A 4-1 scoreline at Anfield suggests a routine progression, but Liverpool’s FA Cup third-round victory over Barnsley on Monday night was a tale of brilliant individualism, baffling error, and ultimately late relief.
The spirited League One side ensured the Premier League giants battled until the final ten minutes, with the contest hanging in the balance until a Florian Wirtz-inspired flourish added a gloss that Arne Slot admitted was somewhat deceiving.
The narrative of the match turned on the personal dualism of Liverpool captain Dominik Szoboszlai. He electrified Anfield in the ninth minute with a moment of pure quality, unleashing a spectacular 30-yard strike that rocketed into the top corner of Murphy Cooper’s net.
That set-piece excellence was complemented by a second from Jeremie Frimpong, who cut inside from the right and powered a fierce left-footed shot into the roof of the goal just before the interval. However, Szoboszlai then single-handedly reignited the tie with a moment of startling misjudgment.
In his own penalty area and under little pressure, the Hungarian attempted a needless backheel that scuffed directly to Barnsley’s Adam Phillips, a former Liverpool academy player, who gratefully slotted home in front of the Kop.
That gift before halftime transformed the atmosphere, validating Barnsley’s impressive and fearless start, which had seen Davis Keillor-Dunn head against the post within the opening 30 seconds. Their manager, Conor Hourihane, was fiercely proud of his team’s disciplined performance and expressed disappointment with Szoboszlai’s error, suggesting it showed a level of disrespect he would not have risked against top-flight opposition.
The visitors also had strong claims for a penalty when Reyes Cleary went down under a challenge from Szoboszlai in the second half, a decision Hourihane described as “a big decision that went against us”.
With the score at 2-1 and Liverpool struggling to break down a resolute low block, Slot turned to his bench on the hour mark. The introductions of Wirtz and the returning Hugo Ekitiké proved decisive.
After missing one good chance, Wirtz banished any lingering Liverpool anxiety in the 84th minute, curling a superb finish into the top corner after a neat interchange with Ekitiké. The German then turned provider in stoppage time, delivering an inch-perfect cross for Ekitiké to tap in and secure the 4-1 result.
Speaking afterwards, Slot acknowledged his team had made the game “tight for far too long” but praised the impact of his substitutes, noting that Wirtz “brought something creative to the team”.
Progress to a fourth-round home tie against Brighton came at a cost beyond the evening’s frustrations. The Reds suffered a fresh injury scare as young winger Rio Ngumoha was forced off in the second half after slipping and appearing to injure his groin.
More significantly, the match was played against the backdrop of confirmation that defender Conor Bradley has suffered a season-ending knee injury. Slot described this as an “enormous blow” for both player and club, revealing it would force him to manage the minutes of the recently-returned Jeremie Frimpong more carefully in a congested January schedule.
As Liverpool advance, the victory serves as a reminder of both the squad’s latent quality and the fine margins between control and complication, even against lower-league opposition.