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Liverpool 4 – 1 Barnsley – FA Cup Third Round Postmortem

After a week defined by scrutiny, tension, and the lingering pressure that has followed Liverpool throughout this uneven campaign, Anfield welcomed a fixture that offered clarity rather than complication. The FA Cup may no longer sit at the peak of English football’s priorities, but on this occasion, it served as something far more important: a chance to restore order, confidence, and basic authority.

Barnsley arrived with nothing to lose and plenty of energy. Liverpool, meanwhile, approached the contest knowing that anything less than progression would have amplified doubts that no amount of rhetoric could soften.

The Starting Eleven

Liverpool XI

• GK – Giorgi Mamardashvili

• RB – Jeremie Frimpong

• CB – Ibrahima Konaté

• CB – Virgil van Dijk (c)

• LB – Andy Robertson

• RW – Federico Chiesa

• CM – Curtis Jones

• ACM – Dominik Szoboszlai

• CM – Alexis Mac Allister

• CF – Cody Gakpo

• LW – Rio Ngumoha

Substitutes

Florian Wirtz → Federico Chiesa (59’)

Joe Gomez → Ibrahima Konaté (59’)

Hugo Ekitike → Jeremie Frimpong (59’)

Ryan Gravenberch → Rio Ngumoha (74’)

Trey Nyoni → Alexis Mac Allister (88’)

Goals

Liverpool 1–0 Barnsley – Dominik Szoboszlai (Alexis Mac Allister) – 9’

Liverpool 2–0 Barnsley – Jeremie Frimpong (Alexis Mac Allister) – 36’

Liverpool 2–1 Barnsley – Adam Phillips – 36’

Liverpool 3–1 Barnsley – Florian Wirtz (Hugo Ekitike) – 84’

Liverpool 4–1 Barnsley – Hugo Ekitike (Florian Wirtz) – 90+4’

Match Statistics

• Possession – Liverpool 79% | Barnsley 21%

• XG – Liverpool 1.98 | Barnsley 1.13

• Total Shots – Liverpool 21 | Barnsley 9

• Fouls – Liverpool 6 | Barnsley 7

• Corners – Liverpool 11 | Barnsley 5

First Half

An assured opening set the tone immediately. Liverpool moved the ball with purpose, width was maintained, and Curtis Jones and Alexis Mac Allister dictated tempo from central areas. The opener was inevitable, Szoboszlai’s strike from distance was crisp, confident, and reflective of a side intent on taking control rather than feeling its way into the contest.

Frimpong doubled the lead with a powerful finish following another composed passage of play, but Barnsley’s response, immediate and opportunistic, reminded Liverpool that concentration still wavers too easily as a horrid mistake by the opening scorer enabled an away goal. The concession did little to alter the pattern, yet it injected an unnecessary edge into what had been a controlled half.

Second Half

The restart brought patience rather than panic. Liverpool continued to dominate territory, recycling possession and probing without forcing openings. The introduction of Wirtz and Ekitike shifted the rhythm, injecting sharper movement and a greater sense of intent between the lines.

Barnsley defended bravely, but the resistance eventually cracked. Wirtz’s emphatic finish restored calm, and Ekitike’s late goal sealed progression while underlining the benefits of depth and rotation done correctly.

Final Thoughts

Liverpool’s season remains unresolved, but this was a night where fundamentals returned. Control, structure, and maturity — all too often absent — were present throughout. This did not solve deeper issues, but it did restore a sense of professionalism.

In a campaign searching for footholds, progress matters. Tonight, Liverpool did what was required — and sometimes, that is enough. On a day when Xabi Alonso became a free agent, Arne Slot reacted in the only way that will see him keep his job.

Steven Smith’s Score Prediction:

Liverpool 3 – 2 Barnsley

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