Dominik Szoboszlai scored a stunner but also gave away a stunner as Liverpool beat third-tier Barnsley 4-1 on Monday to set up a home FA Cup fourth round tie with Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Hungarian opened Liverpool’s account with a long-range screamer in the ninth minute after Barnsley’s Davis Keillor-Dunn had rebounded a header from home inside the opening 30 seconds.
Right-back Jeremy Frimpong unleashed a huge left-footed effort in the 36th minute on his FA Cup debut to give Liverpool a 2-0 lead at a chilly Anfield.
Szoboszlai then veered from the sublime to the ridiculous in a moment of breathtaking carelessness that handed Barnsley a lifeline in the 40th minute.
The Hungarian seemingly tried to run in behind goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili but instead left the ball perfectly on the ground for Barnsley’s Adam Phillips, who spent eight years in Liverpool’s youth academy, to hammer home at the Kop End.
STRONG STARTING LINE-UP
Liverpool made it 3-1 in the 84th when second-half substitute Florian Wirtz made up for a glaring earlier miss by curling a shot into the top right corner to put the outcome beyond doubt.
Hugo Ekitike, who also came from the bench, provided the icing on the cake with the fourth goal, assisted by Wirtz in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
The hosts, who suffered a shock fourth-round defeat to second division Plymouth Argyle last year, showed they were taking the match seriously by fielding a stronger-than-expected starting line-up.
Manager Arne Slot made six changes to his starting XI from the team that drew 0-0 with Premier League leaders Arsenal last Thursday.
Barnsley continued to make life difficult for the Reds, fighting for every ball and furious at being denied a penalty in the 61st minute when striker Reyes Cleary went down after a Szoboszlai challenge with no VAR until the fifth round.
Barnsley manager Conor Hourihane was booked for his reaction and said after the match that Szoboszlai had also been «disrespectful» in his attempt at the failed back heel.
«I don’t think any player does that against Chelsea, against Arsenal or in a Champions League match. I’m a bit disappointed about that, to be honest,» said the Irishman.
Slot put an end to that, without sparing his player.
«What does he mean by disrespectful? I don’t think you should do that in a Premier League match, League Cup match, friendly match or training,» the Dutchman said.
“It’s a strange choice, and I have my opinions about it, but I’d rather keep them to myself and talk to Dom about it.”
Szoboszlai apologized to the team.
«I made it difficult for us with an easy mistake, I would say. Football happens, we move on. We go to the next round,» he told TNT Sports.
«We wanted to show that we take the FA Cup seriously. We showed today that we need the whole team; they also showed quality. We need everyone.»
Published on January 13, 2026
