.png)
4 hours ago
7
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
66 min: Wolves haven’t really responded to that double whammy. Molineux is a little bit quiet as a result. Liverpool swarm forward again, Gakpo chasing after a long ball down the left and back-heeling to Robertson, who crosses long looking for Salah again. Toti is forced to knock behind for another Liverpool corner.
64 min: Robertson isn’t perfect, though, and his poor touch allows Bellegarde to bomb down the inside-right channel into acres of space. He rolls forward to Arokodare, who decides to trap, turn and shoot, all in one movement, from the edge of the box. He fails at the trap part, and that is that.
62 min: Wolves make the first change of the evening, replacing Angel Gomes with Armstrong. Meanwhile here’s Peter Oh: “Mo Salah delivering the goods should at least temporarily soothe any suspicions that he’s living in the heads of Liverpool fans - as well as in Ian Copestake’s flat - rent-free.”
61 min: Ngumoha jinks down the inside-left channel and curls a shot towards the far right. Saved. He comes again, this time aiming for the bottom left. Inches wide. What a talent this young man looks to be.
59 min: The resulting free kick is punched clear by Alisson. Mane tries to lob home from the edge of the D, but Gomez is covering on the line, and the ball sails over the bar anyway. “I still recall the talk of selling Andy Robertson to Spurs,” writes Colum Fordham. “Thank goodness Liverpool decided to keep this superb left-back. Good as the new signing Kerkez is, Robertson has guaranteed quality for years. And now a scintillating shot and a brilliant assist for Mo Salah. He’s a gem. I even chose number 26 for my amateur team in his honour.”
58 min: Mosquera is body-checked by Mac Allister. A garden-variety free kick. Mosquera leaps up and brandishes an imaginary card, and is lucky not to get a real one himself as a result.
57 min: Bellegarde tries a power curler towards the bottom left. Alisson is behind it all the way.
55 min: That’s one hell of a couple of minutes for Robertson. Scored one, set up another. “Never doubted Mo for a second,” quips Graeme Neill, of half-time postbag fame.
GOAL! Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Liverpool (Salah 53)
54 min: It’s close. Salah doesn’t think he’s offside. And VAR draws up the lines, spots Tchatchoua playing him on at the near stick, and it’s a quick-fire double for Liverpool!
53 min: Ngumoha slips Robertson into space down the left. Robertson fires a low ball through the six-yard box. Salah, racing in from the right, slams home from close range! But it’s not 0-2, because the flag goes up immediately for offside. However, VAR is going to take a look …
GOAL! Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-1 Liverpool (Robertson 51)
Salah draws four players towards him, by the right-hand side of the Wolves D. He looks to be going nowhere, but threads a ball infield to Jones, who shuttles it further across to Robertson. The left-back arrows a low diagonal drive across Johnstone and into the bottom right. What a strike!
50 min: … and this is better, Mosquera advancing down the right and looking for Santiago Bueno with a low ball to the near post. Van Dijk is caught snoozing, and is extremely fortunate that Bueno clanks wide right.
49 min: A period of seriously scrappy football, with neither side able to get their foot on the ball. No control. It’s not been a great game. But things sprang into life on Tuesday, eventually, and here’s to something happening again.
47 min: Gravenberch sends Salah scampering down the right. Salah wins a corner off Hugo Bueno and takes it himself. Arokodare clears it. The pattern of the majority of the first half almost immediately set again.
Wolves get the second half underway. No changes. “While you’re contractually obliged to remind everyone that Joe Gomez has never scored a goal in professional football, I think he’s contractually obliged to try whatever means he has to give the ball a welt any time he gets a sight on goal,” writes Amish Patel. “Can you imagine the talk at the Christmas lunch table in 10-20 years time?”
