Adama Traore (left) shoots in vain at the Liverpool goal.
Image: dpa
A first step out of the crisis: Liverpool FC wins the decider against Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 and advances to the fourth round of the FA Cup – their first win of the year.
Mhe first competitive win after the turn of the year at the fourth attempt, the top English soccer club FC Liverpool and his German team manager Jürgen Klopp have taken a first step out of the crisis in the FA Cup. By entering the round of the top 32 after the 1-0 (1-0) in the third round replay at Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers, the Reds also kept their chances of repeating their cup win last year.
Klopp’s team withstood the pressure after beating Wolverhampton 2-2 in the first cup duel between the defeats in the previous two league games of the new year with the second suit. After 13 minutes, Harvey Elliott ensured the hoped-for calm in the rows of last year’s Champions League finalists with the guest lead. The remarkable goal of the 19-year-old on preparatory work by ex-Munich Thiago should also mean the decision in favor of the eight-time cup winner.
In the battle for a place in the round of 16 in football’s oldest cup competition, Liverpool face another top-flight tie at Brighton & Hove Albion on January 28 (Saturday). There, the team from Anfield Road has the opportunity to make further amends: Due to the bitter 3-0 defeat at the upcoming FA Cup opponents, Liverpool fell ten points behind in the Premier League table last weekend fourth place in the Champions League in ninth place.
Not least because of this setback, Klopp rotated his team vigorously for the cup match at Wolves. From his initial formation in Brighton, only defensive ace Ibrahima Konate, Thiago and winter newcomer Cody Gakpo were again in the starting line-up on Tuesday evening. Compared to the first leg, Klopp even made nine changes to his team.
