Liverpool fans questioned Andoni Iraola’s decision to replace Trey Nyoni with Dominik Szoboszlai during their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at Anfield. Supporters felt that the change weakened the team's midfield and disrupted their momentum.

Arsenal were already ahead through Kai Havertz's 16th-minute goal when Nyoni was taken off. He made his full Premier League debut but Iraola opted to bring Dominik Szoboszlai on in search of an equaliser.

Several supporters felt the teenager had offered more control and better passing options before his substitution.

Fans say Liverpool lost control after Nyoni's exit

Liverpool writer Sam McGuire questioned the substitution, highlighting the difference between Nyoni and Szoboszlai’s passing statistics.

“If you're chasing a game, you want constant pressure and a bit of patience to pick your moment. Nyoni went off with a pass success rate of 96%, and he completed 75% of his long passes. Dom had a pass success of 81%, completed 29% of his long passes and zero crosses,” McGuire wrote on X.

McGuire also felt Liverpool lost their momentum after the change.

“The game changed when Nyoni came off. Thought Liverpool had the momentum until then. Never quite managed to seize control again after he came off.”

Other supporters were even more critical, with one fan blaming the substitution for Liverpool’s struggles.

“Immediately Szoboszlai replaced Nyoni; we lost this game. Awful sub. Iraola, Szoboszlai is a RB please, he's spoiling our midfield transition ffs.”

Another questioned why Nyoni was not given more opportunities, saying: “Nyoni has to be starting more games for me; it's noticeable when he went off, we suffer in terms of the progression passing-wise.”

A third supporter shared the same frustration over the timing of the decision, writing: “I don’t understand why Iraola took Nyoni off. That decision made us worse.”

Sturridge and Murphy differ on Iraola call

Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge also felt Nyoni's withdrawal affected the team's ability to control possession and dictate the tempo.

“Liverpool lost control when Trey Nyoni came off the field,” Sturridge said. “He was really good, passing the ball between the lines, controlling the tempo.”

Danny Murphy offered a different perspective during BBC coverage. While acknowledging the risk of taking Nyoni off, he understood why Iraola introduced Szoboszlai as Liverpool chased an equaliser.

“I think it’s a very bold move [bringing on Szoboszlai] because there’s not a holding midfielder on the pitch for Liverpool now. I don’t blame Iraola for taking the chance. Liverpool have got to get back into it,” Murphy said.

Nyoni had been handed his full Premier League debut by Iraola, starting ahead of Ryan Gravenberch, who remained an unused substitute. Szoboszlai, meanwhile, had returned from injury and began the match on the bench.

Arsenal were already ahead before the substitution

Havertz had given Arsenal the lead in the 16th minute, finishing at the back post after Declan Rice delivered a cross from the right. Liverpool struggled to find an equaliser despite creating opportunities, with Florian Wirtz hitting the crossbar from a free-kick and Alexis Mac Allister heading over.

According to ESPN, Liverpool finished with 1.15 expected goals (xG) compared with Arsenal's 0.96, although they failed to register a shot on target.

With Arsenal already leading before Nyoni's withdrawal, the criticism was not that the substitution caused the defeat, but that Liverpool lost an important source of midfield control while chasing the game.