Can the old Liverpool resurface again? Salah and Robertson suggest so in FA Cup

WOLVERHAMPTON, England -- All of a sudden, it was as if Liverpool had turned back the clock. Andy Robertson punched the air in celebration while Mohamed Salah was mobbed by his jubilant teammates.

It was a familiar dance for both, who had just combined to score their second goal Friday night at Molineux Stadium, setting their team on course for a morale-boosting 3-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the fifth round of the FA Cup. The away end supporters serenaded two of their modern-day greats with practiced fervency, as if dusting off the cobwebs from a beloved old hymn sheet.

Robertson and Salah have been miles off their brilliant best this season, with the latter's form in particular having contributed to Liverpool's collective malaise. But, on a night when Arne Slot's side needed to deliver, it was fitting that two of their most revered stalwarts stepped up. With the win, Liverpool became the first team to punch a ticket to the FA Cup quarterfinal round.

It was not just the personnel who evoked memories of Liverpool's glory days but also the way they scored their goals. Having been criticized all season for their desperate lack of pace and dynamism, it was glaring that the Reds' second-half breakthrough came from two quick breaks -- finished brilliantly by Robertson and Salah before Curtis Jones made sure of the victory with an excellent solo strike.

Liverpool's first two goals coming within 95 seconds of each other reinforced the notion that Slot's players are best when they release the handbrake. For the second time in 72 hours, Wolves struck in stoppage time but, unlike Tuesday night when André's late goal snatched the win for the hosts, Hwang Hee-Chan's effort was nothing more than a consolation.

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Having fallen in yet another chastening late defeat in midweek Premier League action -- also against Wolves at Molineux -- the FA Cup offered Liverpool a chance to quickly right some wrongs and help to quell the noise that has stirred in the wake of every poor result this term.

But, despite Wolves boss Rob Edwards having suggested his team's Premier League triumph might have made Liverpool "angry," there was little sign of anything more than mild annoyance in the first half Friday night.

Though Liverpool played with more zip and intensity than their last time out, they still struggled to carve open clear chances against a Wolves happy to sit back and soak up the pressure. Slot's decision to start the prodigious Rio Ngumoha gave the team added impetus out wide, with the 17-year-old forcing a smart early save from Sam Johnstone and tormenting opposing defenders with impressive regularity.

However, the fact that Liverpool so often had to lean on the teenager as their creative fulcrum was reflective of the staidness of their overall play, with the visiting Reds generating a first-half expected goals (xG) tally of just 0.44.

Liverpool significantly outperformed their opponents in almost every department -- Wolves didn't muster a shot before the break -- but still they had nothing to show for it in the first half. When the whistle blew for halftime, Slot might have been starting to fear it would be another case of the same old story for his team.

Robertson, though, seemed intent on ensuring history did not repeat itself. Having watched most of Tuesday's clash from the bench, the Scotland captain was critical of Liverpool's display, insisting the performance level "wasn't good enough."

"You don't win many games of football playing the way we did," Robertson told BBC Sport ahead of Friday's trip to the West Midlands. "I think we probably put intensity into the game a bit too late."

Seemingly determined to prevent his side from falling into the same trap here, Robertson took action when the ball fell to him on the edge of the penalty area, curling a sublime effort past a helpless Johnstone. Barely more than a minute after the restart, the Scotsman took charge again, racing down the left flank to whip a typically dangerous ball into the penalty area.

Salah was on hand to convert from close range, netting his 254th Liverpool goal to put the Reds in cruise control. Curtis Jones put the result beyond any doubt when he drove to the edge of the 18-yard box and bent a superb effort into the bottom corner, prompting the travelling Liverpool fans to burst into a chorus of "We're going to Wembley".

Their celebrations were still in full swing when Roberston -- the last Liverpool player to leave the pitch -- finished his postmatch media duties. Having been linked with a move away from the club in January, it was clear that the defender, whose contract ends in the summer, relished the chance to roll back the years and inspire his team to a victory that could prove pivotal in the Reds' quest to finish this season on a high note.

"He loves the club, and he loves to play in front of these fans," Slot said of the defender in his postmatch news conference. "These fans were again amazing by the way three days after they were so disappointed. Like us, they had to go again on a Friday evening over here. I don't know if they were all the same, but there were definitely more because in the FA Cup, you have even more away fans.

"Robbo has in the one-and-a-half year 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 year he did this. He did this for all the years that he's been here."

Robertson's display against Wolves offered a glimpse of the old Liverpool. If he -- and the rest of his teammates -- can replicate those levels in the months ahead, Slot's side could still salvage something from this topsy-turvy campaign.