The Liverpool win against Barnsley in the FA Cup third round on Monday, January 13, was an emphatic one. The Reds won the match 4-1 to move into the fourth round of the competition. Dominik Szoboszlai, Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike scored for the Reds to lead them to a comfortable victory.
The Reds’ win in the Liverpool vs Barnsley game came at a time when the Reds were under serious scrutiny for their performance this season. The Liverpool win against Barnsley should also give Arne Slot some confidence and some breathing space.
Wirtz and Frimpong Once Again Proved Their Utility in Liverpool Win Over Barnsley
After a very ordinary start to the season, Wirtz has started to exert his class. The German midfielder now has three goals and three assists in 27 matches for the Reds, the lion’s share of which has come in the last few matches.
The encouraging thing about Wirtz is that he is regularly getting into the opposition penalty box and taking shots at goal. His directness has resulted in him getting on the score sheet often, after his first 20 matches for the club failed to yield any goals.
However, what is even better for Liverpool is that Frimpong has repeatedly shown his worth after coming back from an injury. He is doing justice to his signing by the Reds and now has two goals and two assists in 15 matches for the club.
More importantly, Frimpong has either scored or assisted in the last few matches for his club. He is a very good crosser of the ball with his right foot and, as he showed against Barnsley, has the ability to finish with his left foot as well.
Frimpong has been playing as either the right winger or the right-back (in Conor Bradley’s absence) in his last few matches. He can be a good old-fashioned winger and not an inverted one like Mohamed Salah. Frimpong has the ability to run along the touchline and then play crosses with his right foot. His performance in the Liverpool win was once again very good.
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Upcoming Fixtures
The Reds will play against Burnley and AFC Bournemouth in their next two Premier League matches, with a UEFA Champions League match against Marseille sandwiched between the two. After the Liverpool vs Barnsley 4-1 win, the Reds are expected to win against both Burnley and Bournemouth, and doing so will help keep them inside the top four.
Liverpool have 35 points from their 21 matches, which is a good 14 points less than Arsenal’s tally. It can be safely assumed that the Reds are out of the title race already. However, ensuring Champions League football is the minimum they should be aiming for and in order to achieve that, they must get their act together in the Premier League soon.
The improved form of both Wirtz and Frimpong should give the Reds a significant boost. Both of those players can still play their part in guiding Liverpool to a top-four finish. The club’s multitude of supporters will hope that it will be the case during the remainder of the current season.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / News Images
Recording Date: 12.01.2026
