Dominik Szoboszlai has urged Liverpool fans to stick with the team in "difficult times" - after many left in the closing stages of Sunday's draw with Tottenham Hotspur. The Reds were held 1-1 by struggling Spurs and were also subjected to boos following the full-time whistle.
Szoboszlai scored his 11th goal of the campaign in the first half with another free-kick for his growing collection but relegation-threatened Tottenham secured a 90th-minute equaliser via former Everton striker Richarlison.
Scores of match-goers headed for the exits in stoppage time, while those who stayed at Anfield jeered as Arne Slot's Reds missed the chance to properly capitalise on defeats for Chelsea and Aston Villa over the weekend.
Szoboszlai revealed the players are affected by those who choose to leave early and has asked the Anfield faithful to remain firmly behind the team as the quest for Champions League qualification goes on.
“I think it should be normal that in hard times we stick together more because that’s what we need, we need each other," the Hungary captain said.
"We want to make them happy, it’s not that we do it on purpose. We want to make ourselves happy, make all the Liverpool supporters happy, but we need them.
"Last year it was for sure enjoyable to watch all the games but this year maybe it’s not that enjoyable, for sure, I can imagine. But still support us also when we are in difficult times.
“Of course. But as I said they can be angry but stick with us because we are a family, we need you guys. We would like to make them happy so just stay together.
"For sure. I don’t say they have no right to leave the stadium, they can leave if they want. We need them and they should know this. We are one less without them.
“If you talk about Liverpool then the Champions League is normal. You have to be there. When I first came we played in the Europa League, so it happens sometimes that we don’t achieve [Champions League qualification].
"But our aim is to get in the top four or go as far as we can in the Champions League. I am going to do everything that is possible to finish in the top four but alone I’m not enough so we need everybody.
"We had already a couple of weeks ago a talk between each other saying: ‘Guys we don’t have such a lot of time to do this right so we have to wake up and start to go in a way that we want to play Champions League next season’.
"We have Galatasaray on Wednesday and that will be a tough game because we felt it there. I don’t think it helps us also that after 80 minutes people start to go home, it doesn’t help us at all. Stick with us.
"Everyone is noticing that and when we concede a goal still people are leaving the stadium – you don’t leave when we score. I understand the frustration but we need them, we need everybody, and that’s the most important."
The draw moved Liverpool into fifth place, which is expected to be the final Champions League spot, but there was little sugarcoating what was a frustrating day for Slot and his players against a Spurs side who had lost all four previous games under new coach Igor Tudor and haven't won a Premier League game since December.
Szoboszlai added: "Where do we go from here? It’s a good question. If I knew the answer I would be the first one to go to the team and say it.
"We have to find solutions. As I’ve said many times before, it’s a little bit boring when I say this, but we still need to find a solution because we are running out of time.
“We played a completely different game in the second half to the first half. The answer for this. Why? I don’t know.
"First half we controlled the game, we played well, we were winning the balls, they had hardly created any chances – maybe a couple of headers – but we were in control and I feel in the second half we lost this control a little bit and it [the game] went there and back, there and back a lot of times.
"Sometimes we have to stay calm more on the ball and also, again, [conceded] in the last minute.
"Somehow this year is like this but we have to stick together and that’s the most important thing because the good times are always easy to stay together, but in the hard times it is the most difficult to stay together.
"But we have to because it is a long way to go still."
Liverpool FC and adidas have unveiled a retro Bringback collection inspired by the club's 1995/96 away kit.
