Liverpool, Arne Slot receive blessing in disguise as 24-year-old suspended for West Ham game

Liverpool have lost key midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai to suspension for their trip to West Ham United in the Premier League this weekend.

The Hungary international was on four yellow cards for the season before the visit of Leicester City on Boxing Day, where he was dropped from the first XI in favour of Curtis Jones.

The 24-year-old's demotion may very well have been down to his disciplinary record, but head coach Arne Slot still saw fit to introduce Szoboszlai midway through the second period.

That move backfired, though, as Szoboszlai went into referee Darren Bond's book for cynically chopping down Leicester scorer Jordan Ayew as he tried to lead a counter-attack.

Having picked up a milestone fifth yellow card in the first 19 games of the Premier League season, the ex-RB Leipzig man has incurred a one-match suspension, which he will serve away to West Ham on Sunday.

However, had Szoboszlai come through Thursday's game clean but been cautioned in the clash with the Irons instead, he would be sitting out the crunch fixture at home to bitter rivals Manchester United on January 5.

Ayew stunned Anfield into silence with the first goal of the evening on Boxing Day, but Cody Gakpo, Jones and Mohamed Salah responded for the league-leading Reds, who were bidding to take advantage of Chelsea's shock 2-1 home loss to Fulham.