Liverpool beat Barnsley 4-1 on Monday to progress into the next stage of the FA Cup, but the scoreline was not a fair reflection on proceedings.
Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz shone off the bench, scoring two late goals to make the tie look much more comfortable than it actually was.
Even without the duo on the pitch, Arne Slot still selected what was pretty close to a full-strength eleven.
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However, despite coming up against League One opposition, a group of first-team players, as Slot summed up, did not play great.
Speaking live right after the match on TNT, he said: “Good win – not the performance but the result.”
Performances have been the main sticking point for Liverpool in recent months, and Monday has highlighted that the recent draw with Arsenal was nothing to get excited by.
Dominik Szoboszlai during Liverpool v Barnsley - Emirates FA Cup Third Round
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Barnsley game shows Liverpool praise after Arsenal was overhyped
Fans were furious with Slot in the first half of the 0-0 draw against Mikel Arteta’s men.
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Liverpool improved in the second half, but still failed to have a single shot on target.
So, it was surprising to see so many, including Dominik Szoboszlai, praise the Reds after their meeting with the current Premier League champions.
Daniel Sturridge said: “I think Arne Slot will be absolutely delighted with the performance of the players. Got to give him credit for his game plan.”
Meanwhile, Szoboszlai claimed that ‘we [Liverpool] showed again why we became champions last season.’
At the time, many supporters seemed to hop on board with the notion their side had turned a corner because they were slightly more aggressive against Arsenal for 45 minutes, yet still didn’t have a shot on goal.
How high is Hugo Ekitike’s ceiling with Liverpool?
He was a joy to watch against Barnsley
Hugo Ekitike taps the Liverpool badge in celebration after scoring during the FA Cup match against Barnsley at Anfield (Credit: Getty Images/Liverpool FC).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Liverpool FC
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It seemed like some, after months of dire displays, were more than happy to buy into this stance, and who can blame them, as there has been very little to get excited about this season.
But, despite scoring four on Monday, the Barnsley meeting once again showed that nothing has changed from Slot.
He is not some sort of tactical genius who set his team up in a certain way to try and outclass Arsenal; he just makes his Liverpool team play boring, defence-focused football every week, no matter who the opposition is.
It would have been amazing to see Liverpool come out and really dominate Barnsley, especially given the players that started the clash, but as expected, that did not happen.
‘Slot-ball’ is a frustrating match, and the Arsenal tie, though painted as a big result and good performance, was just more of the same, rather than any sort of turning point in the Reds’ season.
Liverpool did not show why they were champions against the Gunners, who were far from their best last week.
Slot’s negative system simply stopped them from creating anything of note for one half, while the Merseyside outfit escaped with a point and have once again continued to play underwhelming football against much weaker opposition.
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