Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers will meet again in an FA Cup third-round replay, with the two sides playing out a 2-2 draw at Anfield on Saturday night.
Darwin Nunez cancelled out an opener from Goncalo Guedes to leave the two teams level at the interval, before Mohamed Salah sent Liverpool ahead early in the second period.
Wolves made it 2-2 in the 67th minute through Hwang Hee-chan, though, and the 26-year-old’s effort proved to be the last of the scoring, meaning that the two Premier League sides will lock horns in a replay at Molineux to determine which team progresses to the fourth round.
Liverpool had two chances to register inside the opening five minutes, with Salah lifting a free kick just over the crossbar before the debutant Cody Gakpo struck into the body of Matija Sarkic moments later.
The home side’s early domination was not a surprise considering that Jurgen Klopp had sent a strong XI onto the field, while Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui had made wholesale changes to his side.
A mistake from Joel Matip saw Wolves have their first opportunity in the 14th minute, but Guedes, who had closed down the centre-back, could not convert from a tight angle.
Wolves did take the lead in the 26th minute, though, and it was a terrible mistake from Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who played the ball straight to Guedes following a back pass, and the forward simply could not miss from close range.
The visitors had an opportunity to double their lead in the 40th minute when Adama Traore broke into a wide position before flashing a cross towards Raul Jimenez, but the Mexican could not make contact.
Liverpool managed to level the scores in the closing stages of the first half, though, with Nunez’s careful volley from a deep Trent Alexander-Arnold cross finding the back of the net, and the two teams headed down the tunnel at 1-1 after an open first half of action.
Klopp’s side managed to take the lead in the 52nd minute of the match when Mohamed Salah collected a loose header from Toti inside the Wolves box before finishing into the bottom corner.
Salah was standing in an offside position, but the backwards header meant that the goal could stand despite it being controversial.
Wolves were not discouraged, though, and levelled in the 66th minute of the contest when Hwang managed to squeeze the ball past Alisson from inside the box after meeting a cross from recent arrival Matheus Cunha.
Alexander-Arnold missed the crossbar with a long-range effort in the 74th minute, but Wolves were so dangerous on the break due to the pace of Traore and Hwang in the forward areas.
Cunha had a shot deflected wide of the Liverpool post in the 80th minute, before Toti had the ball in the back of the home side’s net minutes later courtesy of a clever flick, but it was disallowed following a lengthy VAR check, with Matheus Nunes the player offside despite some confusion.
Liverpool were the team pushing for a winner in the latter stages, and Ben Doak fired one just over the Wolves crossbar in the 89th minute.
Wolves also had a couple of late counter-attacks, but neither side could find the back of the net, meaning that they will meet again in a replay to determine which
team progresses in the competition.
Next up for Liverpool is a Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion on January 14, while Wolves will face Nottingham Forest in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup on January 11. – Reuters
Some FA Cup results
Crystal Palace 1-2 Southampton
Gillingham 0-1 Leicester City
Preston North End 3-1 Hud dersfield
Reading 2-0 Watford
Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Ports mouth
Blackpool 4-1 Nottingham Forest
Boreham Wood 1-1 Accrington Stanley
Bournemouth 2-4 Burnley
Chesterfield 3-3 West Brom wich Albion
Fleetwood Town 2-1 Queens Park Rangers
Hull City 0-2 Fulham
Ipswich Town 4-1 Rotherham United
Middlesbrough 1-5 Brighton
and Hove Albion
Millwall 0-2 Sheffield United
Shrewsbury Town 1-2 Sunder land
Brentford 0-1 West Ham United
Coventry City 3-4 Wrexham
Grimsby Town 1-0 Burton Albion
Luton Town 1-1 Wigan Athletic
Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 New castle United
Liverpool 2-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Man United 3-1 Everton
