Liverpool: Was Dominik Szoboszlai’s foul against Barnsley disrespectful?

The Hungarian midfielder was at the heart of a controversial decision in the second half as well. At 2-1, Barnsley were denied a penalty when Reece Cleary went down inside the box after a challenge from Szoboszlai.

“At the time I thought it was a stone penalty,” Hourihan said. “he [Cleary] I get across the player and think about a penalty kick straight away. I think someone said that [Szoboszlai] He may have touched the ball but others said he may have thought he was in trouble and started pulling Reyes’ shirt slightly.

“It could have been 2-1 at the decisive moment, from a penalty kick in front of our fans and you never know what could happen next. So the big decision could have gone against us.”

On TNT Sports, McCoist added: “That’s a penalty. Absolutely. It’s not up for debate. Szoboszlai pulls Cleary’s shirt and grabs his right foot as well. I’m not surprised Conor Hourihane is mobile on the sideline.”

But Lescott disagreed, saying: “If he was pulling his shirt, I would wonder why he fell forward and did not fall back. For me, this is not a penalty.”

In either case, without a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) until the fifth round of the FA Cup, there was no opportunity for the referee to overturn his decision on the pitch.

“There was no VAR, even if it was him [the referee] “I made a mistake and there was no way I could correct it,” Slott said. “I was told it was not a penalty kick and Dominic played the ball. On Thursday evening I saw twice things in the Arsenal penalty area that were more than a penalty kick.”

In the end, Liverpool have gone 11 games unbeaten in all competitions (W6, D5), their best run since they went 24 games unbeaten between September 2024 and January 2025.

That turnaround for Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitiki just after the hour mark was a statement in itself and the pair combined in elegant style late on to ensure the final stages were tension-free for the home side.

Wirtz, in particular, was a standout during his 30-minute appearance.

“If you come for half an hour and have a goal, an assist and some other good moments, you can definitely say he brought something creative to the team and that’s what we need,” Slott said.

“We wanted to show that we take the FA Cup seriously,” Szoboszlai added. “We always take it seriously. We showed again today that we need the whole team. The new players have come in, who haven’t played as much as others, and have shown a lot of quality. We need everyone.”

Fortunately for him, Liverpool were not left to regret their moment of madness.