Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Barnsley: Reds Never Leave First Gear in FA Cup Bout

The Reds weren’t at their dazzling best but still managed to cruise to FA Cup fourth round.

Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremy Frimpong (middle) got the party started at Anfield. / Peter Powell/AFP/Getty Images

It wasn’t the overwhelming performance many were expecting, but Liverpool still secured a 4–1 win over League One side Barnsley in round three of the FA Cup on Monday evening.

Dominik Szoboszlai gave Liverpool the upper hand early in the match with an extraordinary strike from distance. Jeremie Frimpong doubled the advantage, but his goal was quickly erased by a horrific mistake from Szoboszlai that Adam Phillips converted for Barnsley before the intermission.

Although it wasn’t flashy, Arne Slot’s side remained in control after the restart and finally, Florian Wirtz scored a wonderful goal that clinched Liverpool’s victory at Anfield deep into the match. Hugo Ekitike then found the back of the net in stoppage time to add the cherry on top of a comfortable victory.

The result might tell otherwise but it was far from an imposing performance from the defending English champions given the caliber of opposition. Still, the result is all that matters and the Reds are through to the fourth round of the FA Cup, where they’ll face Brighton & Hove Albion.

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Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Barnsley (4-2-3-1)

Jeremie Frimpong scored his first Liverpool goal since the Community Shield final. / Liverpool FC/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Giorgi Mamardashvili—6.6: Made a handful of solid saves to protect Liverpool’s advantage but was somewhat erratic in his distribution. He was powerless to clean up Dominik Szoboszlai’s mess for Barnsley’s goal.

RB: Jeremie Frimpong—7.6: Fantastic going forward, misplacing just one of the 37 passes he attempted and scoring a wonderful goal. However, he remains a defensive weakness and the majority of the visitors’ dangerous actions came after they dribbled past the Dutchman.

CB: Joe Gomez—6.8: Looked very shaky for most of the night, especially when pressed on the ball, resulting in a number of dangerous passes he was lucky didn’t turn into turnovers near the penalty area.

CB: Virgil van Dijk—7.6: Had a relatively quiet night, although Davis Keillor-Dunn did get the better of him because of loose marking efforts. Improved in the second half and commanded the backline.

LB: Andrew Robertson—7.4: Robertson did well defensively whenever he had to intervene but he was somewhat careless on the ball, misplacing simple passes that didn’t allow Liverpool to sustain control.

CM: Alexis Mac Allister—8.8: Brilliant in midfield, routinely escaping Barnsely’s press with ingenious first-time passes and commanding the bulk of Liverpool’s best sustained possessions. Bagging two assists should boost his confidence after an underwhelming season so far.

CM: Dominik Szoboszlai—9.2: Finished off a stunner to open the scoring and then made one of the most heinous mistakes of the season for Barnsley to get back in the game. Despite the blunder, he was sensational the rest of the way and was the best player on the pitch all game.

RW: Federico Chiesa—6.5: A rather anonymous showing from the Italian, who could never get the best of his marker and spent the majority of his time on the pitch passing backwards.

AM: Curtis Jones—8.0: The academy graduate operated further up the pitch and generated a number of dangerous chances that other attackers failed to capitalise on. Still, he was active regularly and was solid overall.

LW: Rio Ngumoha—7.3: Looked determined to make an impact from the start, taking on his marker time after time, and more often than not looking menacing yet a tad unsharp. A promising showing from the teenager came to an end after he exited the pitch with a fitness issue.

ST: Cody Gakpo—7.6: Failed to make an impact against Barnsley defenders, who knew very well Gakpo would always try to cut inside to his right. The recipe for success against the Dutchman became abundantly clear.

Substitute	Rating (Out of 10)
Ibrahima Konaté (60’ for Gomez)	6.6
Florian Wirtz (60’ for Frimpong)	8.2
Hugo Ekitike (60’ for Chiesa)	8.2
Ryan Gravenberch (73’ for Ngumoha)	6.1
Trey Niony (88’ for Mac Allister)	N/A

Subs not used: Allison (GK), Calvin Ramsey, Milos Kerkez, Wataru Endo.

