Liverpool left it late to book their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup this evening, coming from behind to beat Bolton Wanderers 2-1 at the Macron Stadium.
The hosts broke the deadlock shortly before the hour mark when Eidur Gudjohnsen rolled in a penalty after Martin Skrtel had been penalised for a foul on Zach Clough.
Neil Danns was then shown a red card as Liverpool began to pile the pressure on, hitting the woodwork three times before they finally got an equalising goal.
Raheem Sterling guided his volley between the legs of the keeper before Philippe Coutinho got the winner with a stunning late strike from distance.
Read how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's live minute-by-minute coverage below.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for what was another cracking cup tie as Liverpool set up a fifth-round clash at Crystal Palace courtesy of a late comeback win over Bolton. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
There goes the final whistle as Liverpool launch a late comeback to progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup. The visitors were trailing with five minutes of normal time remaining courtesy of an Eidur Gudjohnsen penalty, but Neil Danns was then sent off for the hosts to make their task even harder. Liverpool finally made the breakthrough in the 86th minute courtesy of a fine Sterling volley, while Coutinho provided the match-winning piece of quality with a superb strike from distance.
FULL TIME: Bolton Wanderers 1-2 Liverpool
CHANCE! Big chance for Liverpool to extend their lead as Borini plays a one-two with Sturridge, whose return pass is a lovely flick. However, Lonergan stays big and makes a very good save to deny Borini from a tight angle.
Bolton have a chance to hoist the ball into the box late on and once again Liverpool struggle to deal with the set piece. It is nodded into a dangerous area and almost falls for Trotter, but Henderson hacks it away.
We are into the third of five minutes added time. Surely 10-man Bolton can't find a way back in the closing stages now?
Liverpool have completed the turnaround! Once again it is a moment of Premier League quality that proves the difference, and this time it is Coutinho who provides it. The Brazilian cuts inside onto his right foot before sending a magnificent dipping effort in off the underside of the bar from 25 yards. That is some strike to surely put Liverpool into the fifth round of the FA Cup.
GOAL! Bolton 1-2 Liverpool (Philippe Coutinho)
Gerrard has the chance to hit one from distance as the ball arrives square to him from 25 yards. He goes for a trademark drilled effort, but it is well blocked.
Liverpool are pushing for a winner in normal time now, and you wouldn't bet against it with Bolton continuing to tire with 10 men. Of course, their numerical disadvantage will be felt even more in extra time.
Liverpool finally have their breakthrough, and it is a beauty of a goal! Can lifts a lovely pass over the defence for Sterling, who watches it all the way before guiding a first-time volley through the legs of Andy Lonergan. You have to say that one has been coming.
GOAL! Bolton 1-1 Liverpool (Raheem Sterling)
Liverpool have certainly had their chances to put this tiew to bed over both meetings with the Trotters. They have been unlucky today with three efforts hitting the woodwork, but are in need of a goal now.
OFF THE BAR! Liverpool hit the woodwork for a third time tonight! This time it is a brilliant save from Lonergan as he tips Can's thunderbolt from 20 yards onto the crossbar. It was a very good effort, but a fine save too.
CLOSE! Still Liverpool continue to probe for a way through. Sturridge is stopped on the edge of the box but Borini wins it back really well and Sterling drops his pass back to Henderson, who lashes an effort a couple of yards past the top corner.
CHANCE! Bolton are already taking the ball into the corner, which speaks volumes about their priorities over the next 10 minutes or so. They are desperately trying to hold on here and somehow manage to despite the ball falling to three red shirts in quick succession inside the box. Each time, though there was a Bolton defender there to make the block.
Liverpool, as you would expect, are dominating the ball right now. The 10 men of Bolton continue to hold out, however, and Liverpool now have less than 15 minutes to force extra time.
OFF THE POST! Can comes forward and lets fly from range, but his shot deflects narrowly wide. The resulting corner is only cleared as far as Henderson, whose own strike from the edge of the box hits Wheater and rattles the post! Liverpool have hit the woodwork twice tonight now.
Sterling feeds a pass in to Sturridge, but the striker's first touch is a little rusty and the ball gets away from him in a decent position.
Gerrard lines up a free kick in a decent position, albeit a little further wide than he would ideally like. His subsequent effort is really disappointing as he fires a shot high and wide of the target.
BOLTON SUB: After another impressive performance, young Clough makes way to be replaced by Liam Trotter.
CHANCE! What a chance for Bolton to double their advantage! Mills pings a beauty of a pass out wide to Feeney, who sends a fine cross of his own into the middle. Gudjohnsen meets it with a free header at the back post, but his soft, downward effort is straight at Mignolet.
