Harvey’s rocket gives Reds lift-off

Klopp’s relief as Liverpool look like their old selves

JURGEN KLOPP must have thought it was symbolic. After just 20 seconds, the lights went out around Molineux and plenty thought Liverpool would do the same in the FA Cup.

From the darkness, however, Klopp saw his team power back into the light with a performance full of their old characteristics. A glorious strike from Harvey Elliott means they can defend this trophy for another round but there was something even better in it all for Liverpool’s manager.

It would be a nonsense to suggest, suddenly, electricity was surging through this team (unlike the Molineux generators) but here was a base to build from, formed with lots of running, tackling and some old-fashioned graft.

How Wolves will rue the way these two fixtures have panned out — they were most unfortunate not to win the initial meeting on Merseyside — but Klopp won’t give it another thought, as

Liverpool won a cup tie here for the first time since 1923.

The last three days have felt like 100 years for Klopp, who was aghast by what he witnessed at Brighton last Saturday. Fate has handed them a chance to atone for that calamity in the next round. Perhaps they are awakening from their winter slumber.

Molineux will always hold a special place in Elliott’s affections as it was here as a 16-year-old, in May 2019, he became the Premier League’s then-youngest player. Images of that day are in the family album and, in the 13th minute, there was another moment that needed preserving for posterity.

Everything started from a Wolves attack that broke down when Rayan Ait-Nouri tangled with Joe Gomez. The hosts felt Gomez used an arm but no infringement was spotted and, in a flash, Liverpool played their way out of trouble.

Kostas Tsimikas fizzed a pass into Thiago Alcantara, who majestically cushioned the ball and opened the pitch up with a body swerve. Thiago could find space in an overcrowded phone box but his contribution in finding Elliott was not the most eye-catching.

Taking possession 10 yards inside in his own half, Elliott scuttled forward with the ball glued to his foot. The further he went, it was clear there was only one thought on his mind — nudge, nudge, nudge, then whack! Jose Sa was beaten all ends up from 30 yards.

Liverpool needed a start of this nature and you could visibly see confidence returning.

If their energy going forward was good — so much better than it had been — what really captivated Klopp was the fact that his players were tackling again. When Carvalho hurtled towards Dexter Lembikisa and forced a throw-in, you could hear Klopp roaring his delight from 50 yards away.

Wolves had made one fewer change (seven) than Liverpool and really did look like a team that had been thrown together and other than a brief flurry in the early exchanges, they couldn’t impose themselves.

Little wonder, then, that Lopetegui was an arm-waving, eyes-blazing, figure of fury. This was lightyears away from what they had done at Anfield and Klopp’s only grumble at the interval was that his team did not have matters wrapped up.

Only a linesman’s flag prevented Carvalho from putting the gloss on another slick move, with the young Portuguese failing by a fraction to time his run correctly.

There was no way Lopetegui was going to allow the inertia to continue and he made two changes at the break — Lembikisa, you suspected, was especially relieved to escape the torment — but it didn’t make any discernible difference to the overall pattern.

Matheus Nunes, one of the changes, did at least try to provide more aggression and one tackle, under the nose of Klopp, felt significant. Liverpool are interested in this young Portuguese and made an enquiry about signing him last summer. They may try to do so again this year.

That topic is something for the future but the present is what concerns Klopp and, perhaps for the first time since the World Cup break, it felt like his team were in control, unfazed about anything that was thrown at them.

You could see how serious Klopp was taking this when he introduced Mohamed Salah — and promptly made him captain — midway through the second half.

What’s more, their attitude could not be questioned. Ibrahima

Konate and Gomez, for instance, had excellent games, a sentiment that also applied to Stefan Bajcetic, the 18-year- old who plays with a maturity beyond his age group.

Try as Wolves did to pilfer an equaliser, they ran out of ideas. Klopp will simply hope Liverpool are running into form.