LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Dominik Szoboszlai was both a hero and a villain for Liverpool on Monday as the home side defeated in-form Barnsley 4-1 to seal a draw with Premier League rivals Brighton in the FA Cup fourth round.
The Hungarian midfielder silenced the traveling fans with a stunning 30-meter shot to give Liverpool the lead eight minutes later.
Jeremy Frimpong cut in from the right and scored with a powerful left-footed shot to make it 2-0.
However, Szoboszlai offered Barnsley his return to the game five minutes before half-time with a disastrous mistake that would be featured as a failure for years to come.
A poorly planned backheel attempt six meters in front of their own goal had a shocking result, but Adam Phillips, who was chasing him, simply smashed the ball into an empty net to make it 2-1.
“I feel sorry for the team,” Szoboszlai told broadcaster TNT Sports. “Simple mistakes cost us. Football happens and we move forward.”
The midfielder was also lucky not to concede a penalty early in the second half, as Barnsley made fun of their League One status.
The Yorkshire club took the game to their more storied rivals, and with the game still in the balance, Liverpool manager Arne Slott was forced to bring in some big guns after the hour, bringing on Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Ibrahima Konate.
However, much of the action continued to revolve around Szoboszlai.
He cleared Phillips’ shot off the line and shortly after set up Wirtz’s shot, but the ball went over the bar.
Six minutes into the game, with the visitors’ energy levels waning, Wirtz got back on track with an excellent shot into the top corner after receiving a pass from Ekitike.
Ekitike converted Wirtz’s cross in added time to make it 4-1.
It was an unfortunate ending for the visiting side, who had acquitted themselves admirably against a team 57th above them in the league pyramid.
“I thought we were outstanding,” Barnsley manager Conor Hourihane said. “I got a little tired at the end, but we started very well. They brought in top players one after another.
“I wanted the players to bounce back and give a performance that they could be very proud of and I’m sure they can do that.”
Although the scoreline pleased the home side, the result marked Liverpool’s 11-match unbeaten run and was a sign of their ability to rack up results. Liverpool have not lost to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League since November.
Brighton come to Anfield on the weekend of February 14th.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
