Liverpool secured their advancement to the FA Cup fourth round with a commanding 4-1 victory over League One side Barnsley at Anfield on Monday evening. The Reds, sparked by a stunning goal from Dominik Szoboszlai, overcame a resilient Barnsley side that pushed them to the brink.
The match began with a bang as Barnsley came close to an early lead, striking the post within the first 28 seconds. However, Liverpool settled the nerves of the Anfield crowd when Szoboszlai scored a remarkable goal from 25 yards out just nine minutes into the game. This goal marked Szoboszlai as the third Liverpool player to score from outside the box in the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, and League Cup, following in the footsteps of Steven Gerrard and John Arne Riise.
Barnsley, undeterred, continued to press forward, testing Liverpool's goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili with efforts from Jonathan Bland and Davis Keillor-Dunn. However, the Premier League quality of Liverpool shone through when Jeremie Frimpong, starting at right-back in place of the injured Conor Bradley, cut inside and finished with a powerful shot into the net.
The first half took a dramatic turn when Adam Phillips, a former Liverpool academy player, capitalized on a bizarre error from Szoboszlai. Chasing a long ball, Szoboszlai attempted a risky flick to his goalkeeper from just three yards out but missed, allowing Phillips to score and halve the deficit.
Barnsley's spirit was further bolstered when they had a strong penalty claim waved away in the second half. Reyes Cleary went down under a challenge from Szoboszlai, but referee Farai Hallam ruled that the Hungarian got a slight touch on the ball, despite having a hand on the winger's back. With no VAR in use until the fifth round, the decision stood, much to Barnsley's frustration.
Liverpool, however, sealed the victory in the final ten minutes of the match. Florian Wirtz curled home a goal after a deft flick from Hugo Ekitike, and the pair combined again for Ekitike to score the fourth goal. This ensured Liverpool's progression to the next round, where they will face Brighton.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot expressed mixed feelings about the performance, stating, "I was happy with the goals we scored. But I think it was far too long a game that was tight. Two-nil up then giving a goal away like that, made it difficult until five or ten minutes until the end. Then one bad moment and it could have been 2-2."
Conor Hourihane, Barnsley's head coach, praised his team's efforts, saying, "Unbelievably proud of the lads. They were outstanding. Stuck with the plan from minute one to the end, got a bit tired towards the end because we had so long without the ball at times."
The FA Cup fourth-round draw has set up an exciting matchup for Liverpool, who will host Brighton. Other notable ties include:
1. Stoke City vs Fulham
2. Oxford United vs Sunderland
3. Southampton vs Leicester City
4. Wrexham vs Ipswich Town
5. Arsenal vs Wigan Athletic
6. Hull City vs Chelsea
7. Burnley vs Mansfield Town
8. Norwich City vs West Brom
9. Grimsby Town vs Wolves
10. Aston Villa vs Newcastle
11. Manchester City vs Salford City or Swindon
12. Macclesfield vs Brentford
13. Birmingham City vs Leeds United
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