Did that feel like a 4-1 win? Not really, and not just because of the lateness of the final two goals. It might be a bit because of how long it’s been since Liverpool have won a game, but it did feel like more of a contest than you would want for a very strong Liverpool XI facing a side that’s 17th in the third division of English football.
Nonetheless, there were a lot of positives, and even if it felt a lot closer than 4-1 it’s also worth noting that their one game from an absolute gift that we will never be speaking about again (currently having a big laugh that Dominik Szoboszlai was Liverpool’s top rated player on FotMob, at 9.2).
Giving Credit to the Opposition
Barnsley could have scored in the opening minute and have the crossbar to curse rather than any efforts Liverpool made to keep them out. Though the Reds did get a handle on things — and spent a large proportion of the match camped in the opponent’s final third — Barnsley were not without chances.
Though Adam Phillips will be delighted with both his goal and the Anfield applause he got when subbed off to acknowledge his time spent in the Liverpool Academy, it was Reyes Cleary who caused the Reds the most problems. Clearly spent his 90 minutes making intelligent runs and taking Liverpool on directly, and he also drew the most fouls (3) of anyone on the pitch, also winning the most duels (8). He was a handful, and though he didn’t deserve a penalty from Szoboszlai’s challenge in the second half the Liverpool midfielder had to be ever-so-precise as the Barnsley winger had him beat both for pace and positioning.
Indeed, Barnsley as a whole probably deserved it to stay 2-1, as their defensive organization made it very difficult for the Reds to break through to make meaningful chances. That the first two goals were effectively solo efforts speaks to this: Liverpool found it very difficult to link up behind the Barnsley defense until they were drawn out in the closing stages.
So yes, the scoreline doesn’t tell the full story, but sometimes you just get done by a team full of talent.
Winners and Losers
Unexpected winners column today: just when you thought this would be another vintage “nervy final 10 minutes as Liverpool try to scrape by on a narrow lead,” the Reds decided to give a gift to those of us who want to enjoy the football rather than experiencing nail-biting stress at the death. Two flashy goals in the final 10 minutes? Just what the doctor ordered. And exhale.
For three of Liverpool’s four goals, too, the boys from the Bundesliga shone. Jeremie Frimpong’s goal perhaps best illustrated the sort of thing he did last season that we would like to see more of, but the confidence and awareness in both goals and assists from Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitiké underscored the kind of baller propositions we have on our hands if we as a side could just calm down and play football like we’re good at it. More of that on a weekly basis please lads.
On the losing end has to be the Barnsley goalkeeper. Murphy Cooper was seemingly either down injured or picking a ball out of the net (or both) all game. He did make three saves but probably could have done more to prevent four going past him. Unlucky.
I’d also say Calvin Ramsay lost out today. The right back was on the bench but never got on the pitch, and given the news that Conor Bradley is out for the season Ramsay might have hoped to get some minutes of match play should he be called upon at any point this season. Though the scoreline was narrow and Slot seemed to inch closer to his preferred XI with every sub, the Scot will certainly feel this means he’s a distant third behind Jeremie Frimpong and Joe Gomez when it comes to right back minutes for Liverpool.
How The Fans Reacted
Some heartwarming stats provided by Opta’s Michael Reid:
Go on the lads.
Kevin on Bluesky was concise in his criticism about a Liverpool performance that felt “arrogant” in its willingness to let Barnsley have a foothold, an idea that others in media called out in less direct terms:
And finally, Andrew Beasley has sniffed out a pattern:
Early days, and certainly something you could read struggle into, but perhaps this is the beginning of something good.