The Liverpool left-back was excellent in the win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday, and two BBC pundits claimed Robertson deserves to be playing more regularly

10:52, 07 Mar 2026Updated 10:52, 07 Mar 2026

Danny Murphy claimed Andy Robertson will be "fuming" with his lack of game time this season

Danny Murphy believes Andy Robertson will be “fuming” that Arne Slot has allocated him so little playing time this season.

The left-back has been relegated to second choice behind new arrival Milos Kerkez in the pecking order, with Robertson starting less than half the number of games as the Hungarian. But the 31-year-old has been typically reliable when called into action, as was highlighted by his impressive display in Friday’s FA Cup win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Scotland captain scored the game’s opening goal when he unleashed a powerful strike from outside the box, before his excellent cross picked out Mohamed Salah at the back post for the game’s second goal.

READ MORE: Arne Slot praises key Andy Robertson characteristic after Wolves heroicsREAD MORE: What Andy Robertson told Rio Ngumoha before Liverpool win over Wolves

Robertson’s performance earned praise from Slot, who said the former Hull City man had “given his everything for the club” since his arrival.

In what increasingly looks like his final season at Liverpool, with his contract set to expire this summer, Robertson has handled himself impeccably. Even after the FA Cup win at Molineux, the experienced defender claimed he had to “accept” his current situation, adding that Kerkez is a “fantastic left-back”.

But Murphy feels Robertson should have been given more playing opportunities this season.

Robertson netted the opening goal of the game against Wolves

“Deep down he’ll be absolutely fuming because he’s deserved to play more,” the former Liverpool midfielder said on BBC Sport.

“I’m sure he understands competition was inevitable, but he’s been discarded more or less. He’s only played a handful of games. That performance should keep his place.”

Murphy’s fellow BBC pundit, Alan Shearer, agreed with that assessment.

“I would get the frustration, although he didn’t show it in the interview; but you can bet your bottom dollar that he will be angry and he will be hurt because he will be feeling he should be playing,” said the former Newcastle United no.9.

The pundits claimed Kerkez is fortunate to have played so much this season

“I’m not sure Kerkez has pushed him enough to be playing as much as he’s done, certainly not with the fee they paid for him.

“I thought he would’ve been better. [Robertson] is a great professional and he probably can’t say what he wants to say.”

Robertson has made no secret of his desire to play regular minutes, especially with the World Cup on the horizon.

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The Liverpool vice-captain spoke to Tottenham Hotspur regarding a possible mid-season departure, and also attracted interest from Atletico Madrid last summer. He is expected to move on at the end of the campaign, calling time on his nine-year stint at Anfield.

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The left-back scored the opening goal of the FA Cup fifth-round tie, before setting up Mohamed Salah's goal. Arne Slot praised his impact after the game, stating he can always rely on the Scotland captain

09:32, 07 Mar 2026

Arne Slot praised Andy Robertson for his reliability and passion following his impressive performance in the 3-1 FA Cup win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The left-back inspired Liverpool to victory courtesy of a goal and an assist at Molineux. Robertson proved an unlikely first goalscorer when he unleashed a powerful strike from outside he box that flew past Sam Johnstone.

The Scotland captain then teed up Mohamed Salah for a simple tap-in at the back post, with his excellent cross picking out the Egyptian. Robertson’s performance was a reminder of what he can still offer in a season that has largely seen him operate as back-up to Milos Kerkez.

READ MORE: Arne Slot issues Alexis Mac Allister injury update after Liverpool midfielder replaced vs WolvesREAD MORE: Andy Robertson makes comment on Milos Kerkez that sums up how he feels

Robertson has started 14 games this term compared to Kerkez’s 30. Yet the experienced defender has rarely let Slot down when drafted in, something the Dutchman acknowledged post-match.

“He loves the club and he loves to play in front of these fans,” Slot said after the game. “Robbo has, in the one and a half years that I'm here, he has given his everything for the club.

“I think the fans will tell me that it's not only one and a half years he did this. He did this for all the years that he's been here.

Andy Robertson scored the opening goal for Liverpool against Wolves(Image: (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images))

“Every time I need him, or the club needs him, he tries to give his best. That's again what he did tonight: not only scoring and having an assist, but I think he defended well with calm and a lot of composure on the ball.

“That's crucial because if you play against the team where the full-backs are constantly open you need in those positions [a] player who is making the right decisions, that's what Dom [Szoboszlai] and Robbo definitely did tonight.”

Robertson’s second-half strike was his first ever from outside the box in a Liverpool jersey, and even Slot admitted he was taken aback by the goal.

