3 hours ago
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A late Florian Wirtz-inspired flourish gave a convincing look to Liverpool’s margin of victory but Barnsley made their hosts battle for a place in round four. The League One club were a credit as they performed with commitment and ambition at Anfield, but Premier League class always had the edge and ultimately told.
How Dominik Szoboszlai will be grateful for that outcome. The Liverpool midfielder gave his team the lead with a brilliant 30-yard strike only to gift Barnsley a way back with a ridiculous mistake shortly before the interval. Goals from Jeremie Frimpong and substitutes Wirtz and Hugo Ekitiké spared their teammate any further embarrassment.
There were no mid-season mini-breaks for Liverpool’s senior players this year. Arne Slot, as promised, named a strong starting lineup and bench for the third-round tie having learned a painful lesson when doing otherwise at Plymouth last season. He again endured a few scares against lower-league opposition, however.
Conor Hourihane’s League One strugglers started superbly. Barnsley attacked in numbers and, with 29 seconds on the clock, the former Liverpool academy player Adam Phillips floated an inviting cross from the right over the head of Virgil van Dijk. The striker Davis Keillor-Dunn beat Joe Gomez to the delivery and steered a header beyond Giorgi Mamardashvili only to see it smack the face of a post. Frimpong mopped up the loose ball before Barnsley could capitalise. Nathanael Ogbeta also went close with an angled attempt that sailed just over the Liverpool crossbar.
Barnsley defended in numbers whenever Liverpool had possession but were quickly on the front foot whenever opportunity arose. It was a commendable approach but sitting off and allowing Liverpool to play in front of them invited danger. Szoboszlai inflicted punishment in style with the hosts’ first serious attempt.
The Liverpool midfielder received the ball in space on the left and, with no one closing him down, let fly with an immaculate drive from 30 yards that flew into Murphy Cooper’s top corner. It was an unstoppable hit. Szoboszlai shrugged his shoulders instead of celebrating, as though it was a routine moment of brilliance. The Hungary captain continued to revel in the space that Barnsley’s midfield granted but his showboating would eventually leave him red-faced.
Liverpool dominated the next 30 minutes against the visitors’ low block. Szoboszlai struck another clean effort from distance that rebounded out for a corner off the head of the defender Jack Shepherd. Frimpong supplied the comfort of a two-goal advantage with another fine strike. Receiving Alexis Mac Allister’s pass on the right, the Netherlands international cut across Ogbeta into the penalty area and unleashed a thunderous shot into the roof of Cooper’s net.
Frimpong’s first Anfield goal should have been the platform for Liverpool to ease into a fourth-round tie at home to Brighton. A combination of Barnsley’s performance and spirit, plus Szoboszlai’s complacency, ensured the Premier League champions would have to fight all the way.
Barnsley’s midfielder Jonathan Bland and captain, Keillor-Dunn, both tested Mamardashvili from 20 yards out before Frimpong struck, giving reminders of the visitors’ positive intent. A route back was gifted to them shortly before the break. There appeared no danger to the Liverpool goal when Szoboszlai intercepted Corey O’Keeffe’s pass towards Phillips and set off across his own penalty area.
Once he reached Mamardashvili, however, the midfielder took the tricks too far. Szoboszlai attempted to backheel the ball to his keeper but scuffed the attempt and left Mamardashvili stranded. Phillips, continuing his own run into the box, duly converted into a gaping Kop goal. Self-inflicted embarrassment for Szoboszlai and fresh hope for Barnsley.
Cooper kept his team in the tie with a superb save to deny Virgil van Dijk early in the second half. The Liverpool captain connected cleanly with a Szoboszlai cross that was headed on by Gomez but the Barnsley keeper managed to tip the volley on to the bar.
Slot introduced Wirtz, Ekitiké and Ibrahima Konaté on the hour in an attempt to stretch tired legs. But there was no sign of fatigue in Reyes Cleary seconds after the triple substitution when he sprinted clear of Szoboszlai and went down under a challenge from the midfielder inside the Liverpool area. Barnsley, fans and bench alike, were incensed when referee, Farai Hallam, dismissed their appeals for a penalty.
Szoboszlai did pull Cleary’s shirt from behind and won the ball as the impressive winger shaped to shoot. With no video assistant referee to pick that one apart, play continued. Hourihane was booked for his protests having erupted after watching a replay of the incident. There would be no other way back for Barnsley.
Wirtz missed a glorious opportunity to extend Liverpool’s lead when putting a superb Szoboszlai cross over the bar from close range. But the Germany international made amends in style when Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones and Ekitiké combined to prise open the Barnsley lines. Collecting Ekitiké’s flick on the edge of the area, Wirtz curled a lovely finish into the top corner to banish any late Liverpool nerves. He also teed up Ekitike with an inch-perfect cross in stoppage time. The France forward made no mistake from close range.