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Barnsley (5-4-1)

Starting XI: Murphy Cooper; Corey O'Keeffe, Tennai Watson, Maël Durand de Gevigney, Jack Shepherd, Nathanael Ogbeta; Adam Phillips, Jonathan Bland, Vimal Yoganathan, Reyes Cleary; Davis Keillor-Dunn

Subs used: Eoghan O'Connell, Patrick Kelly, David McGoldrick, Georgie Gent.

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Player of the Match: Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool)

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Liverpool 4–1 Barnsley: How It Unfolded at Anfield

Hugo Ekitike scored after missing Liverpool’s last two games. / Liverpool FC/Getty Images

Fans at Anfield were singing the closing lyrics to You’ll Never Walk Alone when the modest visitors nearly found the breakthrough inside the opening minute. Davis Keillor-Dunn found an opening to shoot and tried his luck, but his strike slammed the post and Joe Gomez did well to pounce on the rebound to avoid catastrophe.

But Liverpool settled fairly quickly and began titling the pitch in their favour. Dominik Szoboszlai decided to try his luck from range and unleashed a bullet of a strike that flew past the outstretched hands of Murphy Cooper to give the hosts the lead inside 10 minutes.

Although Barnsley continued to look threatening on quick transitions, Liverpool assumed full control and it looked like a matter of time before they doubled their advantage. Finally, Jeremie Frimpong received the ball on the wing, took on his man, darted inside the penalty area and fired a powerful weak-footed shot that tucked in at the near post, extending Liverpool’s advantage.

But Barnsley pulled one back almost instantly thanks to a calamitous mistake from Szoboszlai. The Hungarian tracked back well to defend but then tried to play a back-heel pass inside the area and whiffed on the ball. The egregious blunder proved costly, as he served the ball on a platter for Adam Phillips to tap in before the break.

36' - A fantastic left-footed finish from Frimpong for our second!

[2-0] #EmiratesFACup https://t.co/SYC5GEx88C

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 12, 2026

Slot’s side upped the pressure and intensity after the restart, forcing Barnsley to routinely have 10 players inside their own penalty area as they aimed to restore their two-goal lead. Virgil van Dijk nearly scored a fantastic half-volley, but a stunning save from Cooper and then the crossbar denied the Liverpool skipper.

Florian Wirtz was the next Liverpool player to squander a dream opportunity. The German got to the end of a gorgeous cross from Szoboszlai, but he tried a rather unorthodox first-time finish that soared over the crossbar from close range.

Liverpool’s onslaught somewhat decreased in intensity and they started flirting with a nightmare scenario. Slots men continued to control possession, but Barnsley were brave and tried to pounce on the counter-attack, forcing a couple of key interventions from Van Dijk and Szoboszlai, who switched to right back midway through the second half.

But the tension inside Anfield was eventually defused by a sensational play between substitutes Hugo Ekitiké and Wirtz. The Frenchman played a classy back-heel pass into Wirtz’s path and the German curled a perfect strike from the edge of the box to score Liverpool’s third in the 84th minute.

Wirtz then returned the favour when he darted down the right wing and whipped in a cross that Ekitiké simply tucked in, scoring a fourth for the Reds with the final kick of the game.

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Liverpool vs. Barnsley Half-Time Stats

Statistic	Liverpool	Barnsley
Possession	78%	22%
Expected Goals (xG)	0.48	0.95
Total Shots	9	5
Shots on Target	3	3
Big Chances	0	1
Pass Accuracy	92%	74%
Fouls Committed	4	4
Corners	5	1

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Liverpool vs. Barnsley Full Time Stats

Statistic	Liverpool	Barnsley
Possession	75%	25%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.92	1.19
Total Shots	21	9
Shots on Target	7	4
Big Chances	2	1
Pass Accuracy	91%	75%
Fouls Committed	6	7
Corners	11	5

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