The opening goal against Liverpool was Robertson first from outside the box(Image: 2026 Liverpool FC)

“If you talk about a goal and an assist, the first player you think about is probably not a full-back,” he said.

“So, if he can then add that to a game where we until 91 minutes again did not concede a chance - and he's, of course, part of defending, so that's the first job of a full-back - then it's really positive.

“But the first goal he scored is not a big chance; it's a 20-yard shot, which we had a lot of three days ago - and now this one goes in after Cody [Gakpo] and Mo [Salah] did a good job in the lead-up to that goal.”

Curtis Jones added a third goal in the 74th minute, while Hwang Hee-chan grabbed a consolatory strike in injury-time.

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The 3-1 win saw Liverpool progress to the FA Cup quarter-finals and it will discover its opponent on Monday.

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The 27-year-old hobbled off the pitch following a crunching tackle from Hwang Hee-chan at Molineux, and Slot was asked for the latest in his post-match press conference

08:42, 07 Mar 2026

Arne Slot was asked for an injury update on Alexis Mac Allister after the FA Cup victory over Wolves

Arne Slot has provided a positive injury update on Alexis Mac Allister, after the midfielder was withdrawn in the latter stages of Liverpool’s FA Cup victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Mac Allister was on the receiving end of a robust challenge from Hwang Hee-chan, which ended his participation in the fifth-round tie. The Argentinian appeared to jar his knee and required prolonged on-field treatment before he was replaced by Trey Nyoni.

Mac Allister managed to walk off and took his place on the substitutes’ bench, easing worries that he had sustained a serious problem. That concern was further alleviated by Slot’s post-match comments.

READ MORE: Arne Slot praises 'special' Rio Ngumoha and explains what changed for Liverpool wingerREAD MORE: Andy Robertson makes comment on Milos Kerkez that sums up how he feels

Asked if Mac Allister was okay, the Liverpool head coach replied: “I think so, yes.”

That will be a huge relief for Slot given Mac Allister’s importance to the team. The former Brighton & Hove Albion man has missed just two games all season and will likely start against Galatasaray on Tuesday if he is fully fit.

The 27-year-old helped the Reds progress to the FA Cup quarter-finals courtesy of a 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Robertson helped guide Liverpool to FA Cup victory(Image: (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images))

After a slow first half, Andy Robertson handed Liverpool the lead via a powerful strike from outside the box.

The left-back also set up the Reds’ second when his incisive run and cross picked out Mohamed Salah at the back post for a simple tap-in.

Curtis Jones made it three in the 74th minute when he curled in a left-foot shot from outside the area. Hwang pulled one back for Wolves in injury-time, with the tie already settled.

Salah has been back among the goals of late(Image: 2026 Liverpool FC)

For Salah, he has now scored in consecutive matches, and despite another underwhelming performance, Slot said he hopes his return to goalscoring form can help instill greater confidence.

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“It's always pleasing if we score, but I think it's also important for attackers to score because if they don't score over a long time, they're maybe starting to force it or going to do different things,” said the Dutchman, when asked about Salah.

“So, the more they score, the less they are going to force it and that's why it's important for our attackers either to score or be part of the lead-up to a goal. Like I just said, Cody [Gakpo] twice played a very good role in the first two goals we scored.”

Liverpool will now keep an eye on the remaining fifth-round ties, with Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea in action this weekend. The draw for the last eight is on Monday.

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Liverpool got back to winning ways in the FA Cup, picking up a huge victory over Wolves at Molineux, with Rio Ngumoha starring heavily for the Reds in everything they did well on the night.

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22:29, 06 Mar 2026

Steven Gerrard's call on Rio Ngumoha was proven right in Liverpool's win over Wolves(Image: (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images))

Steven Gerrard was instantly proven right in his call for Arne Slot to bring Rio Ngumoha into the Liverpool starting lineup for the clash with Wolves in the FA Cup on Friday night.

The 17-year-old took the place of Hugo Ekitike in the frontline from the defeat to Wolves earlier in the week in the Premier League, taking up the left-wing role while moving Cody Gakpo centrally. Ngumoha has shown glimpses of quality in his breakout campaign at senior level, though he has largely received minutes from the bench.

The youngster had picked up 414 minutes across all competitions this season, the highlight of which was a last-minute winner over Newcastle United in the Premier League. With Liverpool's struggles in front of goal in recent weeks, there has been a growing call to bring Ngumoha into the mix to help improve the side's creativity.

