“Stutter rather than swagger” – Media blunt as Szoboszlai shows ‘malaise is catching’

Liverpool scraped into the FA Cup fourth round with a nervy 4-1 win over League One Barnsley at Anfield, but media reaction focused on Dominik Szoboszlai's dramatic highs and lows in a performance dubbed a "stutter" rather than swagger[1][3][4].

The Hungarian midfielder opened the scoring in spectacular fashion after just eight minutes, rifling a stunning 30-35 yard dipping shot into the net to silence the traveling fans, setting a dominant tone early[1][3][4]. Jeremie Frimpong doubled the lead soon after with a fine left-footed strike from the right flank, cutting inside and beating keeper Murphy Cooper for pace[1][4]. Yet, Liverpool's control unraveled just before halftime when Szoboszlai, after winning possession back near his own box, attempted a cocky backheel inside the six-yard area. The reckless flick missed goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, gifting former Reds academy product Adam Phillips an easy tap-in in front of the Kop to make it 2-1[1][3][4].

Media outlets were scathing: ESPN highlighted the "bizarre moment of madness" and "reckless arrogance," while others called it a "horrific error" that showed malaise catching on[1][2]. Szoboszlai nearly compounded it with a potential penalty early in the second half, but Barnsley—led by threats like Davis Keillor-Dunn's header against the post—kept fighting admirably despite the gulf in class[1][3][4].

Arne Slot, wary of an upset echoing Liverpool's 2008 loss to Barnsley, unleashed his bench: Florian Wirtz curled home the third after a Hugo Ekitiké flick, then assisted the Frenchman's stoppage-time fourth for 4-1[3][4]. Substitutes like Ibrahima Konaté added steel to a £220-250m bench[1][4].

Though the score flattered Liverpool, extending their unbeaten run to 11 games, pundits noted the "sketchy" display against a spirited underdog 57 places below them in the pyramid. Next up: Brighton at Anfield in February[3][4]. Szoboszlai apologized post-match: "Sorry to the team... an easy mistake," but headlines lingered on his hero-to-villain arc[3].

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