Liverpool 4-1 Barnsley: "Same old questions" for Arne Slot in FA Cup win amid Xabi Alonso fear

Written by David Lynch, Liverpool expert:

Had you not watched Liverpool's 4-1 win over Barnsley, you might think this was a typical case of a Premier League outfit putting lower-league opposition to the sword in the FA Cup.

But the fact is the final scoreline does not convey the extent to which the League One visitors made a game of it.

Until the 84th minute, they trailed by a single goal, and had every reason to feel that game state was a deserved one.

Yes, their goal had come courtesy of an uncharacteristic Dominik Szoboszlai error, but it was hardly undeserved given the threat of Davis Keillor-Dunn and Reyes Cleary had posed throughout.

And on the other side of the ball, Barnsley had limited the hosts to generating less than expected goal through potshots up to the 75th minute.

That the Reds' two goals up to that point had come from Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong wonderstrikes said everything about how they had struggled to break down a low block.

© Imago / Sportimage

And it is this that will be the main concern for Arne Slot as he looks to save his job in the second half of this difficult campaign.

The Dutchman is still adept at getting Liverpool to perform in the big games, as they have proven against Real Madrid, Inter Milan and, most recently, Arsenal.

But can he get them to consistently create when faced with a mass of bodies in the six-yard box?

On the evidence of this tight clash with League One opposition and other games throughout the campaign, the answer is still no.

The urgency with which Slot needs to solve this issue has only been heightened given the news from Spain this evening that Xabi Alonso has been relieved of his duties at Real Madrid.

So, while the Reds may have successfully plotted a route to the fourth round, it was courtesy of a performance that threw up the same old questions.