READ MORE: Dominik Szoboszlai makes humiliating U-turn just days after turning heads at WolvesREAD MORE: Liverpool fans given another painful Luis Diaz reminder while watching ugly Wolves showing

Those calls have only grown louder after the Reds' frustrating defeat to Wolves in midweek, with Gerrard among those believing the England youth international deserved a chance to shine in the FA Cup against the same opposition. He said on TNT Sports in midweek: "He has to start Ngumoha now.

He continued: "He’s doing more in a small space of time than Gakpo is doing in 60 minutes."

Ngumoha was given that opportunity to shine at Molineux in the second game by starting on the left, and he took it with both hands. On the BBC's coverage, the Liverpool starlet was given the Player of the Match award by former player Stephen Warnock, who sang his praises.

Warnock said: "Rio Ngumoha. Brilliant display from him tonight. Big opportunity for him, he's taken it with both hands, given his manager Arne Slot a big decision to make on Tuesday night against Galatasaray."

Rio Ngumoha landed the Player of the Match award during Liverpool's win over Wolves in the FA Cup(Image: (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images))

The winger finished the match with four shots, two of which were on target, along with a 75% dribble success rate and three fouls won in a productive night on the left. He was consistently sharp, even if he didn't get in on the scoring that came from Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones.

It was a much-needed victory for Liverpool to not only banish the demons of Tuesday night's defeat at Molineux, but to keep their hopes of winning a trophy alive as well as regaining some form. While the first half felt like a repeat of that frustrating midweek encounter, the second half had plenty more promising signs, particularly from a creative front.

Now the pressure is on Slot to decide whether he sticks with Ngumoha starting on the left against Galatasaray next week in the Champions League, or whether he reverts to his usual left flank that contains Gakpo. However, the manager may have already put a dampener on his plans with the exciting star with his claim just last week.

He said on the growing calls for him to start: "Let’s be clear, he is a special player that will have more playing time and already has more playing time recently. If everyone thinks he is so good, then he should be in something to talk about again.

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"If he is already good enough to play for us, then he should definitely be, in your opinion. 100% (mindful over lack of under-21s football) - that is what makes it so difficult at the age of these two players (Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni) and where they are at in their development.

"(They are) good enough to come in or to play for us, to be on the bench, (with) our squad not being big enough. So we always need them on the bench and that also means that if you look at his playing time and Trey’s playing time, overall that has not been enough to develop a player ideally in a better way.

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"But that is the downside of having injuries, the downside of they are a bit too good (for the under-21s). Because it would be better for a 17, 18-year-old, because no-one talks about Trey, which is correct because Rio had his special moment, but Trey's development is just as interesting in my opinion. That is the difficult balance for me to find."

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Rio Ngumoha was handed his fourth start of the season in Liverpool's FA Cup game against Wolves, and the teenager produced an encouraging performance

22:09, 06 Mar 2026Updated 22:25, 06 Mar 2026

Alan Shearer praised Rio Ngumoha(Image: 2026 Newcastle United)

Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha came in for praise from Alan Shearer during a bright showing from the youngster against Wolves on Friday night.

The 17-year-old was handed his fourth start of the season at Molineux, and produced an encouraging performance off the left flank. The game came to life in the second half, with Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones all scoring, but Ngumoha still managed to shine in a drab first half.

His quick feet drew praise from many observers, including Alan Shearer, who was on punditry duty for BBC Sport.

"Again, Liverpool in forward positions other than Rio Ngumoha have been poor," Shearer said. "They have got into decent positions, if it is not the final ball or their desire to get on to it, then it is other things. It has been rather disappointing from Liverpool.

READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp's agent forced to respond to Atletico Madrid rumorsREAD MORE: Ryan Gravenberch tells Liverpool teammates what they must do to gain Wolves revenge

"Right from the very first minute, the number of times they got the ball out to Rio Ngumoha. The bright things Liverpool have done have all come from Rio Ngumoha."

Ahead of the game, Arne Slot explained his decision to name Ngumoha among Liverpool's starters. "His playing time has increased a lot, so the next step is if you play five, 10, 15 and 30 minutes, then the next step is starting a game," the Dutchman said.

Michael Owen, who was on punditry duty for TNT Sports, also praised Ngumoha.

"He's direct, which is a great asset to have," Owen said. "He can go either way. Look at someone like Gakpo, he cuts in an awful lot and that can be predictable.

"Whereas Rio can go either way at pace, he is direct and can handle it really well."

Rio Ngumoha during Liverpool's win over Wolves(Image: AFP or licensors)

Speaking after the game, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk praised Ngumoha but was also keen to keep him grounded.

"Very pleased [for him]," Van Dijk said. "Obviously, we all see day in day out how much of a special talent he is, in terms of in one v ones, with the pace he drives at players.

