Liverpool moved into fourth with a 3-1 win at Palace, but Dominik Szoboszlai’s knee injury clouds his availability for the Anfield clash with United.
Liverpool’s 3-1 win at Crystal Palace restored their league form and lifted them to fourth, but the result came with an unresolved cost: Dominik Szoboszlai’s knee injury. The midfielder’s condition now hangs over preparations for Manchester United’s visit to Anfield on 22 November. For Liverpool, the immediate question isn’t simply whether he’ll be fit. It’s whether they can keep the fluency they showed against Palace if one of their main creative outlets is unavailable.
The timing gives the injury extra weight. Liverpool had just lost in Turkey in midweek, so the Palace result offered a useful response in the league and a more encouraging note on which to enter the international break. But momentum can be fragile when a team’s options in one area are uncertain. Liverpool have another midfield concern in Ryan Gravenberch, and the break may give the club time to assess both players without answering the central question straight away: who’ll be ready when United arrive?
Szoboszlai’s injury clouds a useful win
Szoboszlai helped create Liverpool’s opener with the delivery Alexis Mac Allister headed in after 40 minutes. That contribution matters because it shows the kind of influence Liverpool may have to replace if the injury keeps him out: he can shape an attack before the final touch, giving a teammate the chance to finish the move. The goal also came late in the first half, when an opener can change the way both sides approach the remainder of a match.
He took a knock late in the half but continued playing until the 69th minute, when Trey Nyoni replaced him. Andoni Iraola said Szoboszlai had slightly overextended his knee and wasn’t fully fit. Tests were scheduled for Monday 9 November, with Liverpool planning their own assessment as well. Until those checks provide more clarity, the club’s plans for the United match have to account for uncertainty rather than assume his return.
Iraola couldn’t confirm whether Szoboszlai would join Hungary for its Nations League matches. That leaves a second question alongside his availability for Liverpool: how the injury affects his schedule during the break. The source doesn’t establish what the tests will show, or whether he’ll be able to play for club or country. For now, the key fact is the gap between his visible contribution against Palace and the lack of a firm prognosis.
This is more significant than it looks. A player can remain on the pitch after taking a knock and still leave a team with a serious selection problem a few days later. The minutes Szoboszlai managed against Palace don’t settle what he’ll be able to do next.
Liverpool’s midfield depth under pressure
Ryan Gravenberch was already a doubt because of a heel problem. Liverpool’s 6 November update described his condition as a day-to-day pain management issue, which leaves his availability uncertain too. That phrasing tells readers that the club is monitoring the problem, but it doesn’t amount to a promise that he’ll be ready for the next match.
Two possible absences in the same area can affect a team beyond the names on the lineup sheet. Midfielders connect defensive work to attacks, and changes there can alter who carries the ball, who supplies forward passes and how much responsibility falls to other players. Those are general pressures for any side dealing with injuries in midfield; the available facts don’t establish which Liverpool player would take on each role if Szoboszlai or Gravenberch can’t play.
Liverpool’s second half against Palace still offered evidence of attacking depth. Florian Wirtz scored the second goal, and Alexander Isak made it 3-0 late on. Eddie Nketiah converted a stoppage-time penalty for Palace, so Liverpool didn’t finish with a clean sheet, but the late concession didn’t erase the margin they’d built. The win leaves their league record at five victories, three draws and two defeats as they head into the international break.
That record gives Liverpool a firmer league position than their recent midweek defeat might suggest, but it doesn’t settle how resilient their midfield will be against a different opponent. A scoreline can show that a team created and finished chances on one day. It can’t guarantee the same balance if the players who helped produce those chances aren’t available the next time out.
United’s poor run sharpens the contrast
United arrive at Anfield under much greater pressure in the table. Patrick Dorgu’s 96th-minute equaliser earned them a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa at Old Trafford on 8 November, yet they’ve managed only one league win in 10 matches and sit in the bottom three. A late goal rescued a point, but it didn’t change the wider run of results described here.
The Analyst (Opta) noted that 7 November marked the first time since October 1986 that United had ended a day in the relegation places later than August. That comparison gives their current position historical context, while the underlying league record explains why the pressure is immediate. Their place could worsen before the Liverpool match: Sunderland and Crystal Palace play earlier that weekend, so United could begin Sunday’s game at the bottom of the table.
For Liverpool, United’s poor form may make the fixture look more manageable on paper. That reading would be too simple. A team’s position and recent results describe its difficulties, but they don’t decide what happens in a single match. And yet the contrast is real: Liverpool are coming off a league win that lifted them to fourth, while United are trying to stop a run that has left them in the relegation places.
What the injury could mean at Anfield
Szoboszlai’s availability now carries added weight because Liverpool’s midfield has more than one uncertainty and the next league match is against a side under pressure to respond. He supplied the pass that opened the scoring at Palace, and losing him would remove a creative option just as Liverpool have regained some momentum. The Monday tests should clarify whether he can feature against United, though the source doesn’t give a result in advance.
If you’re watching Liverpool’s preparations, the detail to follow is not only whether Szoboszlai returns, but what the club can confirm about his fitness and Gravenberch’s heel. A clear assessment would help explain the choices facing the coaching staff; vague updates would leave the midfield picture open until closer to kickoff. Either way, the international break places attention on recovery as much as on the Palace result.
The win was valuable. The lineup question remains.
Discussion
Sign in to join the discussion.