Liverpool have lost the chance to earn, at least, one piece of silverware, following their FA Cup defeat to Wolverhampton. It’s the Reds second defeat inside a week, but is this cause for real concern for the team’s fans?
If anyone still dared think of Wolves as a second rate Premier League side, they were forced to reassess their opinion just minutes before of the start of the FA Cup clash they hosted against Liverpool. The fireworks display and the shine of the modern Molineux Stadium served as an indicator for naysayers of the club’s ambitions.
Premier League leaders Liverpool took the decision to operate a great number of changes in their starting 11 from the team that had met Manchester City less than a week ago. Gone were, most noticeably, the Reds’ attacking trident of Salah, Mane and Firmino, with Origi and Sturridge heading the offensive.
Wolves, perhaps, showed to be the more motivated of the two sides throughout. An error from Milner allowed the West Midlands team the opportunity to counterattack and score through Raul Jimenez in the 37th minute. As things stood in regards to squad personnel, the match showed two evenly matched teams, with Liverpool getting a few, but not many chances, to equalize.
Divock Origi completed a superb personnel effort, dribbling with his right foot, before sending the ball into the net with his left foot, from just outside the penalty area. It took Wolves merely minutes to respond. In the 5th minute, Ruben Neves, one of the Premier League’s best midfielders this season, calmly latched on to a pass from Vinagre, before rifling in from 30 yards out. It was a memorable goal, made even more special by the fact that it was to be the game winner.
— Wolves (@Wolves) January 8, 2019
Liverpool may have been unlucky to have been denied an equalizer late in the game when Shaqiri’s freekick hit the woodwork. Team stars, Salah and Firmino made their way unto the pitch in the dying stages, but there was little they could do to save this one.
The Reds are out of the FA Cup. While their performance was not a poor one, it did showcase the fact that, as opposed to what fans may have hoped for, their reserve bench is not as good as the main squad of a mid table team.
Wolves go through, a deserved reward for a quality season from a side newly promoted to the Premier League, that has managed to shock the top six clubs on more than one occasion.
Fans of FootballCoin and of the Premier League will need to wait until Saturday for a new free contest to be organized. Make sure you have your drafts ready to take on the challenge.
Eduard Bănulescu
