Two times in 4 days, Molineux stadium witnessed the decline in Mohamed Salah's form. However, both matches also showed one thing unchanged: even when he has stepped onto the other side of his career, Salah still maintains his desire to score goals. As long as his feet still put him in the right position, the Egyptian striker still knows how to put the ball into the net.
Liverpool experienced a volatile week at Wolves, but Salah - who scored in the Premier League defeat and continued to score in the FA Cup - still has important marks for himself.
The fact is that Salah did not contribute too much in other aspects, but his 254th goal for Liverpool helped the team get closer to Wembley. For a player who missed the only FA Cup final due to injury, this tournament still seems to have unfinished things for him.
However, if Liverpool won a ticket to the quarter-finals thanks to a veteran left-footed player, it was not Salah but Andy Robertson. And the most impressive winger of the match was also not the 33-year-old star, but young talent Rio Ngumoha.
Robertson reacted positively to having to accept the role of substitute this season. The Anfield legend only started five times in the Premier League, but when given a chance in the FA Cup, he immediately proved his value. The Scottish defender scored one goal and assisted one goal in just 2 minutes.
When Liverpool needed a breakthrough moment to penetrate Wolves' resilient defense, Robertson spoke up. "If talking about goals and assists, people often don't think of a full-back. But Robertson did both in just 2 minutes" - Arne Slot said.
On the left flank, Robertson and Ngumoha created an interesting combination of past and future. This duo coordinated in the play leading to Salah's goal. Ngumoha played confidently with bold handling, showing great potential in the upcoming top matches.
Slot's adjustments also worked. He made four changes in the starting lineup and two of them directly scored. Curtis Jones, after scoring in the previous round against Brighton, continued to shine with a shot from about 20m to increase the score to 3-0. Like Robertson, Jones closed the match with one goal and one assist.
For The Kop, the victory over Wolves - the team currently at the bottom of the Premier League table - means relieving pressure after a few days of defeat. Liverpool finished 11 times in the first half but could not score, before Robertson created a turning point after the break.
Salah was not outstanding for most of the match, but when the opportunity appeared, he still showed his familiar killer instinct. Initially, his goal was called offside, but VAR later confirmed that the Egyptian striker was behind the ball in Robertson's assist.
That was Salah's second goal in 2 consecutive matches after a 15-match streak of only scoring one goal. That moment almost extinguished Wolves' hopes. Hwang Hee-chan scored a late consolation goal for the home team, but the situation could not change. Liverpool could even score more when Ngumoha and Konate both had clear chances.
Young talent Ngumoha continues to impress with bold breakthroughs. Although he has not scored, he still brings a breath of fresh air to Liverpool's attack. "He needs to continue to show that every time he takes the field" - Slot said.
The Dutch captain believes that Liverpool's performance is not much different from the match a few days ago at Molineux. "Almost everything is exactly the same, only this time we scored" - he commented.
Liverpool have now reached the FA Cup quarter-finals - a tournament that may be the biggest chance for them to win titles this season. And for veteran players like Salah or Robertson, this may also be the last chance for them to touch the cup at Wembley in Merseyside red.
