The Reds were beaten 3-1 at Elland Road on Wednesday evening by Leeds, ending our run in the Carabao Cup for this campaign.
A brace from Polish international Mateusz Klich and a strike from Luis Sinisterra sank the Reds in a game that could have been very different for Michael Duff's side under the lights in West Yorkshire.
A strong start was made by the Reds in a cauldron of noise here in Beeston. The first action came as Liam Kitching flashed a header wide after a teasing Josh Benson delivery into the area.
The bright start continued for Barnsley, after Devante Cole pinched the pocket of a Leeds defender, drove towards goal, but his powerful strike was saved well by Ilan Meslier down to his right.
However, the home side began to creep into the affair and soon took the lead. Sinisterra picked the ball up in a central area just outside of the area, danced inside, and curled an effort into the bottom right of Jack Walton’s goal to put the home side ahead in the 21st minute.
Just after the half-hour mark, Leeds were awarded a spot-kick. Conor McCarthy slid in on Sinisterra and referee John Brooks pointed to the spot. Klich was on hand to coolly dispatch the penalty into the bottom left corner and double the home side’s lead.
A foul was given to the Reds in the 34th minute, right of centre, 35 yards out, with Benson standing over the ball. The midfielder swung another delightful ball into the box, and there stooped Andersen at the far post to nod the ball back across goal from the left past Meslier to give the Reds a foothold in the game.
Michael Duff’s men gathered momentum after the goal and in the 41st minute found themselves with an opportunity from the spot. Styles was brought down in the area on the wide left, after his dribbling prompted Adam Forshaw to bring down the Bury-born midfielder.
Styles was the man to take the penalty kick, but the effort found Meslier’s right-hand post and ricocheted out to safety for Leeds, with their one-goal advantage being intact at the break.
HALF-TIME: Leeds 2-1 Barnsley
A fantastic run by Cole on the right-hand side allowed him to slip in Styles in the area, who, with some neat footwork was brought down in the area, but this time referee Brooks did not give a spot-kick.
Awoken by the Reds coming close shortly beforehand, Leeds doubled their advantage in the 57th minute. Joe Gelhardt retrieved the ball back on the left-hand side, slipped in Sinisterra who squared the ball, but saw it poked away by defenders. The deflection, however fell to Klich in the area, who with aplomb curled one into the bottom right-hand corner, doubling his tally for the evening and his side’s lead.
A plethora of substitutions for both sides disrupted the high-tempo game that the sold-out Elland Road crowd were being treated to, with Leeds being comfortable in their advantage and in seeing out the second-half.
Despite the Reds' best efforts to find a way back into the tie, Leeds continued to be a threat at the other end of the pitch through Summerville and the Premier League's top goalscorer, Rodrigo.
But neither side added to their tally for the evening and the result ends the Reds' 22/23 Carabao Cup campaign.
FULL-TIME: Leeds 3-1 Barnsley
Reds XI: Walton (GK), Styles, Kitching, Andersen ©, Norwood (Tedic), Benson (Connell), Thomas (Hondermarck), McCarthy, Oduor (Wolfe), Helliwell (Williams), Cole.
Unused subs: Collins (GK), Cundy, Marsh, Aitchison.
