Wolverhampton, January 18 (BNA): A powerful shot from Harvey Elliott was enough to give FA Cup holders Liverpool a 1-0 win away at Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round replay on Tuesday.
Elliott, the teenage midfielder, moved forward with plenty of space to counter him and unleashed a powerful strike past Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa in the 13th minute, Reuters reports.
Wolves were passive for most of the first half before building into the game after the break but Liverpool’s defense kept them at bay for a first win in four matches in all competitions.
The result set up a fourth-round confrontation away from home at Brighton & Hove Albion, where coach Juergen Klopp’s team was crushed 3-0 in the English Premier League on Saturday.
West Bromwich Albion joined Liverpool in the fourth round by beating Chesterfield 4-0 at home, Birmingham City came from behind to beat Forest Green Rovers 2-1 and Luton Town beat Wigan Athletic 2-1. Bristol City beat Swansea City, winning 2–1 away after extra time.
Elliott, the winner of the match, said he was encouraged by team mate James Milner to let him fly off the distance.
He told BBC Sport: “Millie (Milner) was yelling ‘shoot’ too, so I had to. Maybe he can encourage me more to shoot because it sure worked.”
“I’ve been judged a little bit on my passes and goals and that’s something I’ve been working on and launched today.”
The match lacked the entertainment and drama of the last meeting between the two teams at Anfield, which ended 2-2 and left Wolverhampton angry after a late goal was ruled out for offside.
Wolverhampton manager Julen Lopetegui had his attacking artillery in the second half in search of an equalizer and Brazilian striker Matheus Cunha had his best chance when he won a free-kick into the area but couldn’t get enough power to trouble Liverpool goalkeeper Kawemehen Kelleher.
Liverpool coach Klopp made eight changes to the team, which Brighton excelled in what the German coach described as the worst match he could remember during his eight years with the Merseyside club.
They weren’t exactly emphatic but dominated the game and recorded their first win of 2023 while recording their first clean sheet in eight games.
Klopp said: “We feel that from a long time ago we had the feeling of winning and playing well. We had to fight hard in the end that we controlled for long periods. It’s a wonderful thing and the reaction we wanted to see.”