Rafa Benitez

LIVERPOOL boss Rafa Benitez blamed his misfiring forwards for his side's shock FA Cup exit to Barnsley — despite leaving star striker Fernando Torres in the stands.

The Reds were stunned at Anfield after the lowly Championship club fought back for an amazing 2-1 victory.

Benitez also started with Steven Gerrard on the bench, while Javier Mascherano and Pepe Reina joined Torres on the sidelines.

But the Spanish boss took at swipe at his players for their failure to kill off Barnsley after Dirk Kuyt fired them ahead.

He said: "We had a lot of chances but it was the same situation as in other games — we cannot take our chances to finish games.

"Today was the same. I am really, really disappointed.

"We had chances, the keeper Luke Steele was making fantastic saves and they scored in the last minute.

“Sometimes this happens in football — it is the cup. It is difficult to explain."

Benitez is already under severe pressure to save his job.

But this stunning defeat will now leave him with little hope of salvaging his long-term future at Liverpool.