Overview
- Szoboszlai opened the scoring inside nine minutes with a 30‑meter strike before his misjudged backheel gifted Adam Phillips a first‑half reply.
- Jeremie Frimpong had doubled Liverpool’s lead on 36 minutes, and Barnsley threatened after the break before the hosts leaned on their bench.
- Substitutes Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitiké sealed the result late, Wirtz curling in on 84 minutes and Ekitiké scoring in stoppage time.
- Slot called the backheel a “strange decision” and said he would address it privately, while Barnsley manager Conor Hourihane called it “disrespectful.”
- The victory extends Liverpool’s unbeaten run to 11 matches and sets up a fourth‑round tie with Brighton at Anfield in mid‑February.