Liverpool 4-1 Barnsley: Four Key Takeaways From David Lynch’s FA Cup Verdict
Liverpool may have cruised into the FA Cup Fourth Round with a 4-1 win over Barnsley, but Reds reporter David Lynch had more on his mind than just the scoreline. Speaking on his post-match reaction podcast on YouTube, Lynch broke down four clear takeaways from the performance at Anfield. His analysis, framed within ongoing concerns about Liverpool’s struggle to break down low blocks, highlighted a mixture of brilliance and cause for concern.
Performance Levels Still a Concern Despite Scoreline
While the final score looked emphatic, Lynch was quick to warn against being misled by it.
“There’s always something to kind of gripe at,” he said, “and for me, it was the fact that really for large parts, a lot of this performance wasn’t fantastic from Liverpool.”
Lynch acknowledged that Liverpool did the job, but he questioned whether the performance reflected the quality of the squad Arne Slot fielded. “The team that he put out, Arne Slot, was very strong — certainly strong enough to play better and to win better.”
He added that despite facing a side “in the lower reaches of League One,” Liverpool “weren’t as dangerous and as expansive as you would have hoped.”
More Low Block Struggles Add to Broader Worries
Lynch returned repeatedly to the theme of Liverpool’s ongoing issues against deep, compact defences.
“I keep saying I want to see these moments of like Liverpool showing the ability to consistently break down these low blocks,” he said. “To play through them, to do something that makes you think it’s repeatable.”
Noting that “1.25 of that 1.9 expected goals comes after the 75th minute,” Lynch highlighted just how ineffective Liverpool had been for most of the match. “A League One side up against a fairly strong Liverpool starting XI were holding them completely at bay,” he said.
He went further, suggesting that the problems are now recurring. “It just kind of felt like another game really to maybe add to the worries about where Liverpool were up to.”
Individual Errors Continue to Undermine Liverpool
Dominik Szoboszlai’s match summed up the duality of Liverpool’s display. He opened the scoring with a superb long-range effort, but a baffling backheel error gifted Barnsley their only goal.
“Very, very difficult to explain what is going through his head when he tries a backheel in the six-yard box there,” Lynch said. “It’s just a moment of madness really.”
Szoboszlai, however, “completely atoned for it,” according to Lynch, who praised his all-round contribution. “A brilliant goal to open the scoring… seven out of 10 ground duels won, 12 recoveries, three shots, two chances created.”
Lynch noted that the Hungarian was “one of the players who can definitely come away from tonight with his head held high.”
Wirtz and Ekitike Shine Off the Bench
Despite the frustrations, Lynch reserved praise for the impact of Liverpool’s substitutes, especially Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike.
“I thought [Wirtz was] incredibly impressive when he came on,” Lynch said. While the youngster missed a good chance after a “great cross from Szoboszlai,” he “makes up for that mistake in the same way Szoboszlai did with a great goal.”
Final Word
While Liverpool’s FA Cup victory over Barnsley secured safe passage to the next round, David Lynch’s analysis on his YouTube podcast underscored deeper issues. With quotes like, “It does all add up a little bit, doesn’t it?” Lynch painted a picture of a team still grappling with identity and consistency under Arne Slot.
Against a Barnsley side that “found it easy to get through Liverpool’s press,” the concerns linger. The scoreline says progress, but Lynch’s breakdown reminds fans that the performance still leaves questions hanging.