Half-time postbag. “It’s quite depressing watching Salah play for Liverpool, isn’t it? All he’s done for the past 45 minutes is stand around the far right of the pitch. No dynamism, no threat, no real desire to show he’s anywhere near the player he used to be. Instead a 17 year old on the other side of the pitch is being seen as the more productive option by his teammates” – Graeme Neill
“For those Liverpool fans wondering where the real Mo Salah has gone, I can provide an answer. He is renting out my Frankfurt gaff while I am in the UK. It might be that the chant is wrong and there really isn’t only one Mo Salah but it quite freaked me to see his name appear in my inbox” – Ian Copestake
“Liverpool are a bit like a cargo cult. They set up to look just like the real thing in the hope that real football might happen. But if you examine closely the moving parts are all made of bamboo and coconut shells” – Niall Mullen
“It’s a rare occasion when I have the opportunity to be disappointed by Wales and Liverpool at the same time. What a time to be alive, eh?” – Matt Dony (who is following the Six Nations on the MBM)
“GOAL UNITED!!! GET IN!!! IT’S ON!!!” – Simon McMahon, our self-appointed Falkirk v Dundee United correspondent (it’s 2-1 at the break in the Scottish Cup quarter-final)
HALF TIME: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-0 Liverpool
Not a great deal of goalmouth action, one Rio Ngumoha hand-stinger apart. A reminder that this will go to extra time and penalties if required.
45 min +1: … but nothing comes of it. Arokodare heads it behind but Wolves get the goal kick, much to Van Dijk’s annoyance.
45 min: Mac Allister digs the ball out from under his feet and pings a shot of little backlift towards the bottom right. A slight deflection takes the ball wide. Salah will send in the corner …
43 min: Liverpool are seeing all of the ball. Wolves are holding their shape, though, and doing a good job of keeping the visitors at arm’s length.
41 min: Szoboszlai smacks the free kick straight into the wall. The ball breaks to Gravenberch, whose low drive is straight at Johnstone and easily swallowed.
40 min: Ngumoha slips a clever ball infield from the left touchline. Mac Allister takes up possession and is clumsily clattered by Joao Gomes. A free kick, 25 yards out, just to the left. Szoboszlai’s eyes light up.
38 min: … and now he’s unceremoniously shouldered off the pitch by Tchatchoua. Hard but fair. And it’s all good experience: the young winger has been Liverpool’s best player so far.
36 min: Ngumoha has his standing leg swept from under him by Joao Gomes, then as he falls, takes Tchatchoua’s knee in the back of his head. All of which sounds much more violent than it actually was, and it was all accidental, though you can understand Ngumoha’s irritation at not getting a free kick. A tough lesson at the school of hard knocks for the 17-year-old.
34 min: A loose ball breaks to Gomez, 25 yards out. He’s got to have a go, even though the ball is spinning like a top. He shanks it well wide left, and I’m now contractually obliged to remind you that he’s never scored a goal in professional football.
33 min: Robertson crosses dangerously from the left. The static Gakpo and Salah may as well not be there. Hugo Bueno clears.
32 min: Angel Gomes tries to release Hugo Bueno down the left, but his pass is way overcooked, and Gomez is able to usher the ball out for a goal kick without any drama. Wolves haven’t shown in attack yet. But then they didn’t really do that for the first 75 minutes on Tuesday, either, and look how that ended.
30 min: Szoboszlai’s corner from the left is half cleared. Gravenberch, from the best part of 30 yards, aims an ambitious low drive towards the bottom-left corner. It’s always sailing wide, and he’s never beating Johnstone from there anyway. The keeper in good position to watch it out.
29 min: Ngumoha is causing all sorts of bother down the left. He sits Tchatchoua down, dribbles hard and fast into the box, and his shot-cum-cross is forced behind by Joao Gomes. Yet another Liverpool corner coming up.
27 min: Arokodare gives the ball away cheaply to Gakpo, and sorts the situation out by bringing his opponent down. It’s a foul, though he’s fortunate not to go into the book.
26 min: … so they take it up a notch, and Gravenberch dribbles across the face of the Wolves box, right to left, before chopping back and pinging a shot off the back of Santiago Bueno and out for a corner. Salah sends it dangerously into the six-yard box, and Johnstone is forced to slap the ball over the bar while standing directly under it. The next corner is a waste of time.
24 min: Liverpool stroke it around the back awhile but go nowhere fast. All a bit ponderous.
