Liverpool and Wolves have drawn 2-2 in the third round of the FA Cup. Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez were on target but holders Liverpool will face a third-round replay after substitute Hwang Hee-Chan secured a 2-2 draw for Wolves at Anfield.
The hosts handed a debut to new signing Cody Gakpo and he was lively early on with a low shot Matija Sarkic easily dealt with.
Wolves grew in belief as the half developed and took the lead in comical fashion when Alisson inexplicably passed the ball straight to Goncalo Guedes, who had the simple task of rolling the ball into the Kop end net on 26 minutes.
Liverpool toiled in response but levelled just prior to the interval when Nunez produced a brilliant first-time volley to finish off Trent Alexander Arnold’s sublime, diagonal pass.
The Reds then enjoyed a piece of fortune on 52 minutes when an error from Toti as he tried to defend Gakpo’s pass, allowed Salah – who had initially been in an offside position – the freedom of the area to take the ball down and calmly fire into the corner.
Wolves continued to threaten on the break and levelled on 66 minutes when substitutes Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-Chan combined for the latter to bundle the ball home.
The visitors thought they had won it nine minutes from time when Toti flicked home Hwang’s cross-shot but after a lengthy VAR check the goal was controversially ruled out.
Next up, Wolves travel to Nottingham Forest on Wednesday for their EFL Cup quarter final tie. Liverpool visit Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday.
It was another disjointed display from the Merseysiders that will once again leave Kopites with brows furrowed.
Gakpo showed signs of promise on his debut and had a hand in Salah’s goal but the overall collective performance was way off the high standards this team set last season.
Once more they fell behind and needed a moment of inspiration to drag them level. On another day, they would have seen their defence of the cup end at the first hurdle as Wolves felt Toti’s goal late on should have stood. It is hard to see what was actually wrong with it from the replays shown and Julen Lopetegui could not hide his fury at the time.
The Spanish coach has made a real impact since arriving at Wolves and will be confident his side can have a real go at finishing the job in a replay neither club will want.
Wolves’ Ruben Neves, the player of the match, was instrumental at the heart of the midfield. The visitors produced some excellent football on the counter attack.
Both sides benefitted from some shabby defending by their opponent, but you can hardly say Wolves didn’t deserve a draw today.
They bettered Liverpool in several attacking stats, including expected goals (1.14 to 1.13), shots (11 to 10), and shots on target (five to three).
