Final, 2-1 Liverpool: The referee blows the final whistle, and Liverpool advances in the FA Cup after a stunning, comeback win.
Liverpool kept its FA Cup dreams intact in spectacular fashion. Sterling and Coutinho scored late stunners, overturning the lead Gudjohnsen controversially gave Bolton earlier in the second half. Bolton gave Liverpool a scare, but Danns’ dismissal changed the game, and the Reds seized the momentum for good. Sterling, Can and Coutinho demonstrated their quality in Liverpool’s goal-scoring sequences, which ultimately propelled the Reds past the determined Trotters.
Liverpool will face Crystal Palace on Feb. 14th in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
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90th minute +4, 2-1 Liverpool: Bolton now is on the offensive, but it doesn’t look the hosts have enough energy to breach Liverpool’s defense.
90th minute +1, 2-1 Liverpool: Coutinho scores a stunning goal, and Liverpool looks to have won the game.
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What a way for the “little magician” to celebrate his new, long-term contract.
90th minute, 1-1: There will be five minutes of added time in the second half.
88th minute, 1-1: Borini heads Gerrard’s cross on goal, but it bounces harmlessly to Lonergan.
86th minute, 1-1: Sterling scores a fine goal, and the game is tied.
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Can curled a pass over the top of Bolton’s defense for Sterling, who ran onto it and volleyed a shot past Longergan.
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83rd minute, 1-0 Bolton: Can steps forward and hits a powerful shot from 22 yards out, but Lonergan saves it off the crossbar.
It’s the third time Liverpool has hit the post in this FA Cup replay against Bolton.
81st minute, 1-0 Bolton: Henderson shoots wide from the edge of Bolton’s penalty area.
79th minute, 1-0 Bolton: Liverpool has a trio of chances as Sturridge, Borini and Sterling shoot from inside the Trotters’ penalty area, but Bolton players block each effort.
75th minute, 1-0 Bolton: Henderson shoots on the half-volley from 20 yards out. The shot deflects off Wheater’s head and crashes off the post.
73rd minute, 1-0 Bolton: Gerrard shoots a free kick harmlessly over Lonergan’s goal.
72nd minute, 1-0 Bolton:Â Bolton makes its first substitution of the game. Clough exits. Trotter replaces him.
72nd minute, 1-0 Bolton: Gudjohnson rises to meet Feeney’s cross with his head. The Bolton forward heads it down and on goal, but the well-positioned Mignolet saves it.
70th minute, 1-0 Bolton: Liverpool makes its final substitution. Sturridge enters. Allen exits.
68th minute, 1-0 Bolton: Coutinho floats a corner kick to the near post. Gerrard dives to head it, but his effort sails over Lonergan’s goal.
67th minute, 1-0 Bolton: Clough bursts forward, skips around Can and shoots on goal from 20 yards out, but his effort goes narrowly wide of the near post.
66th minute, 1-0 Bolton: Danns makes a clumsy tackle on Allen and is cautioned for the second time. The Bolton midfielder has been dismissed, and the hosts are down to 10 men.
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65th minute, 1-0 Bolton: Liverpool makes another substitution. Borini replaces Markovic.
58th minute, 1-0 Bolton: Gudjohnson beats Mignolet from the spot, and the Trotters have the lead.
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58th minute, 0-0: Bolton has a penalty kick after Skrtel appeared to trip Clough inside Liverpool’s penalty area.
Replays show Clough dived.
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56th minute, 0-0: Skrtel heads a corner kick on goal. Lonergan stops the bouncing effort.
55th minute, 0-0: The referee cautions Wheater for a tackle from behind on Sterling.
54th minute, 0-0: Liverpool makes its first substitution, replacing Lallana with Henderson.
53rd minute, 0-0: Sterling curls a shot on goal but Lonergan dives left and palms it away.
50th minute, 0-0: Sterling is limping after a heavy challenge catches his ankle.
46th minute, 0-0: The second half is underway. Neither team made personnel changes at halftime.
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Halftime, 0-0: That’s the end of the first half. The game is goal-less.
The result remains in the balance, as neither team managed to score the all-important opening goal. Liverpool had advantages in possession and territory, but it was far from dominant against Bolton. Sterling, Lallana, Coutinho and Gerrard each came close with efforts, but either they hit the post, missed the target or Lonergan stopped them.
Bolton played well in the first half and had a few chances of its own, through Wheater’s head and Gudjohnsen’s quick thinking.
45th minute +1, 0-0: Liverpool hogs possession near Bolton’s penalty area, but the hosts defend deep and keep their shape. The move ends when Coutinho fires a shot wide of Lonergan’s goal.
45th minute, 0-0: There will be a minimum of one minute of added time in the first half.
36th minute, 0-0: Mills volleys a shot on goal, but it goes straight to Mignolet, who saves it.
35th minute, 0-0: Dervite hits a speculative shot from just inside the halfway line. His effort sails toward Liverpool’s goal and lands on top of it.
Mignolet had it covered the entire time.
34th minute, 0-0: Sterling and Lallana work a one-two in Bolton’s third of the field. Lallana tries a shot from 20 yards out, but Lonergan stops it easily.
