Liverpool's starting XI from Barnsley FA Cup humiliation and what they're doing now

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Liverpool’s infamous FA Cup defeat to Barnsley in February 2008 is revisited through the lens of the starting XI that took the field for Rafael Benítez that day and where their careers later led. The article recalls how a rotated but still high‑profile Liverpool side – featuring established internationals and experienced squad players – were stunned 2-1 at Anfield by the Championship club, with Brian Howard scoring a dramatic late winner to seal one of the competition’s biggest shocks.

In goal, Liverpool relied on a deputy goalkeeper who struggled to fully convince across his time at Anfield and later moved through a series of lesser-profile clubs before retirement. The back four included seasoned defenders and promising full-backs; some went on to enjoy solid careers elsewhere in the Premier League or across Europe, while others gradually dropped down the divisions or moved into coaching and media work after hanging up their boots.

Midfield contained a mix of fringe players and emerging talents who never quite became regular starters for Liverpool. Several departed in the following seasons, carving out respectable careers at mid-table clubs in England or abroad, with a few eventually returning to the game in backroom or ambassadorial roles. An attacking midfielder who showed flashes of creativity at Anfield ultimately found more consistent form after leaving, becoming a key player for smaller sides.

Up front, Liverpool started forwards who were battling for status behind the club’s star strikers. Some struggled to replicate their early promise and drifted between clubs before retiring, while one or two enjoyed late-career revivals in different leagues. The piece underlines how that Barnsley defeat became a symbolic moment: it exposed the limitations of Liverpool’s depth at the time and stands in stark contrast to the later success the club would enjoy under different managers, even as many members of that XI quietly built varied, often modest, post-Liverpool careers.