Liverpool beat Barnsley 4-1 in the FA Cup but it was far from a straightforward evening at Anfield as Arne Slot's side were made to work hard by their League One opponents
22:03, 12 Jan 2026
Liverpool's German midfielder #07 Florian Wirtz (3R) celebrates scoring the team's third goal during the English FA Cup third round football match between Liverpool and Barnsley at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on January 12, 2026. (Photo by PETER POWELL / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. /
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Liverpool had to battle to beat Barnsley(Image: PETER POWELL, AFP via Getty Images)
Liverpool booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 4-1 victory over Barnsley, but the scoreline doesn't tell the whole story at Anfield.
Despite fielding a strong side against their League One adversaries, Liverpool nearly conceded within the first 30 seconds as Barnsley rattled the post. However, Dominik Szoboszlai put the Reds ahead with a blistering 25-yard strike eight minutes into the game.
Jeremie Frimpong extended Liverpool's lead, but a calamity from Szoboszlai allowed Adam Phillips to pull one back for Barnsley just before the break. The Tykes kept the pressure on a near full-strength Liverpool, but substitutes Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike sealed the win for Arne Slot's team, setting up a fourth-round tie with Brighton next month.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - JANUARY 12: Florian Wirtz of Liverpool celebrates with teammate Hugo Ekitike after scoring his team's third goal during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Liverpool and Barnsley on January 12, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
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Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike helped bury the cup tie(Image: Jan Kruger, Getty Images)
Here, the Daily Star Sport rates the Reds' performance.
Giorgi Mamardashvili - 6
Made a solid save to deny Jonathan Bland and also stopped a shot from Davis Keillor-Dunn. He was powerless to prevent the goal, which was the only other shot on target he faced.
Jeremie Frimpong - 7
Netted a superb goal to double Liverpool's lead before half-time, making numerous forward runs. The Dutchman is currently in fine form.
Joe Gomez - 5
The player was at fault for almost letting Keillor-Dunn score within the first 30 seconds and lacked sharpness throughout the first half. He did manage to defend well against a Keillor-Dunn shot at the near post in the second half, but overall it was a disappointing return to the starting eleven. He received a booking for a cynical foul.
Virgil van Dijk - 6
Van Dijk was beaten too easily by Keillor-Dunn before the latter fired straight at Mamardashvili. He also saw an expert volley brilliantly saved in the second half and headed wide when he should have made it 3-1 from a Cody Gakpo cross.
Andy Robertson - 6
Robertson didn't contribute much despite having a good amount of ball possession.
Dominik Szoboszlai - 6
Szoboszlai would have been man of the match if not for a terrible mistake that allowed Barnsley to score, which brings his rating down from an 8/10. He scored a fantastic goal to make it 1-0 - his sixth of the season. After his error, he made a last-ditch tackle on Reyes Cleary, which the referee controversially deemed not to be a penalty, and delivered a magnificent cross that substitute Wirtz should have scored from.
Dominik Szoboszlai
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Dominik Szoboszlai made an embarrassing error(Image: )
Alexis Mac Allister - 6
Mac Allister had a mixed night. He was caught on the ball during an early Barnsley attack and had some below-par moments, but he did manage to secure two assists.
Curtis Jones - 7
Jones had one shot blocked at a corner and delivered a great pass to Gakpo for a first-half chance. He used the ball well and helped keep his side in control.
Federico Chiesa - 5
Chiesa worked hard but his end product was often poor with some sloppy passing. He had a shot blocked early in the second half but was otherwise quiet in front of goal.
Cody Gakpo - 6
Gakpo had a solitary stint as the centre-forward before switching to left wing when Hugo Ekitike came on, which seemed to invigorate him. He had one shot blocked and another saved but should have secured an assist with a good cross to Van Dijk.
Rio Ngumoha - 6
Ngumoha showed promise and had some nice moments, but his end product still needs refining, except for one decent cross to Curtis Jones at the back post. He switched to the right after Wirtz came on and then was forced off due to injury after stretching to keep the ball in play.
Substitutes
Ibrahima Konate (Gomez 60) - 6
Konate helped secure the victory with a fantastic recovery run to thwart Corey O'Keeffe in stoppage time.
Florian Wirtz (Frimpong 60) - 7
Wirtz missed a golden opportunity from a brilliant Szoboszlai cross but redeemed himself with a great finish to make it 3-1 and seal the game. He spoiled a counter-attack late on but made up for it with a great run and cross for the fourth goal, setting up Ekitike for an easy tap-in.
Hugo Ekitike (Chiesa 59) - 7
Ekitike's return from injury is a positive sign, and he played a lovely flick into Wirtz for the third goal before tapping in the German's cross to add the finishing touch to the scoreline.
Ryan Gravenberch (Ngumoha 73) - N/A
Gravenberch got some minutes on the pitch.
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Trey Nyoni (Mac Allister 88) - N/A
Nyoni added another appearance to his tally.