gerrard recently said that Szoboszlai is the player in Liverpool’s current squad that most reminds him of himself.
Szoboszlai, who has already scored 11 goals in all competitions this season, is not just wearing the shirt, he is defining a new era in the kit.