LIVERPOOL SUB: It is time for Daniel Sturridge! He comes on for the final 20 minutes with the clear message to keep his side in the FA Cup. Allen is the man to make way.
A hint of an opening for Gerrard as he meets a Coutinho cross at the near post, but the Liverpool skipper was forced to stoop almost to the ground to flick a header off target.
SHOT! Clough certainly has plenty of confidence for a young player. He drives forward on the counter attack, keeping clear of Can before cutting back and firing an effort a couple of yards wide of the near post. Mignolet had it covered, but it was bright play from Clough.
Bolton's task of holding on to this lead has just got that bit harder! Danns, who had already been booked for a foul on Allen, dives into another late challenge on the same player. He crunched into him and got none of the ball so can have no complaints at being shown a second yellow. That was mindless play from the Bolton midfielder.
RED CARD! Neil Danns (Bolton Wanderers)
LIVERPOOL SUB: Indeed, Markovic is unable to continue as he is replaced by Fabio Borini. How long before we see Daniel Sturridge, I wonder?
A concern for Liverpool here as Markovic goes down and stays down until Gudjohnsen puts the ball out. The winger is able to limp off the field himself and will try to continue, but he is not moving freely at all right now.
It is the hosts who have all of the momentum right now, with Liverpool looking a little ruffled having fallen behind. They need to find a response in the coming half an hour. They look to do that on a counter-attack, but Bolton survive.
YELLOW CARD! Allen is the first Liverpool player in the book for a foul on Gudjohnsen.
Against the run of play, Bolton have broken the deadlock! Clough wins the penalty having skipped past Skrtel inside the box, although the decision is a very soft one from Roger East. There didn't appear to be much contact from Skrtel at all. Gudjohnsen steps up to take the resulting kick, however, and he coolly places it down the middle.
GOAL! Bolton 1-0 Liverpool (Eidur Gudjohnsen, penalty)
PENALTY TO BOLTON!
Liverpool win a corner that is floated to the back post, where Skrtel attacks it really well. However, he can't get his head to it and the ball is bundled into the keeper's arms.
LIVERPOOL SUB: The first change of the night comes from the visitors, with Lallana making way to be replaced by Jordan Henderson. That should see Gerrard push further forward.
YELLOW CARD! Wheater becomes the second name in the book for a tackle from behind on Sterling just inside his own half.
SAVE! Another good chance for Sterling as he races onto a through-ball from Coutinho. He looks to be in on goal, only for Dervite to make a really good last-ditch challenge. Sterling is able to keep hold of possession, however, and his subsequent curling effort is well saved from Lonergan.
A worry for Liverpool as Sterling is not moving freely at the moment. An injury to a key player is the last thing Rodgers will want tonight with Everton, Tottenham and Southampton all awaiting them in February.
Again Wheater wins the header in the Liverpool box, but his ball back into a dangerous area is wasted by Gudjohnsen having strayed into an offside position.
Skrtel gives away a clumsy free kick, going through the back of Matt Mills when he was never going to win the ball. Bolton have looked dangerous from set pieces tonight, and they have another chance to put the ball into the box here...
KICKOFF: Bolton get us back underway having kept Liverpool waiting for a little while out on the field. Can the hosts pull off a shock in the next 45 minutes or will Liverpool's class shine through?
Matt Mills tested Mignolet with a long-range effort that sat up nicely for the Bolton skipper, who is playing out of position up front tonight. His dipping volley was comfortable for the Liverpool keeper, however. The visitors almost opened the scoring right before the interval too, but Coutinho fired his low effort just past the post.
Eidur Gudjohnsen has also had a decent opening that was fairly similar to one he had at Anfield, but once again he failed to turn it home. It was by no means a gilt-edged chance as the ball arrived to him at pace just inside the box, but he will perhaps still be disappointed with his finish as he blazed it well off target.
Bolton's best sight of goal arguably fell to Wheater, who has been a force at both ends of the field so far. He flicked a header on from a free kick in a dangerous position and probably should have done better with what was a free effort on goal. His header went straight at Mignolet, who made a fairly routine save.
Aside from that, Sterling has had another decent opening when he led a Liverpool counter-attack, using good movement to wrong-foot Wheater and work a yard to shoot. He was just stretching a little with his effort, however, and it lacked the power to creep beyond Lonergan, who got down well to make the save.
The closest we have come to a goal so far came from the visitors as Sterling struck the woodwork. Lallana was the creator with a clever spin on the edge of the box before feeding the ball to the youngster, who curled his effort against the outside of the post having been afforded too much room by Dervite.
