Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers vs Real Betis as Dominik Szoboszlai impresses

ACRISURE STADIUM, PITTSBURGH – Liverpool kicked off their pre-season with a 1-0 win over La Liga side Real Betis on Friday night local time. Dominik Szoboszlai was a good performer, while Mohamed Salah also looked quite lively.

Szoboszlai’s fine finish into the far corner opened the scoring in the first half and the Hungary captain was impressive throughout his time on the pitch. Trey Nyoni also did well, although his introduction due to an injury to Curtis Jones was far from ideal.

Playing something of a 4-4-2 formation with Szoboszlai and Harvey Elliott in the middle, it was an experimental formation from Arne Slot in his first proper friendly. When the bigger attacking options return, he might choose to go with a more conventional 4-3-3.

READ MORE: Curtis Jones injury scare during Liverpool vs Real Betis friendly
READ MORE: Mohamed Salah has big advantage over rivals for new season – but so does Erling Haaland

Liverpool.com runs through the matches below…

Winners

Szoboszlai looked refreshed, and that’s a big, big boost for a player who has looked depleted for much of 2024 so far. If Slot can get a new version of the Hungarian talisman, it will be like a new signing at the start of the new season. Jarell Quansah also looked very assured, while Salah lacked sparkle but was a solid enough performer.

losers

The main concern will be Jones’ injury. Liverpool fans will hope it was just a precaution, but it was enough to be safe, at least. Jones needs an injury-free campaign to establish himself in the team and show exactly what he can do. This was not an ideal start and he looked frustrated as he pointed to the discomfort zone.

Sepp van den Berg looked a little shell-shocked in possession, while Fabio Carvalho didn’t make much of an impact. Neither have done anything particularly bad, but they fall into the category of needing to impress the most this summer to move up the table. That didn’t happen here, it would be fair to say.

Liverpool vs Real Betis player ratings

Caoimhin Kelleher (N/A). The keeper barely had anything to do here other than glance over to collect the ball for a goal kick or play a simple pass to a defender. Very easy for him in the 45 minutes he played.

Conor Bradley (6). He got into some nice positions in the final third due to his willingness to run and open up the field. Defensively solid in the main, but Real Betis didn’t offer much of a threat. Perhaps he could have been a bit more decisive in the opponents’ penalty area.

Sepp van den Berg (5). Decent enough, but not particularly spectacular in possession, where he struggled a few times when under pressure. He was better than the last time most Liverpool fans saw him, but comfortably below Quansah’s level.

Jarell Quansah (6). Much better on the ball than his central partner. Quansah looked very confident and very much like a player confident that the jersey is his at the moment. Ibrahima Konate will have to win it back from him.

Kostas Tsimikas (6). He didn’t have a lot of touches and only got involved when he had to. There wasn’t much in defense and most of the attacks came centrally or down the right.

Wataru Endo (5). Not the best in possession and was booked for stopping a promising attack. Not the best outing from the Japanese, who looked a bit slow.

Curtis Jones (6). Everything was going so well until he suffered what appeared to be a hamstring injury. Jones looked really good up until that point in the game and just has to hope it’s nothing serious.

Mohamed Salah (6). A quiet outing for him in a friendly that didn’t see much action. Still, enough to suggest it will be clear on opening day football itself.

Dominik Szoboszlai (7). He won’t be played as a false nine very often in his career and may never be again. He scored a very nice goal though and looked crisp and full of energy. That must be promising when he looked so tired in the second half of his debut campaign at Anfield.

Harvey Elliott (6). He looked a little lost playing in the middle of the attack, but it’s a very unfamiliar role. He looked much more comfortable when he drifted off.

Fabio Carvalho (5). Pretty quiet, really. There is a player who can be unlocked and clearly has talent, but lacks the pace to play very effectively for a Liverpool side that needs explosives in those areas.

Substitutes

30′ to 71′ Trey Nyoni (7). Involved in the move that opened the scoring almost as soon as he came on around the hour mark; this was a very impressive performance from the youngster. It was telling, one might say, that he entered the field ahead of Stefan Bajcetic and Tyler Morton. His passing through the lines was the sign of a confident 17-year-old.

45′ Viteszlav Jaros (6). Like Kelleher, he didn’t have much to do. He made a big tackle when he was forced out of the box and made an early tackle, but he did well to anticipate it. About 25 minutes later he made a good save as Liverpool were opened up for the first time — immediately after wholesale changes have been made.

45′ Tyler Morton (6). Neat and tidy as is so often the case for Liverpool. It will be a struggle to get regular minutes at Anfield next season, but Morton is a player who deserves the chance to play every week.

63′ Ben Doak (6). It was a strong run when he came in, but that didn’t lead to anything in the end. Other than that, it was a relatively low-key outing for the Scottish winger. However, he is 100% over his injuries and ready to go.

63′Stefan Bajcetic (6). Kept things simple and similar to Morton really: always good value for the ball. He didn’t have much to do other than play a few passes.

63′ Owen Beck (6). I didn’t get involved much and had almost nothing to do defensively. He looked fit and sharp but didn’t get a chance to show much of what he can offer in the future.

63′ Kaide Gordon (6). He had half a chance when the ball fell to him from an angle, but he could only muster so much. Physically, he looks like a completely different player to the one who arrived from Derby County a few years ago.

63′ Luke Stephenson (6). He didn’t touch the ball that much at right back, which is not his best position. Solid enough output and can be satisfied with its performance.

63′ Nat Phillips (6). This is surely the last pre-season Phillips will play at Liverpool. He really needs a move and now he is way down, as evidenced by the fact that Van den Berg was his favourite.

63′ Luke Chambers (6). Made a big challenge on two or three occasions and was unlucky to give a soft foul. One to watch when he goes out on loan again to Wigan Athletic next season.

63′ Harvey Blair (6). Plays bright and fast in the middle. A talented player who should have a good career ahead of him in the EFL.

63′ Lewis Koumas (6). We haven’t had many touches, but we know how good a finisher he is. He should get more chances this summer against Arsenal and Manchester United.