Liverpool face Barnsley in the FA Cup third round on Monday evening, 18 years after the south Yorkshire side pulled off one of the greatest upsets in the competition's history. In 2008, Barnsley, then in the Championship, stunned Rafa Benitez's Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield, knocking out a side that included Champions League winners and had Steven Gerrard on the bench.
Dirk Kuyt gave Liverpool an early lead, but Stephen Foster and Brian Howard scored to secure a famous victory. Barnsley goalkeeper Luke Steele, on emergency loan from West Brom, produced a standout performance to deny Liverpool's star names. The defeat came just three years after Liverpool's miracle of Istanbul.
As the two sides meet again, with Liverpool clear favourites and Barnsley struggling in League One, Mirror Football looks at the Liverpool XI from that day and where they are now. Goalkeeper Charles Itandje is now goalkeeping coach at FC Versailles. The central defensive partnership of Sami Hyypia and Jamie Carragher have moved into management and media respectively; Hyypia is a Liverpool ambassador, while Carragher is a prominent pundit.
Full-backs Steve Finnan and John Arne Riise have taken different paths: Finnan moved into property and faces legal issues, while Riise has managed in Norway and plays for Liverpool Legends. Midfielders Xabi Alonso is now Real Madrid manager, and Lucas Leiva retired in 2023 due to a heart condition. Yossi Benayoun and Ryan Babel have retired, with Benayoun having been sporting director of Israel's national team and Babel active on social media and in fashion.
Up front, Peter Crouch has become a major TV figure and podcast host, while Dirk Kuyt is head coach of FC Dordrecht. Substitutes Steven Gerrard and Harry Kewell have pursued managerial careers; Gerrard last managed Al-Ettifaq, and Kewell is head coach of Hanoi FC.
