LIVERPOOL, England — It was a night for Dominik Szoboszlai to remember and to forget.
Just half an hour after spectacularly putting Liverpool ahead in their FA Cup third round tie against League One side Barnsley, the Hungary international offered the visitors a way back into the contest when a mistimed backheel inside his own box presented lifelong Reds fan Adam Phillips with the chance to bundle the ball into the back of the Anfield net.
In the second half of Monday night’s clash — which Liverpool ultimately won 4-1 — Szoboszlai’s challenge on Reyes Cleary prompted appeals for a Barnsley penalty, before the midfielder was called into action to head Phillips’ goalbound shot to safety amid a spell of sustained pressure from Conor Hourihane’s side.
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Szoboszlai’s frenetic, all-action display was in many ways emblematic of Liverpool’s season, with moments of genuine quality offset by errors and lapses in concentration. The victory over Barnsley marks just the second occasion in 31 games this term that Arne Slot’s side have won a game by a margin of three or more goals, and even then, it took until Florian Wirtz’s strike in the 84th minute for the game to be put to bed truly.
Considering 57 places in the English pyramid separated the Premier League champions from their opponents on Monday night, Slot may have hoped for a more dynamic display from his team. But, with Liverpool’s name now in the hat for the fourth round, the Dutchman will know this competition could provide him and his players with their most viable route to silverware this season.
Having paid the price for heavy rotation against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup back in October, Slot vowed before Monday’s game that his team selection would offer his team every chance to progress to the next round. He made six changes to the side that battled to a goalless draw with Premier League leaders Arsenal last time out — with teenager Rio Ngumoha and defender Joe Gomez among those to come in — but the gulf in quality between Liverpool and their struggling visitors was, at least on paper, clear.
Still, Barnsley played like a side with nothing to lose and could have taken the lead inside 30 seconds had the post not denied Davis Keillor-Dunn’s looping header in front of the Kop. Szoboszlai’s stunning strike from distance eight minutes later was a sucker-punch for Hourihane’s side, while Jeremie Frimpong thought he had delivered the knockout blow with his equally impressive solo effort after 36 minutes.
However, this season, Liverpool have developed a toxic habit of making life difficult for themselves, and so it proved again when Szoboszlai’s carelessness just yards from his own goal put the ball on a plate for Phillips to smuggle home. The Barnsley man spent eight years in Liverpool’s academy — starring in a senior preseason friendly in 2021 and playing alongside Reds midfielder Curtis Jones — before finding a footballing home for himself in South Yorkshire.
He now has a moment to cherish against his former club, though the FA Cup magic was somewhat lost on a frustrated Slot as he lamented Szoboszlai’s blunder.
“It’s not the first time — and now I’m talking generally — that we are 2-0 up, there are no problems in the game and then we concede a sloppy or an easy goal,” the Liverpool boss said in his postmatch news conference.
“This one stands out — even for us. It doesn’t help when you concede a goal when you’re 2-0 up. The other team is close to maybe accepting their loss, especially if you can keep going and have the ball so much. Usually, teams are ‘We’re 2-0 down, we’ve hardly touched the ball’. They are usually not as aggressive in their defending, and then you can score the third and the fourth. But if you then give away an easy goal, which we have done so many times this season, it’s a big difference in mindset for the other team. It’s definitely not helpful for us.”
Certainly, Liverpool’s tendency to reach for the self-destruct button rather than enjoying cruise control is something Slot and his players will need to address if they are to ensure the second half of the season brings the calm and consistency that has evaded them for much of the campaign.
Still, the Reds are now 11 games unbeaten in all competitions, with the continued rise of summer signing Wirtz arguably the biggest positive to emerge from that run.
After initially struggling to deliver at the top end of the pitch following his £100 million summer move from Bayer Leverkusen, Wirtz now has five goal contributions in his last six matches, scoring Liverpool’s third against Barnsley before teeing up fellow substitute Hugo Ekitike to put the icing on the cake for the hosts in stoppage time.
“Again, there were 60,000 fans tonight showing up and supporting us,” Slot said.
“I would have loved and the players would have loved to give them not just a 2-1 until the 84th minute. But it did happen, and that is something I would love to see differently.”
Indeed, Slot will know his team must up their game when they play Brighton & Hove Albion in the fourth round next month. It was at the same stage of the competition last season that Liverpool bowed out at the hands of Plymouth Argyle, though the promise of just a second Premier League title in 35 years quickly proved the perfect tonic for such an ignominious exit.
This season, with Liverpool way off the pace in the title race and already out of the Carabao Cup, a strong FA Cup run could be key for Slot in helping his team revive their stuttering campaign.
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