Jurgen Klopp praised Liverpool for their "reaction" after defeating Wolves 1-0 in an FA Cup third-round replay at Molineux on Tuesday night.
Liverpool entered the tie, having drawn the initial match 2-2, following a comprehensive 3-0 Premier League defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion. Harvey Elliott's fine 13th-minute strike settled the tie to keep Liverpool's FA Cup title defence alive. Incidentally, the Reds face Brighton at the Amex Stadium in the fourth round later this month.
"I think everybody who is with us got that reaction; it was the reaction we needed to show," Liverpool manager Klopp said. "We were compact, we were together, we had really good challenges, won challenges when we lost the ball and we played really good football in moments."
A sublime strike from Elliott, who collected the ball inside his own half and drove up the pitch before unleashing a looping, long-range effort beyond goalkeeper Jose Sa, proved the difference and Klopp was unsurprisingly impressed with the match-winning goal.
"We scored an exceptional goal where Harvey saw something that I think not a lot of people in the stadium would have seen," he said. "If I was a goalie, I wouldn’t have expected a shot in that moment.
"It was a top goal, but apart from that the game was much better, completely different to the last one obviously and I am really happy with that," Klopp added. "All the individual performances were good and we were really together wherever we were.
Wolves v Liverpool player ratings
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WOLVES RATINGS: Jose Sa 5 - Out of position for Harvey Elliott’s winner that flashed over him. Reuters -
Jonny Otto 6 - Defended well for the most part against Harvey Elliott and tried to get forward. AP -
Toti Gomes 7 - Alert in second half and quick to react to the danger when chances developed. Getty -
Nathan Collins 7 - Outside of some poor moments in possession, defended well against Liverpool’s front three. Getty -
Dexter Lembikisa 6 - Started the game brightly but faded. Replaced at the break by Nelson Semedo. Getty -
Joseph Hodge 5 - Struggled to make much of an impact and wasn’t able to help link the play better. Brought off for Matheus Nunes at half-time. Reuters -
Ruben Neves 5 - Ruben Neves wasn’t at his best and was too slow on the ball. His best chance came from a set-piece, but was going over the bar despite a touch from the Liverpool goalkeeper. Reuters -
Rayan Ait-Nouri 6 - Looked dangerous and always tried to make things happen with direct running, but could have been helped more by his teammates. Getty -
Joao Moutinho 5 - Looked to play higher in the second half to support Raul Jimenez, but was inconsistent with his decision making. Getty -
Adama Traore 5 - Enjoyed a bright opening five minutes but quietened down until the end. Final ball was poor when he did get space to put a delivery into the box. AFP -
Raul Jimenez 5 - Didn’t make enough runs for his team, and was often drawn out wide rather than holding his position centrally. Should have done better with his header late on before he gave Joe Gomez the chance to intervene. Getty -
SUBS: Nelson Semedo (Limbikisa, 45) 6 - Looked dangerous and linked well with Adama Traore down the right-flank. Final ball could have been better. EPA -
Matheus Nunes (Hodge, 45) - Aggressive in challenge and won the ball back in promising areas. PA -
Matheus Cunha (Otto, 64) 6 - Smashed an effort over the bar when inside the box late on. Provide an injection of energy into the side. Daniel Podence (Moutinho, 64) 5 - Didn’t trouble Joe Gomez. Getty -
Diego Costa (Jimenez, 84) - On for the final minutes but didn’t get a chance to make his mark. EPA -
LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Caoimhin Kelleher 6 - Didn’t have much to do with his side defending well, though he did get a fingertip to a dangerous free-kick from Ruben Neves. EPA -
Kostas Tsimkas 6 - Endured a tough battle against Adama Traore but proved his worth. Got forward when the opportunity presented itself. Reuters -
Ibrahima Konate 7 - Won his duels and kept Raul Jimenez quiet. Reuters -
Joe Gomez 7 - An excellent display from Joe Gomez and equally as good when switched to right-back. Getty -
James Milner 6 - Worked hard on the right-flank when creating options, and also defended well. Getty -
Stefan Bajcetic 8 - What a great performance from the 18-year-old. Put down a real marker for the future. PA -
Thiago 8 - Involved in all of Liverpool’s best moments and contributed across the pitch. The orchestrator of the midfield. AP -
Naby Keita 7 - Pressed aggressively and made a number of important defensive interventions. A display that could see him start more frequently. Action Images -
Fabio Carvalho 6 - Kept the ball well and transitioned it forwards. Had the ball in the back of the net but was clearly offside. AP -
Cody Gakpo 6 - A promising display in which the Netherlands international held the ball up well and was difficult to pick up. Sometimes could have passed instead of shooting. AP -
Harvey Elliott 8 - His goal proved to be the difference. A wonderful strike. EPA -
SUBS: Mohamed Salah (Gakpo, 65) 6 - Led the line well, but didn’t get any opportunities. Reuters -
Curtis Jones (Carvalho, 66) 6 - Had a chance late on but struck it across the goal and off-target. Kept things simple in possession. PA -
Nat Phillips (Milner, 66”) 6 - Positioned himself well. Unlucky to give away a dangerous free-kick with little contact on Matheus Cunha. Getty -
Fabinho (Bajcetic, 75”) - N/A. AP -
Ben Doak (Thiago, 75”) - N/A. Linked well with Joe Gomez. AFP
"We won the ball higher up the pitch, we won it in the midfield and it was good. I said to the boys after the game that’s how it feels when you play well and win. We can't remember it really anymore when that was the case, but tonight it was the case and we are quite happy."
Teenage midfielder Stefan Bajcetic made his first start for Liverpool, and Klopp was pleased with the 18-year-old's display.
"Good player, very smart in his movements," he said. "Especially the younger you are, the more important it is that you have a good start in the game. He had a few situations where I am not sure he saw there was space or he just hoped there was space when he turned – and there was actually space.
"He did really well, but what helps really is that he wins these challenges. The last few steps before he has to block the ball, that's really good."
Klopp said he had no concerns about facing Brighton again, so soon after the heavy league defeat which dealt a fresh setback to Liverpool's hopes of finishing in the top four and qualifying for next season's Champions League.
"No problem. We come to Wolves again pretty quickly as well. That's football, no problem," he said. "We wanted to go to the next round and we knew already Brighton were the opponent, so no problem."