22 min: Another Liverpool set piece, this time a free kick 35 yards out on the left. Robertson hoicks it long. Johnstone punches clear, Van Dijk falls over Gomez, and the whistle goes for offside.
20 min: Nothing comes of the next corner in the sequence. Meanwhile Liverpool fans take up memorial duties for their much-missed number 20. The whole stadium united.
19 min: Ngumoha is clipped out on the left wing. Szoboszlai sends the free kick in flat. It’s not a good delivery, but still enough to win a corner. Szoboszlai takes that as well, and it’ll lead to another.
18 min: The Diogo Jota tributes start. He was Wolves’ number 18.
17 min: Santiago Bueno is booked for a cynical tug back of Gakpo’s arm. A bit pointless, and now he’s on the disciplinary tightrope. Expect Ngumoha to run at him hard.
16 min: Tchatchoua dinks a cross in from the right. Arokodare winds his neck back, preparing to nut home, but Van Dijk eyebrows clear just in time.
14 min: A bit of space for Mane and Hugo Bueno down the Wolves left. But both dither over their next options, and neither delivers into the box. A wasted opportunity. “FFS United,” begins our Dundonian pal Simon McMahon, so you know what’s coming next. “Two-nil. Falkirk were in Scottish League One two years ago. Just as well I bought a six pack of whisky.”
12 min: Angel Gomes sloppily lets Mac Allister make off with the ball. The ball’s shuttled wide left to Ngumoha, who drops a shoulder to tear past Tchatchoua and whistles a shot straight at Johnstone, who parries. Earlier in the sequence, Jones had clipped Santiago Bueno, and there’s a short exchange of views at the next break in play.
10 min: Jones was listed as Liverpool’s right back, but it’s Szoboszlai playing there.
9 min: … Mac Allister, at the near post, clanks a header harmlessly wide left. He was trying to flick on, in fact, but let the ball slap off his forehead. He comes again, though, taking a shot from distance soon after the restart. Straight at the keeper.
8 min: Liverpool are enjoying the lion’s share of possession. They pass it around patiently. Another run for Ngumoha down the left. He slips in Robertson, who wins another corner, off Mosquera. And from that set piece …
6 min: Ngumoha dribbles down the left and wins the first corner of the match. Szoboszlai plays it short, back up the line to Gravenberch, who curls onto Gakpo’s head, six yards out. Gakpo steers a header onto the right-hand upright and back into the arms of Johnstone. Then the flag goes up for offside anyway. Cute set piece, though.
4 min: Now Robertson does exactly the same thing up the other end. Chalk both of those deliveries up as range-finders.
3 min: Liverpool’s box is crowded. Hugo Bueno sends the free kick over everyone’s head. What a waste.
2 min: Liverpool appear to be employing a one-man press. Jones. That’s it. Wolves play through it, and Mane dallies over a shot from the edge of the D. He can’t get one away, but then Gravenberch clips Toti and it’s a free kick for Wolves in a dangerous position, just left of centre, 30 yards out.
Liverpool get the ball rolling. “It’s 1-0 Falkirk,” writes Simon McMahon. “Hic!”
The teams are out! Wolves in old gold, Liverpool in all red, a sensational atmosphere at Molineux. The signature work of Robert Plant and Jeff Beck soundtracking things nicely. We’ll be off in a minute! “What a difference a week makes,” begins Dave Estherby. “Having avoided the ‘worst PL team ever’ tag currently held by Tottenham - sorry - Derby County, Rob Edwards must surely fancy this. Too soon to hope for 17th in the League and an FA Cup winners medal?! Probably. Gonna be fun though.”
