Liverpool booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Emirates FA Cup with a convincing 3-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Friday night.
Goals from Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones secured the win for the Reds, while substitute Hee Chan Hwang scored a late consolation for the hosts in added time.
Liverpool dominated possession from the opening stages and created several opportunities but were unable to break the deadlock in the first half. Cody Gakpo came closest when he headed a Ryan Gravenberch cross against the inside of the post, though the effort was ruled out for offside.
Alexis Mac Allister and Rio Ngumoha also tested Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, while Gravenberch saw multiple attempts blocked or deflected wide as the visitors piled on the pressure.
The breakthrough finally arrived eight minutes after the restart. Following a quick Liverpool counterattack, Curtis Jones found Robertson on the edge of the area and the full-back rifled a powerful shot into the bottom-right corner to put the visitors ahead.
Liverpool doubled their advantage just two minutes later. Robertson again played a key role, delivering a low cross to the back post where Salah finished emphatically. The goal was initially ruled out for offside but was awarded after a VAR review confirmed the Egyptian forward was behind the ball when the cross was delivered.
Wolves briefly threatened a response when Jean-Ricner Bellegarde forced Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker into his first save of the match with a dipping strike.
However, Liverpool remained in control and added a third goal in the 74th minute. Jones surged forward from midfield before calmly placing a shot into the bottom corner to effectively seal Liverpool’s passage into the last eight.
The visitors nearly extended their lead further through substitutes Jeremie Frimpong and Ibrahima Konate, but Johnstone produced important saves to keep the scoreline down.
Wolves managed a late consolation in the first minute of stoppage time when Hwang latched onto a long ball and lifted his finish past Alisson, but it proved little more than a footnote as Liverpool comfortably advanced to the next round.
After the match, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot praised Robertson’s impact, highlighting the full-back’s goal and assist as key moments in the victory while also expressing satisfaction with Salah continuing his scoring form and the return of several squad players as the season enters its final stretch.