The first half comes to an end, and we are no closer to discovering who will face Crystal Palace in the fifth round as this match remains goalless. Liverpool have had the better of the match so far, but Bolton have had their moments and are still very much in this match.
HALF TIME: Bolton Wanderers 0-0 Liverpool
CLOSE! Liverpool almost get a late opener before the break as Markovic cuts inside before sliding a pass to Coutinho. The Brazilian dips his shoulder before looking for the bottom corner, only to curl his effort a couple of yards wide.
There will be just one minute of added time at the end of this first half.
Again Mignolet needs to come off his line as Bolton put the visitors under a bit of sustained pressure. Liverpool survive a few crosses into the middle but the ball eventually loops towards the back post following a blocked shot. Mignolet is there to punch it away off the head of Moxey, though.
Dervite gets away with one here. Gerrard plays a ball through for Sterling, who pokes it beyond Dervite before clearly being brought down by the Bolton man. It wouldn't have been a red card as there was another defenders behind him, but it was probably worthy of a yellow. Instead, Roger East fails to award anything.
Good play from Feeney down the right as he work a yard on Moreno before whipping a dangerous delivery into the middle. However, Mignolet, who has looked increasingly confident in recent weeks, comes off his line to make a good claim.
Still not much to cheer for Steven Gerrard on his 700th appearance for Liverpool. The visitors have had the better chances so far, but this one remains in the balance. Here is a shot of the Liverpool skipper holding off the attention of Vela.
© Getty Images
SAVE! Again Mignolet is called into action as the ball sits up nicely for Mills, who lets fly from range. The skipper catches it well with a dipping volley, but it is straight at the Liverpool keeper.
I'm not sure whether Dervite meant it or not, but he almost catches Mignolet off his line with what looked like a miscued cross. The ball lands on the roof of the net, much to the relief of the backtracking Liverpool goalkeeper.
Wheater has been a rock at the back so far! Again he is in the way to stop Coutinho in his tracks after the Brazilian had swerved his way in and out of a couple of challenges. That was a really good tackle, and it needed to be.
Liverpool are beginning to ask a few questions in the final third here. This time it is Gerrard who makes the break forward from midfield before sliding a pass down the left channel for Sterling, who is unfortunate to see Wheater's clearance deflect off him and out for a goal kick.
OFF THE POST! The visitors are inches away from taking the lead here! Moreno slides a pass in to Lallana, who turns very smartly on the edge of the box before giving it to Sterling inside the area. Dervite gives the youngster just enough room to get his shot away, but the curling effort towards the top corner comes off the outside of the post.
YELLOW CARD! The first yellow card of the evening goes to Danns, who caught Allen with a heavy challenge in midfield having just been beaten to the ball.
A hint of a penalty shout for Liverpool as Sterling does well to poke the ball through for Moreno, who has green grass in front of him to race in to. He bursts into the area before being eased off the ball by Wheater and going down under the challenge. It would have been a very soft one.
Liverpool win a corner, but Gerrard's long and curling delivery only succeeds in setting up a counter-attack for Bolton. Allen just about does enough to slow it down, while Dervite then fires one of the worst shots you will ever see out for a throw-in.
Almost a chance for Bolton as the ball is lofted into the area and knocked down into a very dangerous area by Wheater again. Gudjohnsen is lurking and looks for a moment like he will get on the end of it, but Mignolet is alert and makes the interception.
Bolton are beginning to threaten a little more in the last few minutes, but that may not worry Rodgers too much. An open match would suit the Reds more than it would Bolton, you'd think, so Liverpool could look to draw the hosts out a little more.
SAVE! Lallana gives a clumsy free kick away with a foul on Danns, giving the hosts a set piece in a dangerous position. Feeney floats the ball in and Wheater is able to flick it on, but there isn't sufficient power behind his header to really trouble Mignolet.
Coutinho and Lallana have caused Bolton a few problems in the hole behind Sterling so far, and it is an issue Neil Lennon will want to address before they can make anything substantial with it. So far they haven't been able to find that killer pass but, with those two on the ball, that could happen at any moment.
CHANCE! Well, the best chances of the first match for Bolton fell to Gudjohnsen, and the veteran has had the hosts' first opening of the match here too. Vela makes his way down the left before cutting a low ball into the box for Gudjohnsen, who has found space. However, the veteran striker leans back and fires his effort well over the bar.
CHANCE! Another quick break from Liverpool as Sterling races forward and works a yard on Wheater with a quick shimmy of the body. That leaves him with a clear shot at goal, but his effort is a little tame and Lonergan gets down to save it, before collecting the ball ahead of Lallana.
