OPINION
Liverpool were subjected to their second defeat in a row after Wolves won 2-1 to knock them out of the FA Cup on Monday night.
A goal from Raul Jimenez and a superb long-range strike from Ruben Neves means that Jurgen Klopp’s side do not progress to the fourth round of the competition this year, despite the fact that Divock Origi managed to equalise in the second half.
Klopp would have no doubt learnt a lot about his team following this loss, and he will be thinking of how they can improve before they travel down to the Amex to face Brighton on Saturday.
Here, Live 4 Liverpool has rounded up the three things learnt about the loss v Wolves:
Hoever is a star in the making
Ki-Jana Hoever – at the mere age of just 16-years-old – was thrust into this game in the sixth minute after Dejan Lovren came off injured, and he really had a debut to be proud of. Despite the fact he was not able to help push his team over the line, the way he handled the pressure of his first game in a Reds shirt was incredibly impressive. He may not be in Klopp’s thoughts for a regular first team role just yet, but watch this space – as the youngster is definitely a star in the making.
Origi needs to be sold imminently
You can definitely see why Klopp prefers to play Roberto Firmino or Mo Salah up front on a regular basis – Divock Origi was absolutely woeful. Apart from his goal, he had zero impact on anything Liverpool did and he failed to have any sort of link-up play with fellow striker Daniel Sturridge. Klopp must ensure that the £28,000-a-week [Spotrac] liability is sold as soon as possible this month, as he is just painful to watch at times.
Milner did not look himself
James Milner did not look like the usual Mr Reliable in this performance. His mistakes were completely out of nature for him – especially the error that led to Jimenez netting the home side’s first goal. The 33-year-old looked a complete shadow of the player who has been very consistent this season, and that will no doubt be a worry for Klopp ahead of their clash this weekend.
