Barnsley head coach Conor Hourihane has launched a stinging critique of Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, branding a moment of showboating in their FA Cup third-round tie as "disrespectful" to his League One side.
A Costly Moment of Arrogance at Anfield
The incident occurred during Liverpool's eventual 4-1 victory over the Tykes at Anfield on Monday, 12 January 2026. Having already scored a spectacular 35-yard opener and seen Jeremie Frimpong double the lead, Szoboszlai chased back into his own penalty area and won possession.
Instead of clearing the danger, the Hungary international attempted an audacious and risky backheel pass to his goalkeeper, Giorgi Mamardashvili, from inside his own six-yard box. The attempted flick went awry, allowing Barnsley's Adam Phillips – a former Liverpool academy player – to tap into an empty net.
"It is such an amazing feeling for Adam scoring in front of the Kop. Liverpool fan, coming through the academy," said Hourihane. "It's something he can look back on for the rest of his life. But it was a little bit disrespectful from their player, to be honest. I don't think he does that against Chelsea or Arsenal or in a Champions League game."
Pride in Performance Despite Heavy Defeat
Despite the gift of a goal, Barnsley's hopes of a famous comeback were extinguished late on by Liverpool's star-studded bench. Summer signing Florian Wirtz, who cost £116 million, made it 3-1 in the 84th minute, before £79 million forward Hugo Ekitike added a fourth in added time.
Hourihane expressed immense pride in his players' efforts against the Premier League giants. "I'm really proud. Liverpool had to bring on every superstar on the bench to get it over the line," he stated. "We got a bit tired towards the end and conceded that third and fourth that I thought we didn't deserve."
Slot's Private Rebuke for Recurring Issue
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot, speaking before Hourihane, declined to publicly chastise Szoboszlai but confirmed the player would be spoken to privately. "I have my opinion that I will definitely share with him," Slot revealed.
He used the error to highlight a broader concern within his squad. "It is not the first time... we are 2-0 up, there are no problems in the game and we concede a sloppy or an easy goal. It doesn't help... Normally when you are 2-0 up the other team is close to accepting their loss. But if you give away an easy goal... it is a big difference in mindset for the other team."
The victory extended Liverpool's unbeaten run to 11 matches and set up a fourth-round home tie with Brighton. Slot paid tribute to Barnsley's stubborn resistance, saying, "They can be proud of themselves and how difficult they made it for us. For a long time they were in the game."
