Liverpool overcame a couple of close scares to secure a convincing 4-1 victory over League One side Barnsley in the FA Cup third round on Monday. Dominik Szoboszlai, Jeremie Frimpong, and Florian Wirtz all found the net for the Reds, who will now face Brighton at Anfield in the fourth round.
The Tykes had a fairytale run to this point, with Davis Keillor-Dunn's header inside 28 seconds setting them on their way. However, it was Szoboszlai who opened the scoring for Liverpool just 10 minutes later with a stunning long-range shot that left goalkeeper Murphy Cooper with no chance.
Barnsley continued to battle in the second half, but Liverpool's quality eventually told. Frimpong doubled the Reds' lead before Adam Phillips bizarrely allowed Barnsley's only other goal of the night to come from his own error. The rebound fell at the feet of Phillips, who slotted it past Mamardashvili.
The Reds sealed their win with two late goals, first from Wirtz and then a second assist for Hugo Ekitike before he scored himself in the dying minutes.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot was happy with his team's performance but acknowledged that they had been fortunate at times. He felt that Barnsley were a tough opponent and praised their spirit.
Barnsley manager Conor Hourihane, on the other hand, was left to rue his side's narrow escape from a potentially disastrous defeat. The Tykes' only goal came after Szoboszlai's error and he praised the efforts of his players despite ultimately coming up short.
The win has set Liverpool up for a tough run in fixtures over the next six weeks, with three Premier League matches and a Champions League tie against Marseille to come.
The Tykes had a fairytale run to this point, with Davis Keillor-Dunn's header inside 28 seconds setting them on their way. However, it was Szoboszlai who opened the scoring for Liverpool just 10 minutes later with a stunning long-range shot that left goalkeeper Murphy Cooper with no chance.
Barnsley continued to battle in the second half, but Liverpool's quality eventually told. Frimpong doubled the Reds' lead before Adam Phillips bizarrely allowed Barnsley's only other goal of the night to come from his own error. The rebound fell at the feet of Phillips, who slotted it past Mamardashvili.
The Reds sealed their win with two late goals, first from Wirtz and then a second assist for Hugo Ekitike before he scored himself in the dying minutes.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot was happy with his team's performance but acknowledged that they had been fortunate at times. He felt that Barnsley were a tough opponent and praised their spirit.
Barnsley manager Conor Hourihane, on the other hand, was left to rue his side's narrow escape from a potentially disastrous defeat. The Tykes' only goal came after Szoboszlai's error and he praised the efforts of his players despite ultimately coming up short.
The win has set Liverpool up for a tough run in fixtures over the next six weeks, with three Premier League matches and a Champions League tie against Marseille to come.
what a match!!! I'm still in shock about how dominant Liverpool was, they could've easily scored like 7 goals easy lol 
. I mean Barnsley gave it their all but at the end of the day, they just couldn't compete with the Reds' quality. That Stefan Bajcetic boy is a gem, his passing range is insane 
! The way Szoboszlai scored that long-range shot was straight fire 
, I've been saying he's gonna be a top player for ages now. And Frimpong's goals were just so cool 
. Can't wait to see what the rest of the season holds for Liverpool 
Liverpool's win was pretty convincing, but you can't deny Barnsley's spirit 
They had us on the back foot at times, especially after that header from Davis Keillor-Dunn. I'm not sure if Arne Slot's comment about being fortunate is entirely fair tho... 4-1 is a decent margin 
Still, it's all part of cup competitions, and I think Barnsley showed they're more than just a League One side 
They'll definitely be looking to cause some upsets in the future 
. Like, they gave it their all but just couldn't keep up with the big boys. At least they got some good exposure and a nice payday from this cup run, right? And honestly, Liverpool's performance wasn't that impressive considering how big the gap was between them and Barnsley. They looked kinda sloppy at times, especially after Szoboszlai scored 
. I'm curious to see how they'll bounce back from this win, especially with their upcoming Premier League matches 
. Brighton's gonna be a tough test at Anfield... 
! 10 minutes into the game, Davis Keillor-Dunn's header is like "ok, let's do this" and then Szoboszlai just takes it to another level 
. Now let's see how they'll bounce back from this cup exit 
. That one goal from Szoboszlai though was insane, like a rocket ship out of nowhere 
️. It's gotta be tough for the Barnsley lads to be so close and yet so far... but I've got to give 'em credit, they gave it everything they had 
.
I think it's wild how some teams can just go from nowhere to having a fairytale run in tournaments like this, you know? Like Barnsley's season has been insane so far 
.
. Liverpool's bench looked pretty weak tho...like where was Jürgen Klopp? 
And then Frimpong just sealed it for them, I was thinking 'this could get ugly' but not like that 
.
️ and wirtz's goals are just insane 
Still, gotta give credit where credit is due - those Tykes put up a decent fight and gave the Reds a scare. And fair play to Conor Hourihane for being all like "we were just unlucky" 
.
I'm not even mad at Conor Hourihane for getting eliminated 
he's always so positive and supportive of his team. And can we talk about how EPIC the Reds' squad looks right now? 
it may have ended in defeat, but they proved themselves as a team and can hold their heads high. Conor Hourihane's post-match comments were spot on - his players gave it everything, and that's all you can ask for 
. And what's up with Adam Phillips letting that rebound fall at his feet? Like, it's an easy mistake to make but come on... was it intentional? 
Also, Liverpool's win has set them up for a tough run of games, but you can't help but think they're just gonna coast through and make it to the next round. There's gotta be something fishy going on here 
. It's just not fair to the underdog teams. Can't we get a more consistent system in place already? 