Bolton come forward down the right and hoist a decent looking ball into the middle. However, Can shows good composure to take the ball down on his chest inside his own area before hacking it clear.
SHOT! Coutinho picks the ball up in midfield and lines a shot up, only to drag his effort wide from around 25 yards. Bolton will be concerned at how much space the Brazilian found there, even if he couldn't make the most of it on this occasion.
Clough has shown a couple of bright flashes already tonight. The youngster has made a really positive start to his Bolton career and another goal tonight would certainly be the highlight of his short career so far.
Liverpool have settled well into this match now and are seeing more of the ball. They are pressing the hosts high up the field as they did to teams all last season and have started to do again in the current campaign.
CHANCE! Decent opening for the visitors as hey counter quickly, with Lallana leading the charge. He plays it to Sterling before receiving the ball back and passing it square for Gerrard, who has burst forward from midfield. The skipper tries to place a side-footer in, but Lonergan gets down well to make the save.
An early break from Liverpool down the left channel as Lallana picks the ball up inside the Bolton box, but his low cross into a dangerous area goes all the way across the face of goal without anyone there to tap it home.
Bolton have made a decent start to this one, forcing Liverpool into a few wayward passes already. No early chances for either side, but already the hosts look like showing more ambition than they did at Anfield.
KICKOFF: Liverpool get us underway as they look to avoid becoming the latest Premier League scalp in this fourth round.
The players are out and we're just about ready to go in this fourth-round replay. Who will make it through to face Crystal Palace in the fifth round?
The last time these two sides met here at the Macron - or the Reebok as it was then known - Bolton actually emerged victorious, ending a run of 10 straight defeats in this fixture. Davies, Reo-Coker and Steinsson were all on the scoresheet in a 3-1 victory for the Trotters, with Craig Bellamy's response for Liverpool proving to be a mere consolation in the Premier League clash. Neil Lennon would bite your hand off for a repeat of that tonight!
PREDICTION: Right, we have five minutes until kickoff now, which means that it is time for a prediction! Bolton's iffy form since their draw against Liverpool puts the tie a little further in favour of the Reds, but the Trotters' record at home under Neil Lennon means that it is certainly no foregone conclusion. The visitors are on a bit of a roll right now, though, so I expect them to come away with the victory. I'll go for a 1-0 win for Liverpool.
Rodgers also makes no changes to his back three, with Can, Skrtel and Sakho beginning to look fairly settled as a partnership there. Markovic and Moreno will act as the wing-backs, with Glen Johnson and Javi Manquillo dropped from Liverpool's XI in the original tie. They are both on the bench alongside Sturridge, who will be keen to get some more much-needed game time under his belt before the Merseyside derby.
The front three of Lallana, Coutinho and Sterling remain, therefore, and the latter two have really struck up an impressive understanding in recent weeks. Coutinho is in arguably the best form of his Liverpool career so far, while Sterling's mini-break to Jamaica seems to have revitalised the youngster and he is showing something like his best form once again now. Bolton managed to keep them at bay 11 days ago, but they will have another tough evening ahead of them if they are to do so again.
As for Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers has named a strong starting lineup despite having the Merseyside derby looming on Saturday, making just two changes from the side that beat West Ham at the weekend. Both of those come in midfielder, with Allen and Gerrard replacing Lucas and Henderson. It is a special occasion for Gerrard in particular as he reaches the significant milestone of 700 appearances for the club. He will still be dreaming that his last appearance is in the final at Wembley in May.
The man of the match from the original tie, Adam Bogdan is unavailable due to an ankle injury tonight, so first-choice keeper Andy Lonergan is between the sticks once again. Emile Heskey is another notable absentee from the side that held Liverpool at Anfield, with injury robbing the veteran striker of another outing against his former club.
Bolton were fairly depleted when it came to team selection tonight, with a number of injuries and seven new signings unable to play due to not being registered before the initial tie. Zach Clough keeps his place up front having scored a quickfire brace at weekend, though, while the young striker also got Bolton's only FA Cup goal of the season so far against Wigan. Gudjohnsen squandered the club's best chances at Anfield so will be keen to make amends as he replaces the ineligible Adam Le Fondre in the side.
LIVERPOOL SUBS: Ward, Johnson, Lambert, Henderson, Sturridge, Manquillo, Borini
LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Mignolet; Can, Skrtel, Sakho; Allen, Gerrard, Moreno, Markovic; Lallana, Coutinho; Sterling
BOLTON SUBS: Fitzsimons, McNaughton, Hall, Trotter, Threlkeld, Iliev, Walker
BOLTON STARTING XI: Lonergan; Moxey, Wheater, Mills, Dervite; Ream, Vela, Feeney, Danns; Clough, Gudjohnsen
TEAM NEWS: The teams are in for both sides, and the headline news is that Steven Gerrard returns for the visitors to make his 700th club appearance. He is one of just two changes for the Reds, with Joe Allen also coming into midfield. As for Bolton, they name young Zach Clough up front again and he will be joined by veteran Eidur Gudjohnsen tonight. Full teams for both sides on the way...