31st minute, 0-0: Sterling hits the post in Liverpool’s best chance of the game so far.
Moreno and Lallana initially opened Bolton’s defense, but Sterling did well to create enough space to shoot in a tight area.
29th minute, 0-0: Danns is cautioned for a two-footed tackle on Allen in the midfield.
24th minute, 0-0: Wheater knocks down a header for Gudjohnsen inside Liverpool’s penalty area, but Mignolet intercepts it before the Icelandic forward can arrive.
22nd minute, 0-0: The first 20 minutes of the game were as fast and competitive as the last meeting between the teams. Bolton shows no signs of being awestruck by Liverpool.
20th minute, 0-0: Mignolet makes his first save of the game after Wheater heads Feeney’s free kick on goal.
16th minute, 0-0: Bolton has its first chance of the game, as Moxey crosses from the left into the penalty area for Gudjohnsen. The veteran forward skies his shot high and wide.
14th minute, 0-0: Sterling breaks into Bolton’s penalty area, dribbles around Wheater and shoots on goal. Lonergan saves it and collects the rebound before Lallana can arrive and smash it home.
12th minute, 0-0: Liverpool has a sustained spell of possession in Bolton’s half. It ends when Coutinho drags a shot wide of the goal from 20 yards out.
Seventh minute, 0-0: Liverpool has the first scoring chance of the game, and it comes on the counter-attack.
Sterling and Lallana break forward. Lallana then passes right to Gerrard, who takes a low, first-time shot. Lonergan saves it and doesn’t give up a rebound.
Fifth minute, 0-0: The game has opened evenly between the teams.
Bolton has sprung a surprise by employing a three-back formation that is similar to Liverpool’s.
Kickoff: Liverpool-Bolton is underway at Macron Stadium.
Pregame: Gerrard joins Liverpool’s prestigious 700 Club.
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The Liverpool captain starts in the midfield next to Allen.
The ever-present Henderson starts on the bench.
Lucas Leiva isn’t in the game-day squad.
The back three remains the same, as Skrtel, Sakho and Can man the middle. Moreno and Markovic flank them on the left and right, respectively.
Bolton’s big team news is in goal, as Lonergan starts. Adam Bogdan, who frustrated Liverpool when the teams met last month, is injured.
Clough, 19, starts up front for the Trotters, while Gudjohnson will try to create chances slightly underneath him.
2:15 p.m.: Here are the lineups:
Liverpool
Simon Mignolet (22), goalkeeper
Emre Can (23), center back
Martin Skrtel (37), center back
Mamadou Sakho (17), center back
Alberto Moreno (18), midfielder
Lazar Markovic (50), midfielder
Joe Allen (24), midfielder
Steven Gerrard (8), midfielder
Adam Lallana (20), midfielder
Philippe Coutinho (10), midfielder
Raheem Sterling (31), forward
Substitutes
Danny Ward (52), goalkeeper
Glen Johnson (2), defender
Javier Manquillo (19), defender
Jordan Henderson (14), midfielder
Fabio Borini (29), forward
Rickie Lambert (9), striker
Daniel Sturridge (15), striker
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Bolton Wanderers
Andy Lonergan (24), goalkeeper
Dean Moxey (3), left back
Matthew Mills (4), center back
David Wheater (31), center back
Dorian Dervite (14), right back
Tim Ream (5), midfielder
Josh Vela (25), midfielder
Neil Danns (18), midfielder
Liam Feeney (7), midfielder
Eider Gudjohnsen (22), forward
Zach Clough (40), striker
Substitutes
Ross Fitzsimons (34), goalkeeper
Kevin McNaughton (2), defender
Oscar Threlkeld (41), defender
Georg Iliev (46), midfielder
Tom Walker (52), midfielder
Liam Trotter (17), midfielder
Robert Hall (11), forward
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1Â p.m. ET: Liverpool intends to travel south to Wembley Stadium in May but it first must conquer Bolton — a city just 35 miles east.
Liverpool visits Bolton Wanderers on Wednesday in a FA Cup fourth round replay game. The teams played to a goal-less draw on Jan. 24, and Wednesday’s game will determine whether the Reds or Trotters advance to the fifth round of the soccer world’s oldest competition.
Liverpool is enjoying a fine run of results, having lost just once in its last 12 games in all competitions. Defensive improvement is at the heart of the Reds’ recent success. They have conceded just three goals in their last seven games and shut out four of their last six opponents.
Manager Brendan Rodgers likely will field a strong team against Bolton. Most of his players are at peak fitness, while others, like Daniel Sturridge, have returned from injury and are working their way back into form. Rodgers said Monday that his players will benefit from their outstanding fitness and the good surface at Bolton’s Macron Stadium.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard could make his 700th appearance for the Reds if he recovers from a hamstring strain. Only Ian Callaghan (857) and Jamie Carragher (737) have played more games for the Reds.
Bolton also is playing well under new manager Neil Lennon. The Trotters have lost just twice in their last 15 games and are unbeaten at home in their last nine games.
Liverpool-Bolton kicks off at 2:45 p.m. Join us right here for all the action from Macron Stadium.
Photo via LiverpoolFC.com
