The importance of set plays has been a talking point already in this 2025/26 campaign and Liverpool last night brought the topic to the fore once more.
Alexis Mac Allister’s winning goal against Real Madrid came from an excellent free-kick into the box by Dominik Szoboszlai and the following analysis, brought to you by FedEx, will highlight the quality of a series of deliveries leading up to and including the Argentinian’s strike.
As it happened: Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid
According to UEFA Technical Observer Aitor Karanka, the “precision” of Szoboszlai’s dead balls was crucial. He explained: “Above all it’s about the quality of the player who takes the set plays.
“For me, it’s fundamental to have a player like Szoboszlai who took the set plays and put the ball where they’d prepared. However much you work on dead balls and however many players you have who are strong in the air, if you don’t have the player to deliver them, it’s difficult.”
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The video above begins with two corners early in the second half from which Liverpool tested Thibaut Courtois – first Virgil van Dijk’s attempt from Florian Wirtz’s delivery, then Hugo Etikité’s effort from Szoboszlai’s ball from the other side.
The third clip shows Mac Allister connect with Szoboszlai’s free-kick for his 61st-minute winner.
“Normally I’m the one that blocks for Hugo,” Mac Allister told Amazon Prime. The Argentinian was blocking this time too yet ended up connecting with Szoboszlai’s delivery. “I saw the space,” he clarified. “It was a good ball from Dom, I just had to head it.”
“They have very good takers and very good finishers,” said Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso and the facts underline their threat: this was the Reds’ fifth goal from dead balls in this league phase, more than any other club.
According to Karanka, it is not just Liverpool either. “In general, in English football they’re very dangerous on set plays – Arsenal, for example, under Mikel Arteta are very strong too,” he said, and to read more about the Gunners’ set plays, click here.
Coaching observation – It’s not just about height
For all the menace of Liverpool’s taller players like Van Dijk, Etikité and Ibrahima Konaté, the fact it was the 1.76m Mac Allister who struck should give coaches food for thought according to Aitor Karanka. He said: “When you focus more on the players who are most powerful in the air, another player who’s not so tall can then pop up and surprise you.”
Read the 2024/25 Champions League technical report