They have also won five of their last six away games having only won three in their previous 11 before that, but their record on the road in the FA Cup is not too great. They have lost five of their last nine FA Cup matches, winning just three of those. That includes their 2-1 win over AFC Wimbledon in the third round of this season's competition, with Steven Gerrard's brace booking a spot in the fourth round at the expense of their League Two opponents.
One of Liverpool's major weaknesses over the past few seasons has been their defensive record, but that has vastly improved since Rodgers switched to three central defenders. The Reds have conceded just two goals in their last six games in all competitions, with both of them coming against Chelsea across their two-legged League Cup semi-final. That record has helped them to maintain their recent momentum, with the loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge being their only defeat in their last 12 matches. Counting only the normal 90 minutes, they have only lost once in their last 18 outings.
Victory over West Ham United on Saturday put Liverpool within four points of the top four, but the match was perhaps most notable for Daniel Sturridge making his return from injury to score the second goal in a 2-0 win. The striker is on the bench against his former club today having scored eight goals in 12 appearances during a 2011 loan spell at Bolton, but should Liverpool need a goal then Rodgers will be delighted to have Sturridge available to call upon once again after five months on the sidelines.
Last week's narrow defeat after extra time to Chelsea in the semi-finals of the League Cup places even more emphasis on getting a positive result tonight, with Brendan Rodgers desperate to pick up his first piece of silverware as Liverpool manager. The top four in the Premier League is still a priority, of course, while the Europa League is another source of Champions League football next season should they win it, but with Gerrard's retirement coming at the end of the season too, there is a real sense of desire surrounding the FA Cup for Liverpool this season.
Of course, Liverpool are a step up again from those Championship high-flyers, but they will know that they are not in for an easy evening here. They simply couldn't break Bolton down in the first match at Anfield, with some inspired goalkeeping and stubborn defending keeping the Reds at bay. They come into this match in good form, however, and the optimism that continues to grow around the club will make them confident of coming away with the victory tonight.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Neil Lennon's tenure so far has been his record here at the Macron, though. He is still unbeaten at home as Bolton boss, a run that stretches back nine matches to the start of October. Overall he has won six of those nine matches, with their three draws all coming in their last five outings. Indeed, they have been decent at home all season, even under Dougie Freedman, with only the current top three in the Championship having won here.
Defensively they have been a lot better under Lennon, despite the recent blip of six goals conceded in two games. Before that, they had kept seven clean sheets in their previous 13 outings, including withstanding some heavy pressure from Liverpool at Anfield. Indeed, they are yet to concede a goal in the FA Cup this season having beaten local rivals Wigan Athletic 1-0 in the third round.
Overall, though, things are a lot more positive around the club under Neil Lennon, who has won nine and lost just four of his 19 games in charge so far. They have perhaps been drawing more games than they might like recently, with three in their last five, but they have also only been beaten once in their last six outings.
Having said that, the Trotters have had a couple of disappointing results in their most recent Championship outings. Having held Liverpool to a goalless draw at Anfield in the initial match of this tie, they showed none of that defensive solidity to fall to a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Rotherham United in their very next outing. They were also on the wrong end of a 95th-minute stunner from James Henry at the weekend that rescued a 2-2 draw for Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Macron.
There is plenty on offer for the hosts tonight, then, and they can also afford to give this competition a little more focus than before given their relatively safe position in the Championship now. Neil Lennon has turned the club around since his arrival, dragging them away from the bottom three and up to 14th in the table. They are one of six teams locked on 34 points at the moment and, while they remain closer to the relegation zone than they do to the playoffs, they will very much be looking up the table at the moment.
For Bolton, tonight represents a major opportunity to progress further in a competition that has been blown wide open for the traditionally smaller teams due to the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and more being knocked out. Should the Trotters pull off an upset tonight then they would really fancy their chances of beating Crystal Palace and making it into the quarter-finals. From there, anything could happen.
Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's FA Cup fourth-round replay between Bolton Wanderers and Liverpool at the Macron Stadium. Just one place remains undecided in the fifth round of the competition, with the winner of this tie setting up a clash with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Can Bolton end a stunning fourth round in fitting style with one last shock? Let's start with a look at the hosts tonight...
Written by
Barney Corkhill
Barney Corkhill
