Alexis Mac Allister drilled a ferocious left-footed drive from 20 yards to seal a 2-1 Champions League victory over Atlético Madrid at Anfield, giving head coach Andoni Iraola a winning start to his managerial career in Europe's premier competition.
The result carried a note of concern, with £123m summer signing Bradley Barcola leaving the field in the second half with a calf problem on his first Liverpool start. Yet it was Mac Allister's performance — and his winning goal — that dominated all conversation afterwards, arriving just 24 hours after he had gone public with his dismay at being denied a new contract.
Marcos Llorente, something of an Anfield specialist, put Atlético ahead after 17 minutes. Julián Álvarez, making his first start of the season following a summer spent pursuing a move to Barcelona, slid a pass behind the Liverpool defence and Llorente ran clear of Milos Kerkez to clip a confident finish past Alisson. It was the Spaniard's fifth goal at Anfield — half of his entire Champions League tally.
Liverpool regrouped. Kerkez won the ball and found Barcola, who was denied by Jan Oblak. Florian Wirtz kept the move alive and Ronald Araujo, deployed at right-back, made an intelligent run into the penalty box. With his back to goal, Araujo clipped a backheel into Szoboszlai's path and the Hungarian swept a first-time shot into the far corner in the 40th minute.
"I am happy for Ronald as well," Szoboszlai told TNT Sports. "You have to ask him if he meant it!"
Barcola wasted a clear chance to put Liverpool ahead early in the second half, pulling a shot wide when sent through by Wirtz. The miss proved irrelevant within moments. Rio Ngumoha beat Llorente and his cross reached Mac Allister via a deflection off Alexander Isak. The midfielder told Szoboszlai to leave the ball, then hammered an unstoppable effort into the net from the edge of the area.
Mac Allister had spoken before the match about the pain of watching midfield colleagues Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch receive contract extensions while he was left without an offer. When asked about those pre-match comments afterwards, he told ESPN Argentina that being open about his feelings had helped him and that he would give everything until his last day at the club regardless of what happened with his contract situation.
"I try to be sincere. It helped me free myself up a bit," Mac Allister told ESPN Argentina. "I'll always be the same person, right up to my last day here, whether it's two years, longer, or if I leave sooner. I'm going to give it my all until the very last day. I really enjoy being at this club, and I'm very happy living in the moment."
Five of Mac Allister's 20 Liverpool goals in all competitions have now come from outside the penalty area. He remains contracted until 2028 and had completed 83% of his passes across the evening, winning five duels and two tackles.
Araujo, on loan from Barcelona for the season, was outstanding in only his second start at right-back. Iraola spoke warmly of the defender after the match, saying he had been even better than on his debut against Ipswich, and praised both his defensive work and the assist for Szoboszlai's equaliser.
Atlético offered a threat through substitute Ademola Lookman but mustered little of substance after Llorente's opener. The victory was also Iraola's first over Diego Simeone in any capacity, having lost three times and drawn once against the Atlético manager while in charge of Rayo Vallecano. Iraola provided fitness updates on both Barcola and Cody Gakpo — who missed the match — ahead of the weekend visit of Fulham.
Reporting: TeamTalk, CaughtOffside, The Athletic, Daily Mail, ESPN, BBC, CBS Sports, Evening Standard, Sky Sports, RTÉ, The Telegraph, The Independent, Guardian, The Sun.