Liverpool and Wolves will play an FA Cup replay at Molineux after a thrilling 2-2 draw that saw both the brilliant and the bizarre at Anfield.
Let’s start with the brilliant. Darwin Nunez equalised with a simply magnificent finish on the volley to silence any doubters that have criticised his finishing ability in recent weeks. His combination play with debutant Cody Gakpo and scorer of the second Mo Salah made for an entertaining game and gave Reds’ fans a glimpse of what is to come this season.
Trent Alexander-Arnold put in a wonderful ball to the back post and Nunez finished magnificently with a left-footed volley to get his side back on level terms. For a man whose finishing has been constantly under the microscope this season, this one wasn't half bad as he guided the ball home past Matija Sarkic.
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Then the bizarre - first from the Liverpool goalkeeper, who had a complete nightmare with the opener. Thiago had lost the ball on the edge of his own box but Liverpool looked like they’d got away with it when the ball came to Alisson’s feet. However, the goalkeeper took leave of his senses and passed the ball straight to Goncalo Guedes, who put the ball into an empty net to give the away side a 1-0 lead.
If that craziness wasn’t enough for one night, VAR got involved with two crucial decisions that stirred debate. First, it allowed Salah’s goal to stand to put Liverpool 2-1 up. Gakpo impressed on the ball, and played a great ball towards Salah to finish, and even though it looked like the Egyptian had strayed offside, the goal was given due to a touch by Toti that diverted the ball into his path. By the law of the game he was onside, but the defender only went to head the ball because the Liverpool man was there. Had he known he was offside, he wouldn’t have bothered going for it.
However, once he got the ball, Salah showed great composure to finish, and the combination of Nunez, Gakpo and Salah is certainly something that can excite Liverpool fans. At Anfield, they were treated to some wonderful passing moves between the forwards, although that defensive insecurity still lingers.
Rayan Ait-Nouri had a great chance, but fired his effort straight at the Brazilian goalkeeper but soon the visitors were level. They worked the ball nicely down the left-hand side and Hwang-Hee Chan played the ball into Matheus Cunha, who cut the ball back to the Korean and he found the finish, through, rather than past, Alisson.
Wolves looked like a different team when Matheus got on the ball. They were forced to defend, but the man from Atletico Madrid was stunning in possession and tore the Liverpool midfield apart. The difference in class between his use of the ball and the Reds on the night was staggering and then came the final moment of VAR drama.
Toti thought he had scored the winner, and took his shirt off in front of the away end as he flicked the ball in, but he was left desolate on the floor as the linesman’s flag was raised. After a VAR check and without a definitive angle, the on-field decision was upheld, but it still felt like a narrow decision that took a wonderful FA Cup finish away from both the Wolves’ fans and the neutrals watching on TV.
In the end, Jurgen Klopp was forced to settle for the thing he hates the most. An FA Cup replay. “I’m in favour of scrapping FA Cup replays,” he has said in the past. “The lifelines for small clubs cannot be massive problems for clubs who play every three days.”
But the German manager should count himself lucky that his side are still in this competition, after a crazy night at Anfield.
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