Liverpool ease past Wolves into FA Cup quarter-finals

Liverpool booked their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Friday night.

The Reds arrived looking to avoid a repeat of Tuesday’s Premier League meeting where Wolves dealt a heavy blow to Liverpool’s top-four hopes with a surprise 2-1 win.

Head coach Arne Slot fielded a much-changed side, leaving out regular starters Hugo Ekitike, Ibrahima Konate, and Milos Kerkez.

In their place came youngster Rio Ngumoha alongside club stalwarts Andrew Robertson and Joe Gomez.

The first half went much the same way as Tuesday’s encounter, with Liverpool dominating possession and pinning Wolves deep in their own half, but struggling to create clear-cut chances against their low block defence.

But after the break, Liverpool turned the screw to take the game away from the hosts.

Goals from Robertson, Mohamed Salah, and Curtis Jones ensured the visitors left Molineux with the victory, despite a late consolation from Hwang Hee-chan in stoppage time.

Progression into the latter stages of the FA Cup offers encouragement for Slot’s side, keeping them firmly in the hunt for silverware after a season of disappointments .

Ngumoha offers glimpse of special talent

Arguably, no player enjoyed a better night on the pitch than young winger Ngumoha.

The 17-year-old announced himself in spectacular fashion earlier in the season when he scored a dramatic late winner against Newcastle United to seal a 3-2 victory for the Reds at St James’ Park.

Since then, Slot has been selective in his use of the teenager, often subbing him on to see out the closing minutes of matches.

His involvement has increased in recent weeks however, and Friday’s match marked his longest appearance in a Liverpool shirt so far, playing 69 minutes and standing out amongst his more senior teammates.

He entered the Wolves penalty area nine times, create a key chance, completed three dribbles and registered two shots on target all night in a seriously impressive performance.

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Robertson lauds impressive Ngumoha

After the game vice-captain Andrew Robertson was quick to heap praise upon the player.

“His decision-making was so good for a 17-year-old,” said the Scotland international.

“Sometimes he wants to take the whole team on and it’s not the right time, but I thought tonight he made pretty much every right decision.”

“I just think today he really came of age. He’s got everything in his toolbox to go and have such a special career and he’s already showing that.”

Ngumoha’s performance demonstrated that he can compete against Premier League-level opposition over a sustained period, a question mark that had been levied toward the youngster.

While he is not going to be become an automatic starter and is likely to continue seeing his minutes carefully managed, he now offers Slot a reliable attacking option as Liverpool enter the final stretch of the season competing in multiple competitions.

Ngumoha is still developing physically and will sometimes struggle to influence games as a result, as is natural for young footballer.

Nevertheless, all the signs suggest that Liverpool have a special talent on their books as they head into a post-Salah world.

FA Cup quarter-final beckons for Reds

Liverpool will now await their opponent in the FA Cup quarter-final.

This season’s campaign is their deepest run in the competition since the 2023/24 season, when they were eliminated in dramatic fashion by Manchester United in a thrilling 4-3 defeat away at Old Trafford – a win which ultimately propelled United toward FA Cup glory that season.

The FA Cup quarter-final draw is set to take place on Monday the 9th of March ahead of the concluding fixture of the weekend.

There will be little time to dwell on the outcome, however, as Liverpool travel to Rams Park to face Galatasaray on Tuesday in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League.

Slot’s side will be seeking revenge after suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to the Turkish club during the league phase.

Victory over the two legs will set up an exciting meeting in the quarter-final with either Chelsea or last season’s winners Paris Saint-Germain.

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