Mo Salah scores again as Liverpool strike back against Wolves in FA Cup win - 5 talking points
A second half flurry helped Liverpool avenge their shock Premier League defeat at Wolves in midweek by dumping Rob Edwards' men out of the FA Cup with a 3-1 away win.
Three days ago, Molineux was treated to a late, late show from Wolves, who defended admirably before stunning the champions with a late one-two, turning the table on its head.
This time it was Liverpool who struck two decisive blows in a matter of minutes. A corker from Andy Robertson nudged the Reds in front six minutes after the restart. And the veteran full-back teed up Mohamed Salah just 95 seconds later after VAR intervened to rule out an on-field offside decision.
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Curtis Jones notched a fine third to kill the game off midway through the second half to cap a much better evening for Arne Slot's men, even though Hwang Hee-Chan netted a consolation to deny them a clean sheet in stoppage time. Here are
An FA Cup quarter-final spot was the prize on offer three days after Wolves pinched all the points when these two met in the Premier League. And it was a case of revenge rather than repeat for the Reds.
After a first half that wasn't much better than the dour offering Liverpool served up in midweek, they burst into life early in the second. Robertson found the bottom corner with a superb strike after decent work from Salah on the counter-attack. And they swapped roles four minutes later to strengthen Liverpool's grip on the game, the rampaging Robertson putting the ball on a plate for Salah to finish emphatically at the far post.
The result never felt in doubt after that - and so it proved.
2) Liverpool keep cup dream aliveWe already know Liverpool will not be ending the season as champions again. But they knew they could still end the season with a trophy or two, depending on results here and against Galatasaray over the next week-and-a-half or so.
This win here keeps Liverpool alive in the FA Cup and winning the most famous cup competition in the world, along with finishing in the top-four, would salvage what has been a difficult second campaign for Slot. Thankfully for Liverpool, there is still plenty to play for.
After scoring his first Premier League goal since the start of November against Wolves in midweek, Salah was back on the scoresheet here. And while this wasn't the type of swashbuckling, deadly performance we've been treated to on a weekly basis in recent years from Liverpool's main man, there were more encouraging signs.
Nobody bar Rio Ngumoha really stood out in an attacking sense in the first half for Liverpool but Salah was involved in the first goal and was in the right place to net their second, too.
With Liverpool in a fight for a top-four finish, they need their talisman back firing on all cyclinders. Another goal certainly won't hurt on that front.
4) Ngumoha stands outAs far as bright sparks go for Liverpool, it's hard to look past Ngumoha. The prodigious attacker looked by the far the most likely player in a red shirt to make something happen for large parts of the game, outdoing Cody Gakpo and Salah in the first half.
At the age of just 17, Ngumoha's end product will fluctuate and there were moments where the final moment didn't quite match the fancy footwork which wouldn't look out of place on a Saturday night on the BBC, but he made things happen - even when he was doubled up on at times with Wolves' back five.
It's clear to see why fans are desperate to see more and more of the talented teenager. And while nobody will want to put too much on the young man's shoulders too soon, Cody Gakpo's less than stellar form on the left prong of Liverpool's attack could mean we see more and more of Ngumoha before the end of the season...
This result shouldn't dampen the mood at Molineux after Tuesday night's stunning win - even if it may ultimately come too late to preserve their Premier League status.
Going deeper into the FA Cup would have been a welcome distraction for the trials and tribulations of a relegation fight, in some ways. But then again, you could also argue that a cup run is a distraction if there is even the slightest chance Wolves could stay up.
I'm on the fence on that one. What I'm not on the fence about is that they are finally moving in the right direction after a season to forget - even if any loss will sting.