In what should have been a routine stroll for Arne Slot's side, the Hungarian midfielder went from hero to villain in the blink of an eye. He opened the scoring with a thunderous 30-yard rocket in the 9th minute, rifling the ball past Barnsley goalkeeper Murphy Cooper after a clever layoff from Alexis Mac Allister. The strike had Anfield roaring – a moment of pure class to settle early nerves after Barnsley had rattled the crossbar inside the first 30 seconds through Davis Keillor-Dunn's header.
Liverpool doubled their lead in the 36th minute when Jeremie Frimpong, making his FA Cup debut, unleashed a ferocious left-footed drive from the edge of the box. Assisted again by Mac Allister, it looked like game over for the visitors from South Yorkshire.
But then came the chaos. In the 40th minute, with Liverpool in full control, Szoboszlai attempted a casual backheel pass inside his own penalty area – straight to Barnsley’s Adam Phillips, a former Liverpool academy product. Phillips made no mistake, smashing the ball home to make it 2-1 at the break. Barnsley boss Conor Hourihane later branded the error "disrespectful," while Slot admitted it was a "weird choice" that made things unnecessarily hard.
The second half saw Barnsley, led by the tireless Reyes Cleary on the wing, continue to cause problems. Cleary tormented Szoboszlai and Frimpong down the flanks, winning corners and forcing desperate clearances – including one off the line from Szoboszlai himself. A strong penalty shout for a potential tug on Cleary was waved away, with no VAR in the FA Cup third round to review it.
Liverpool looked shaky until the introductions of substitutes Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike turned the tide. In the 84th minute, Ekitike's clever backheel found Wirtz, who curled a beauty into the far corner to make it 3-1 and finally ease the tension.
Ekitike sealed it in stoppage time (90+4), tapping home after more sharp interplay with Wirtz, adding late gloss to a scoreline that flattered the hosts.
Despite the win – extending Liverpool's unbeaten run to 11 games – questions remain. Barnsley's bravery exposed vulnerabilities, especially after recent uninspiring Premier League draws. Slot fielded a strong side, including starts for Rio Ngumoha (who later went off injured) and Federico Chiesa, but the performance was far from convincing until the bench made the difference.
Liverpool now face Brighton in the fourth round, while Barnsley can hold their heads high after a valiant effort that belied their League One struggles.
Slot praised his squad's depth: "We needed everyone tonight. The new guys showed quality." Szoboszlai, apologetic post-match, said simply: "I made it hard for us with an easy mistake. Football happens, we move on."
A nervy night at Anfield, but job done for the Reds. The FA Cup dream lives on – just about!