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"He's working hard, he's a good boy. We're looking after him. We speak to him constantly, and he needs to keep learning, soaking it all up and taking that into his progress.

"Today was a good day for him, nothing more nothing less, he has to keep going and onto the next.

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Liverpool knocked Wolves out of the FA Cup with Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah goals seeing Arne Slot's side take charge of the contest. This is what we spotted.

21:52, 06 Mar 2026

Rio Ngumoha in action during Wolves vs Liverpool in the FA Cup.(Image: Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images)

MOLINEUX, WOLVERHAMPTON // Liverpool safely booked its place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with Rio Ngumoha offering another glimpse of his talent in the process.

After a goalless and chanceless first half, Andy Robertson put Liverpool in front and then crossed for Mohamed Salah to net his second of the week against Wolves, putting the Reds too far ahead to catch.

From there, Arne Slot's side was able to see out the result without the need for any of the late drama we saw on Tuesday, with Curtis Jones getting in on the act too. Here are the five things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded.

READ MORE: Sir Kenny Dalglish gives verdict on Andy Robertson Celtic transfer amid uncertain Liverpool futureREAD MORE: Peter Crouch sends message to FSG over Arne Slot's Liverpool futureLiverpool bounces back

"We have something to prove on Friday," Arne Slot said on Tuesday, moments after Liverpool had lost to a deflected stoppage-time goal from Andre. Rob Edwards, meanwhile, was expecting the visitors to show an "angry" response.

Still, though, there was no quick start from Liverpool. The Reds were well on top in the first period, but didn't do a great deal with the possession that they had.

Ngumoha, as we will come to, threatened to a point in the first half, but there wasn't much in the way of end product for all that he was enjoying himself with stepovers and dribbles.

In the second, he stepped it up as the Wolves defense became more stretched, with Robertson the man to prove decisive with a goal and assist to put his team well in control.

Andy Robertson was decisive for Liverpool.(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Rio Ngumoha excites

Ngumoha had started three games before this one this season and all of them have come in the domestic cups. For all the clamor for him to get more minutes — Steven Gerrard was the latest pundit to call for that earlier this week — the long-term plan has to remain.

At 17, Ngumoha cannot be the saviour for Liverpool in a season that has caused plenty of problems for Arne Slot. Even if he is ready to take on the mental challenges of playing every single game, physically, as the likes of Stefan Bajcetic and Jayden Danns prove, it would be unwise to over-exert him.

Arne Slot started Rio Ngumoha in the FA Cup on Friday night(Image: (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images))

Here, he showed his rawness. There were lots of skills and his feet are remarkably fast, but he wasn't able to get away from his man sufficiently to find many dangerous balls into the box.

In the second half, in fairness, when Wolves tired and needed to leave more gaps in search of a goal to change the game, he managed to get more shots away.

It was all a good part of the learning curve. Offering some excitement even when he wasn't getting a cross or a shot away, Ngumoha certainly made his mark.

Arne Slot changes pay off

Slot made changes to his starting XI as much as he could, with the likes of Hugo Ekitike and Ibrahima Konate given a breather. Though it meant Dominik Szoboszlai playing right-back, it was the right call.

Ekitike has looked shattered lately and with Alexander Isak still a few weeks away from even being able to come on as a substitute, the Frenchman will need to play most of the matches before then.

Taking the chance to rest him was correct, with Slot outlining before kick-off that the Champions League race is more important than a cup run, even if he would like both. Getting the win anyway only made the decision more popular.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.(Image: Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images)

Alisson Becker untroubled

Alisson Becker was partly at fault for the Wolves winner the other day and it was a slight surprise — not because of that, but just because of rotation — that Giorgi Mamardashvili didn't get a chance to impress.

In the event, Mamardashvili wasn't missing much. Alisson barely touched the ball in the first half and was a complete passenger. In the second period, he was not called upon that much more.

When Mamardashvili's next game will come remains to be seen. Alisson will just be glad to have gotten through the game without being asked to bail out those in front of him, even if Hee-chan Hwang prevented him collecting a clean sheet.

FA Cup quarter-finals await

The FA Cup is a major opportunity for Liverpool this season. By some distance, it is the Reds' best chance of winning some silverware in a season that has often been a slog.

Bouncing back from another late defeat in Tuesday's game between these sides was one thing, but edging closer to a trip to Wembley was just as vital.

Without securing a Champions League place, there is a question mark over whether even winning a trophy would constitute success for Liverpool this season, given how important being in the top five places in the Premier League is.

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Going all the way in this competition, though, with Newcastle playing Manchester City and Arsenal having other priorities, feels realistic. Now, all eyes will be on the draw.

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