Liverpool put in a professional performance to cruise to a 3-1 win over Wolves in the FA Cup on Friday, and while it has been said plenty of times throughout his second season in charge, Arne Slot will have learnt a lot about what he must do to avoid receiving his marching orders from his side’s trip to Molineux. It looked set to be another sluggish night of football for the reigning Premier Leaguechampions when they went into half-time goalless. But with a vengeance from their late 2-1 defeat to the same opposition just three days prior in the league, Andrew Robertson opened the scoring in the 51st minute and then quickly became the architect for the second when his cross was turned in by Mohamed Salah just two minutes later. Curtis Jones finished off a near-perfect night with a stunning strike from outside the box with 16 minutes to spare, before Wolves pulled a late consolation. Slot and co. threw their hat into the ring for the quarter-final draw on Monday night. More importantly, however, the win may have shown the manager how he can continue to steady the ship after last season’s league title raised expectations – which have often put his position under the microscope once the honeymoon period ended. Three Things Slot Learnt After Liverpool’s FA Cup Fifth Round Win 1. Left-hand side fixed by Rio Ngumoha & Andy Robertson Following the departure of Luis Diaz in the summer – which saw Slot’s dependence on Cody Gakpo grow exponentially – Liverpool’s left-hand side has looked markedly weaker this term. Those issues were further compounded by the accelerated introduction of Milos Kerkez into the first team, but Andrew Robertson – with a goal and an assist under the floodlights – proved he still has plenty left to give the Reds. What’s more, 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha delivered his best audition yet after being entrusted with a rare start, winning a Man of the Match award. His unpredictable attacking style – defenders never knowing whether he will take the ball wide, drop deep, or cut inside – is a refreshing sight for those who had begun to realise that his senior counterpart, Gakpo, was becoming far too readable. Going forward, it will be increasingly difficult for Slot to keep overlooking the duo. 2. Joe Gomez can be trusted at centre-back Used predominantly at right-back this season, and under strict restrictions given his injury-prone history, Joe Gomez has failed to provide Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk with any real competition for their spots in the heart of defence. But with the Englishman now fully fit for a month, having only missed six games through setbacks since September, Slot can likely start trusting him to feature more regularly. Gomez looked solid in his centre-back berth on Friday night, and his partnership with Van Dijk can never be questioned after the duo won the Premier League title together under Jurgen Klopp in 2020. With Jeremie Frimpong back and ready to start out wide, Gomez should see his minutes in his natural position rise in the coming weeks, which should only help improve his competiitors’ performances as well. 3. Allowing the team to play with more expressive freedom Critics of Arne Slot, like the outspoken Richard Keys, had previously suggested that his more conservative playing style would eventually put the Dutchman under pressure on Merseyside. But this weekend’s performance saw the Reds revert to a more aggressive approach, with the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai switching play and seeking more direct balls over Wolves’ defence to force the issue as opposed to risk-averse yet sloppy short passages of play deep in their own half. That more expressive style quickly got the travelling Kop on board, and morale – often a forgotten art in football management – proved key in opening the floodgates. Slot must continue to look for ways to excite the crowd, and if he can pair it with an FA Cup triumph at the end of the season, murmurs of discontent around a team that can sometimes be tedious to watch will quickly dissipate. After all, he is blessed with a creative squad, especially now that Florian Wirtz is back from injury. Post navigation THE KLOPP EFFECT! “WE DID SOMETHING NEVER SEEN BEFORE” — JÜRGEN BREAKS SILENCE ON LIVERPOOL’S 3-1 MASTERCLASS REVENGE.