Conor Hourihane takes swipe at "disrespectful" Liverpool moment in Barnsley loss at Anfield | OneFootball

Adam Phillips' strike in front of the Kop was somewhat controversial according to the Tykes boss

Barnsley boss Conor Hourihane has hit out at Liverpool ace Dominik Szoboszlai for the part he played in the Tykes' solitary strike against current Premier League champions, Liverpool, at Anfield in the FA Cup third round.

Speaking in his post-match television and written media press conferences, the Tykes head coach branded the Hungarian playmaker as "disrespectful" as former Liverpool academy midfielder, Adam Phillips, capitalised on his mistake to hand the South Yorkshire side an initial lifeline against Arne Slot's strong Reds XI on the stroke of half-time.

Barnsley had progressed past National League side York City and fellow League One outfit, Peterborough United, to set up a mouthwatering first trip to the Merseyside giants since 2008, where they were hoping to replicate a shock 2-1 victory.

Despite starting the encounter with plenty of encouraging signs as talisman Davis Keillor-Dunn, who Football League World understands, is expected to depart Oakwell between now and the transfer deadline of February 2nd, smacked a close-range header off the post, it was Szoboszlai who opened the scoring with a stunning strike that Murphy Cooper could only get a fingertip onto as it flew into the top corner of the net.

Although Barnsley continued to plug away, the mass travelling support had reason to potentially fear the worst when Jeremie Frimpong was allowed the time and space to fire home a second.

That was until Tykes midfielder, Phillips, pounced on a careless backheel from Szoboszlai, who intended to lay the ball off to goalkeeper, Giorgi Mamardashvili in front of the Kop.

Yet, whilst the second half saw big-money signings Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitiké add further gloss to a flattering scoreline after the visitors felt Reyes Cleary should have been awarded a penalty, the main talking point from Hourihane post-match still centered around how his side's equaliser came about.

Szoboszlai has often been the subject of immense praise for his performances at Anfield since joining from RB Leipzig for £60m during Jürgen Klopp's final season in charge.

Indeed, the man who was instrumental in Liverpool's 21st league title success under Slot last term has continued such strong individual form this term, despite the club's inconsistent Premier League campaign thus far.

The 61-time Hungarian international and captain netted his sixth goal in 28 games across all competitions with his thunderous ninth-minute effort. However, post-match, he was criticised by Hourihane, despite the fact Phillips' strike marked another narrative as the 27-year-old marked his return to Anfield with a well-taken finish after the Liverpool midfielder's error.

“First and foremost it's such an amazing feeling for, for Adam, you know, scoring in front of the Kop," Hourihane said via the Barnsley Chronicle.

“A Liverpool fan who came up through the academy, I thought was outstanding for him, something that he will look back on for so many years of his life and always say that he scored at the Kop End which is something that many people don't do.

“I was a little bit disappointed with their player (Szoboszlai) if I'm honest," he stated. “I thought was a bit disrespectful.

“I don't think he does that against Chelsea. I don't think he does that against Arsenal. I don't think he does that in the Champions League game," Hourihane claimed.

“Unbelievable little feeling and buzz for Adam obviously but a little bit of a lack of respect from their players point of view.”

When informed of Hourihane's words, Slot said in his own post-match verdict: "I don't think you should do that in a Premier League game, League Cup game, friendly game or a training session.

"It's a weird choice and I also have my opinion about it, but I prefer to keep that to myself and speak about it with Dom."

Barnsley FC must carry Liverpool performance over to upcoming League One fixtures amid recent woes

After seeing his side cause concern for some of European football's strongest performers, Hourihane will be encouraged, and supporters will hope to see such strong performance levels translate into the remainder of Barnsley's third tier campaign.

After finishing 12th last season, it has been an even more frustrating season for the Tykes this time around, with a winless run of four outings prior to Monday's cup tie seeing them fall to 17th, just two points above Burton Albion in 21st.

It remains to be seen whether they can keep both Keillor-Dunn and Cleary at Oakwell too, with the versatile forwards attracting interest from Championship suitors amid fine campaigns on an individual level.

Next up for Barnsley is a home clash with Blackpool on Saturday afternoon.