Liverpool secured their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals with a convincing 3-1 triumph over Wolves at Molineux on Friday night.
It was the perfect response from Arne Slot’s men, who had suffered a painful stoppage-time defeat to the same opponents in the Premier League just days earlier.
The Reds dominated proceedings and were rewarded for fielding a strong side, making fewer changes than Rob Edwards opted for with his Wolves squad.
This commanding win means Liverpool will feature in Monday’s draw for the last eight, extending their impressive run to seven victories from their last nine matches.
Andy Robertson proved key to Liverpool’s victory after a fine second-half performance
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The breakthrough came shortly after half-time when Andy Robertson unleashed an absolute rocket from the edge of the penalty area.
The Scottish defender couldn’t have struck it any sweeter, and it proved to be the moment that finally unlocked a stubborn Wolves defence.
Robertson wasn’t finished there, though. Just moments later, he delivered a superb cross that found Mohamed Salah lurking at the far post.
The assistant referee’s flag initially went up for offside, but VAR stepped in to overturn the decision and award the goal.
It was a night where Liverpool’s experienced heads truly made the difference.
Curtis Jones made sure of the result with a fine strike to put Liverpool three up
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Curtis Jones then put the finishing touch on a brilliant team performance with a gorgeous third goal.
Teenager Rio Ngumoha was handed a start by Slot, but it was the veterans who stole the show on this occasion.
Wolves did manage to pull one back late on through Hee-Chan Hwang, though it proved nothing more than a consolation.
For the hosts, sitting bottom of the Premier League, there’s no cup run to lift spirits this season. It’s straight back to the grind of a relegation battle.
Liverpool, meanwhile, head into their Champions League clash with Galatasaray on Tuesday brimming with confidence.
Arne Slot can sleep well tonight after pressure had began to creep in
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Robertson spoke after the match and was clearly pleased with the response from his side.
“A bit more like it. We know we let ourselves down on Tuesday. Not the performance we expect from ourselves. It was up to us to go and put it right. The FA Cup is do or die,” he said.
On his spectacular strike, he added: “Couldn’t have hit it much better! It opened up and, thankfully, I hit it clean. We are delighted to get through now.”
Looking ahead, Robertson emphasised Liverpool’s ambitions: “We are trying to fight on all fronts. We are still in two cup competitions. If we play like we did tonight, then nobody wants to play against us.”
