Football

Jurgen Klopp delighted with Liverpool’s performance against Wolves in the FA Cup

Jurgen Klopp delighted with Liverpool’s performance against Wolves in the FA Cup

Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, couldn’t hide his delight after he saw his side progress through to the FA Cup fourth round with a 1-0 victory over Wolves at Molineux. With Liverpool out of the Carabao Cup and out of the title race, the FA Cup is arguably their best chance at winning silverware this season. 

A first-half strike from Harvey Elliott was enough to secure victory for Liverpool after they managed to limit Wolves to very little throughout. Victory at Molineux ended a three-game winless run and gave Jurgen Klopp’s side their first win of 2023. 

With pressure building in the Premier League, perhaps the opportunity to play in a completely different competition benefitted Liverpool. Despite being far from the levels they have shown the past five years, the performance was still a step in the right direction. Afterwards, Klopp told reporters:

“It feels like ages we had that feeling of winning and playing well. We had to fight hard at the end but we controlled the game for long periods. It’s great and the reaction we wanted to see.

We had a few man-of-the-match performances today. We played a really good first half, had good periods in the second and in the end, it was just about passion to block the shots.”

elliott goal v wolves

Harvey Elliott picks up the player of the match award

19-year-old, Harvey Elliott was one of eight changes that Klopp made to his side after defeat at Brighton on Saturday and he had one of his best games yet in a Liverpool shirt. Operating on the wing, the youngster was a menace all night, perhaps spurred on by the confidence that his goal gave him in the 13th minute.

The youngster has come under criticism at times this season when playing in midfield, so perhaps the opportunity to play higher up the pitch gave him a new lease of life. After the game, the teenager said:

“I feel like I’ve been judged a bit on assists and goals, and it’s definitely something I’ve been working on. I just felt like it was the right opportunity, and thankfully it came off today. It was a big sigh of relief, to be honest because I feel like I haven’t been at my best since the World Cup.

To get the goal, it was good for my confidence, and hopefully, I can take it into the weekend now.”

Lopetegui – we deserved more

Wolves have certainly looked a better side since Julen Lopetegui took over at Molineux but it does still feel like they are missing something upfront. They found themselves in a number of promising positions in the final third but failed to carve out any real openings. 

After the game, the Wolves boss told reporters that he felt his side were a little unlucky to find themselves on the losing side:

“It’s not easy playing against Liverpool, but in my opinion, we deserved more from the second half. We had two or three clear situations – not chances but clear situations.

We’re sad of course. The most important is the Premier League but while competing in the cup we had a big will to win it.”


Subscribe to Punditfeed on Google News for all the latest updates from the world of sports!