Liverpool progress to the next round of the FA Cup after finally brushing aside Barnsley, who may have done the Reds a big favour with how they set up.Liverpool 4-1 BarnsleyFA Cup Third Round | AnfieldJanuary 12, 2025Goals: Szoboszlai 9′, Frimpong 36′, Wirtz 84′, Ekitike 90+4′; Phillips 40′1. Rio Ngumoha gets needed red-hot repetitionsGame time is what talented teenager Rio Ngumoha has been crying out for, with this fixture arriving at the perfect moment.Following his recent fleeting outing against Leeds, where he looked more than willing to go up against his man, Ngumoha has been forced to watch on from the sidelines as Liverpool’s questionable league form ticked on.And so the tricky winger deserves huge credit for his evening’s work. He constantly showed for the ball, asked for the passes both into feet and over the top, and relentlessly searched for the inside run or overlapping team-mate.He took the game to Barnsley without appearing to push his luck and turn his opponents into a glorified version of FIFA Street foe.Sure, the tricks and shoulder-dropping darts were there, but that is very much part of the innate footballing DNA of this incredibly exciting talent. Liverpool are very lucky to call him their own. 2. Barnsley’s goal typified LiverpoolDominik Szoboszlai doesn’t need bashing for his careless and entirely unnecessary back-heel attempt inside his own area, leading Adam Phillips to take the easiest tap-in he’s ever likely to get.It was good to see the former Liverpool academy grad back at Anfield, though he never expected to get onto the score sheet in the manner he did.Very typical Liverpool, sitting in the driving seat, bathing in confidence yet never too far away from an imminent breakdown of all thought and communication.After the match, Szoboszlai admitted: “Sorry to the team again, I made it hard for us, with an easy mistake I would say. But football happens, we move on and take the next round.” 3. Possession dominance flatters to deceive…againIt was no surprise that this was 90 minutes of Liverpool holding the ball and having the privilege of deciding what to do with it, but it never looked rosy.The final whistle sounded with Liverpool having a 75 percent possession share over their League One visitors, and yet despite a 4-1 scoreline it still feels like the team here at the top of the food chain were missing teeth.Liverpool progress and the job is done, that’s the bottom line.But there was a totally different dimension in Saturday’s fixture when Manchester City completely blitzed Exeter City by a 10-1 scoreline. The same Exeter City who sit three places above Barnsley.PLAYER RATINGSLiverpool 4-1 Barnsley: Player Ratings – How did we rate Szoboszlai? 4. Still lots of missing answers and Slot looks concernedBefore the match, the manager made a point of noting that the football world is now realising that Liverpool replaced players in the summer without adding.While it may not exactly be far off the mark, it’s a strange thing to come out with nonetheless.January feels like an awkward time to admit a fully formed plan was never in place, or a spending plea at best. Regardless, Liverpool still have a squad boasting some of the finest footballers on the planet, but against vastly inferior opponents it wasn’t quite a rags versus riches show.Despite the late formality of this win, Slot still ended up looking like a troubled man on the touchline.The misses were rued just as much as a Premier League clash and decisions given in favour of the opponent contested as heartily as ever. At 2-1, the Liverpool boss definitely wasn’t convinced that his side held all the chips. 5. Huge benefit from this dress rehearsalIn spite of the above points, this was actually the sort of match Liverpool really needed, for better or worse.The injection of flare and zest of Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike ultimately wrapped this up neatly for the Reds, but for the large part this script played out a little like a slightly nervous training match in which Liverpool were tasked with unpicking a block.Barnsley set up solid and gave the best account of themselves they could. Liverpool sensed their own growing superiority, but hardly made haste in dissecting their way through the lines.The reason why Szoboszlai pinged in a Goal of the Season contender and Ngumoha had so much joy cutting inside all boils down to space.There will be plenty of folk now questioning why Szoboszlai doesn’t do that every week when he clearly has the ability. The immediate reason being, Premier League teams do not give you those gaps at all.No breathing space, no extra time for a heads up and an open zone to drift into. Even the Wolves and Burnleys of the top flight will be on you in those areas like their lives depend on it.Barnsley understandably aren’t up to that standard and Liverpool had a good run out here with plentiful opportunity to work upon their own mounting flaws.Some things came off well, others didn’t. The analytical department will have a field day at work on Tuesday regardless.