Liverpool bounced back from their recent defeat to Wolves with a 3-1 win at Molineux to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Arn Slott’s side lost in stoppage time in Tuesday’s Premier League clash but took the lead early in the second half with goals from Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah before Curtis Jones netted a luxurious third goal.
Hwang Hee-chan scored a late winner, but Liverpool made fewer changes than Rob Edwards made to Wolves’ line-up and strong team selection was rewarded. The coach’s victory secured him a spot in Monday’s draw for the top eight.
How events at Molineux unfolded
Kodi Gakpo hit the bar with a header from an offside position early on, but the early pattern of the match was strikingly similar to the previous meeting between the two sides. Liverpool took the lead in the first half, converting all 11 shots, but there was little to show for it.
Robertson’s rocket from the edge of the penalty box got the game moving soon after the interval, and the Scotland left-back produced the perfect moment to unleash Wolves once again moments later when Salah’s cross hit the back post.
The assistant referee initially ruled the goal as offside, but the decision was corrected by VAR. On a night when teenager Rio Ngmoha had an early chance, it was the two veterans in red who made the difference for the visitors. Jones then put a sticker on it.
There will be no joy in the cup for Wolves. The Premier League woes begin again for the bottom-of-the-table clubs. For Liverpool, the win was a confidence booster ahead of Tuesday’s away Champions League game against Galatasaray. The Reds now have seven wins in nine games.
Liverpool players celebrate Curtis Jones’ third goal in victory over Wolves
Robertson: It was up to us to get it right.
Man of the match Andy Robertson told BBC Sport:
“I couldn’t have hit it any better. Well, it couldn’t have been better, but the opportunity opened up and thankfully I was able to hit it clean. Most of the balls I hit go over the bar, so I’m glad I managed to hit the net.”
“It was a little bit more of the same. We know we let ourselves down on Tuesday. It wasn’t the performance we expected for ourselves.
“It’s very rare to play the same team three days later, so it was up to us to keep going in the right direction. The FA Cup is win or die, in or out. Thankfully we’re in the quarter-finals.”
Slots: Robertson loves the club
Liverpool manager Arne Slott said at a press conference:
“When you talk about goals and assists, full-backs are probably not the first players you think of.
“He loves the club and loves playing in front of the fans.
“Robbo has given everything for the club in the year and a half I’ve been here. The fans will say he’s done it all the years he’s been here. He tries his best, defends well and is calm on the ball.”
Slott replaced Florian Wirths and Liverpool’s team looks strong again.
“I’m really happy to have so many players back. If you have to play number 12, 13, 14 every three days, it’s natural that sometimes you don’t perform as well as you would like.”
“That’s why I respect them so much and the same players have to play. Now they can influence the game more from the bench.”
Looking at the overall performance, Slott showed many similarities to the loss three days ago. Asked if it was a perfect response, he said: “Of course, if you look at the results, it’s a perfect response, but all the statistics are exactly the same as they were three days ago.”
“Today they only had one chance and only scored once. Three days ago they only had one chance and scored twice. And they conceded in extra time, so it was a similar situation. So things haven’t changed that much.”
“For the first 50 minutes, we were moving side to side and maybe a little faster. It probably has to do with personnel, but there were a lot of similarities and a lot of possession.”
Edwards: “Liverpool were better tonight”
Wolves manager Rob Edwards said in a press conference.
“It wasn’t a difficult game, it was just a better team winning. They were really good tonight and it was tough for us. They didn’t hold anything back, they didn’t make excuses, their level was great.”
“At half-time I was relatively happy. We limited ourselves to long-range shots, but we didn’t put in a lot of effort. The most frustrating thing for me was the timing of the second goal. That was the deciding factor. We should have hung on longer, but the second goal was really frustrating. That’s what I’m most disappointed about.”
“A double-header against Liverpool is difficult. We have to take it as a big positive if we want to win against either of them. We tried tonight, but their level has increased and it has become very difficult.”
Asked if there were any similarities to the previous game, Edwards added: “I thought they were better. Their counter-press was great, their intensity was good, they were good at winning the ball back. Their intensity was better tonight and it was really difficult for us to get past them.”
With the Wolves Cup over, Edwards must now turn his attention back to the Premier League season, which is almost certain to end in relegation. “We have eight games and the next game against Brentford has to be our cup final.”