Pre-match postbag. “Doesn’t this game now mean more to Liverpool than it does to Wolves? I’m therefore predicting a Liverpool win tonight, followed by an almighty slump in their league form” – Andrew Goudie
“I’m a Liverpool fan who’s got a lot of respect for Wolves and their style. The result at Molineux on Tuesday was disappointing, but I felt happy for the jubilant home fans who’ve had a rough season. The sight of arguably the greatest half-and-half scarf of all time, honouring the memory of Diogo Jota, was very emotional” – Peter Oh
“The romance of the cup, eh? Wolves and Liverpool, storied histories both, in the greatest cup competition of them all. On a Friday night! I might even crack open a can of whisky. And perhaps you won’t mind if I keep you and your other reader abreast of events elsewhere with bonus Scottish Cup action? To be specific, Dundee United’s trip to the Falkirk Stadium in the Scottish Cup quarter finals. What an occasion that promises to be. It could be an epic night. Cheers!” – Simon McMahon (and yes, please be our guest)
Arne Slot speaks to TNT Sports. “We want to do much better than when we were here three days ago … we are able to do better and we should do better … we had lots of ball possession but not as many chances as I was hoping for … [Rio Ngumoha’s] playing time has increased a lot … the next step if you go from five minutes to 10 to 15 to half an hour … is starting a game … especially if he does well … [Hugo Ekitike] has to play every single game and that is not common … you want to rotate once in a while … [the FA Cup] is an important trophy to win, so that’s what we are trying.”
Diogo Jota served both of these famous old clubs with distinction. Beloved by Wolves and Liverpool supporters alike, Jota and his brother André Silva were fondly remembered during the Premier League game on Tuesday, and doubtless will be again tonight. Jota has also been memorialised in a piece created by former Wolves player turned artist Jody Craddock, painted using ink made from petals of floral tributes left at Molineux last summer. It was unveiled this week and will hang permanently in the stadium reception.
Remembering Diogo 💛
A memorial artwork created by Jody Craddock, painted with ink made out of the petals from floral tributes left by fans in memory of Diogo Jota, has been unveiled at Molineux. pic.twitter.com/aStwzk8pGt
Wolves boss Rob Edwards speaks to TNT Sports. “It’s really important … I wouldn’t want to say this is our stronger team, we have a really tight-knit group now … really good options … we wanted to try to win both games … we picked a team on Tuesday night to try to do that and we’ve done that again tonight … we’re expecting a little bit more aggression from Liverpool … to really come at us … we’ve got real speed on the outside … [Liverpool] are going to want to prove a point tonight … we have to be right back at it … I don’t see them changing loads tactically … we feel we’ve got a good plan … we can enjoy it … [the fans] deserve something to shout about.”
Wolves make six changes to the side named for the Premier League match on Tuesday night, and go big. Sam Johnstone, Angel Gomes, Jean‐Ricner Bellegarde, Tolu Arokodare, Yerson Mosquera and captain Toti Gomes are in. José Sá, Matt Doherty, Ladislav Krejčí, David Møller Wolfe, Adam Armstrong and André are out, with all bar Sá and André on tonight’s bench.
Liverpool also name a strong side, with four changes to their starting XI. Joe Gomez, Andy Robertson, Curtis Jones and 17-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha are in; Ibrahima Konaté, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong drop to the bench. Florian Wirtz returns from injury to take a place in the dugout alongside them.
The teams
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Johnstone, Mosquera, Santiago Bueno, Toti Gomes, Tchatchoua, Bellegarde, Angel Gomes, Joao Gomes, Hugo Bueno, Arokodare, Mane.
Subs: Bentley, Doherty, Wolfe, Armstrong, Hwang, Pedro Lima, Rodrigo Gomes, Krejci, Edozie.
Liverpool: Alisson, Jones, Gomez, van Dijk, Robertson, Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Salah, Gakpo, Ngumoha.
Subs: Mamardashvili, Konate, Kerkez, Wirtz, Chiesa, Ekitike, Frimpong, Nyoni, Morrison.
Referee: Farai Hallam (Surrey)
Preamble
Some of you may be old enough to remember this …
… which puts Arne Slot and his team, several of whom appear to be running on fumes, under all sorts of pressure tonight. Wolverhampton Wanderers, in form yet unencumbered by expectation, were dangerous on Tuesday and could be again tonight. A place in the quarter-finals is the prize; the teamsheets – given Wolves haven’t quite given up on a Great Escape just yet, while Liverpool struggle to keep all of their plates spinning - will be interesting and possibly extremely revealing. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!
