'I saw Arne Slot immediately proven right with new Liverpool priority now clear'

Liverpool knocked Barnsley out of the FA Cup with goals from Dominik Szoboszlai, Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike, justifying Arne Slot's selection call

Arne Slot and some of his Liverpool coaching staff celebrate after Florian Wirtz's goal against Barnsley.(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

In future years, remembering the Liverpool team that started the 1-0 defeat to Plymouth in the FA Cup in February 2025 will make a good quiz question. Will you recall James McConnell? What about Trey Nyoni?

Whatever those two players — a couple of very talented young central midfielders — go on to achieve at Liverpool or elsewhere, there is no doubt that Arne Slot made wholesale changes at Home Park. Harvey Elliott (a more likely guess as a starter for anyone playing along) gave away a penalty, and for a second-string Reds side, that was that.

A year on, while Liverpool was not exactly wholly convincing against Barnsley, Slot did go much stronger with his line-up. The Reds boss said he would during his pre-match press conference and stuck to his word.

But while the circumstances are different — Liverpool doesn't have loads of other options available at the moment, and some stars needed the minutes — the main change is the Reds' priority list.

With the Premier League title having long been set to head to either Arsenal or Manchester City and Liverpool having crashed out of the League Cup against Crystal Palace, the FA Cup has taken on a renewed level of importance.

From the position that it is in at roughly the halfway stage of the league season, Liverpool should be able to get into the Champions League spots in the league. Simultaneously, it could go far in Europe too, depending on the draw.

Dominik Szoboszlai and Andrew Robertson of Liverpool tackle Adam Phillips of Barnsley during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Liverpool and Barnsley on January 12, 2026 in Liverpool, England(Image: Getty Images)

But by far and away its best chance of winning a trophy this season is to beat Brighton in the FA Cup's fourth round and then go all the way to Wembley.

"There was also no other choice because I wasn't able to play 11 other players — I don't have them," Slot said when asked about his Barnsley team selection post-match.

"As you have seen today, you have to respect this competition and respect Barnsley — because even with large amounts of starters they made it really difficult for us."

And it is the second half of that response where the most interesting part lies. Yes, Liverpool was hamstrung to an extent in terms of its options, but there was also a clear desire to win and avoid any shocks.

Jeremie Frimpong celebrates scoring Liverpool's second goal against Barnsley at Anfield.(Image: PETER POWELL / AFP via Getty Images)

Had Slot wanted to, he could have fielded Calvin Ramsay at full-back to save the legs of Jeremie Frimpong, whose workload, after the injury to Conor Bradley, is set to increase.

Nyoni, who has been trusted to start several domestic cup ties under the Dutchman, including that Plymouth tie, was also available and came off the bench.

Liverpool went with stronger options all across the field, though — Virgil van Dijk started and Florian Wirtz came on — and took no chances. In the end, it was a good job in what proved to be a tighter encounter than the 4-1 scoreline would suggest.

Slot's call was proven to be the right one: without a strong team, Barnsley showed itself more than capable of causing an upset. The Reds needed Van Dijk and co to get over the line.

"We wanted to show that we take the FA Cup seriously," Dominik Szoboszlai said, though he perhaps should have thought about that when he attempted a backheel a meter away from his own goalline.

"We always take it seriously. We showed again today we need the whole squad. The new guys came in, who didn't play as much as the others, and they showed lots of quality. We need everyone."

Against Brighton, no matter the league and European results between now and then, Slot should go with at least as strong a team again. If Liverpool is to win silverware this season, the smart money is on it being this.