Dominik Szoboszlai Leaves Commentators 'Stunned' with Horror Liverpool Mistake vs Barnsley

In a thrilling FA Cup third-round clash at Anfield on January 12, 2026, Liverpool secured a 4-1 victory over Sky Bet League One side Barnsley, but not without a heart-stopping blunder from Dominik Szoboszlai that had commentators and fans stunned.[1][2]

The Hungarian midfielder emerged as both hero and villain. Just eight minutes in, Szoboszlai silenced the traveling Barnsley supporters with a stunning 35-yard dipping strike, giving Liverpool a 1-0 lead and echoing a similar early goal in their last meeting in 2008, which ended in a shock 2-1 defeat.[1][3][4] Jeremie Frimpong doubled the advantage with a fierce left-footed shot from the right flank, lashing the ball past goalkeeper Murphy Cooper for a comfortable 2-0 cushion.[1][2][3]

However, five minutes before halftime, disaster struck. After racing back to win possession inside his own six-yard box, Szoboszlai opted for a reckless backheel to goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili instead of playing safely. The cocky attempt went disastrously wrong, gifting Barnsley's Adam Phillips—a former Liverpool trainee and boyhood Reds fan—an open goal in front of the Kop. Phillips tapped in to make it 2-1, injecting tension into the tie.[1][2][3][4]

Barnsley, 17th in League One, pushed hard for an equalizer, nearly scoring inside 30 seconds via Davis Keillor-Dunn's header against the post. Jonathan Bland's 25-yard volley tested Mamardashvili, and Szoboszlai escaped a potential penalty for a challenge on Reyes Cleary, which VAR might have overturned.[1][2][4] Liverpool manager Arne Slot introduced star substitutes like Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, and Ibrahima Konate after the hour mark to steady the ship.[3][4]

Wirtz restored calm in the 84th minute, curling home a beauty from an Ekitike pass, before Ekitike slid in a fourth in added time. Szoboszlai later apologized on TNT Sports: "Sorry to the team. I made it hard for us with an easy mistake. Football happens and we move on."[3][5][6] The win sets up a fourth-round home tie against Brighton, extending Liverpool's unbeaten run to 11 matches despite the sketchy performance.[1][2][3]

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