Lopetegui furious at 'impossible' offside goal as Wolves denied FA Cup win at Liverpool

Toti's finish ruled out by assistant referee, who deemed Nunes offside in the build-up

Hwang Hee-chan celebrates scoring Wolverhampton Wanderers' second goal during the FA Cup third round match against Liverpool at Anfield in Liverpool on January 7, 2023. AFP

Hwang Hee-chan scores Wolves' second goal against Liverpool. AFP

Mohamed Salah celebrates with Darwin Nunez after scoring Liverpool's second goal against Wolves. EPA

Mohamed Salah scores Liverpool's second goal against Wolves. EPA

Mohamed Salah scores Liverpool's second goal against Wolves at Anfield. AFP

Goncalo Guedes celebrates scoring Wolves' first goal against Liverpool. Reuters

Goncalo Guedes celebrates with teammates after scoring Wolves' first goal against Liverpool. Getty

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker reacts after his error led to Wolves' first goal. AFP

Darwin Nunez celebrates scoring during the equalising goal against Wolves. EPA

Darwin Nunez celebrates scoring for Liverpool against Wolves. EPA

Liverpool players celebrate with Darwin Nunez after his equalising goal. EPA

Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui speaks with referee Andrew Madley after the game. PA

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Julen Lopetegui was left furious after he felt two key decisions went against his team in the 2-2 FA Cup third-round draw at Liverpool on Saturday.

Goncalo Guedes had given Wolves the lead in the 26th minute after intercepting a poor pass from Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson, before Darwin Nunez pulled the hosts level with a superb volley just before the break.

Mohamed Salah then gave Liverpool the lead seven minutes after the interval when he capitalised on defender Toti's failed headed clearance, but even though the Egyptian was in an offside position when the initial pass was played, the goal stood.

Hwang Hee-Chan levelled for Wolves 14 minutes later, and the visitors thought they had taken a late lead when Toti scored from a back-heel, but the assistant referee had his flag up for offside against Matheus Nunes.

Consulting the video assistant referee, VAR had no camera angle available to potentially overturn the original offside decision, ruling Toti's goal out and leaving Wolves to settle for a draw and a replay.

"We’ve seen it and it wasn’t offside. Sorry. It’s impossible," Lopetegui said, referring to Toti's disallowed goal. "We have seen it, but someone told him that it’s offside, because we have seen the image and it doesn’t exist.

"Our player, Matheus Nunes, is not offside. It’s very clear. [Trent] Alexander-Arnold is on the left and is breaking the line. We have tried to explain this to the referee.

“The decision is not unfair, the decision is wrong. I make big mistakes every day but today we have the help of VAR and it was a pity because we saw the image and, sorry, but it’s not offside."

Liverpool v Wolves player ratings

Lopetegui was also frustrated by the decision to allow Salah's goal to stand, saying: "The second goal of Liverpool is the same. We have talked a lot with referees about this kind of situation and one player, one touch of his position, Salah was offside with the first touch before Toti touched the ball, so he took advantage of his position.

"The rule is, if you take advantage of one position despite the ball coming off an opponent, this is offside. This is my interpretation of the rule and the rule is the same for all of the countries. Despite my player touching the ball, he is in an offside position."

Despite his unhappiness with the decisions, Lopetegui said he was delighted with the performance of his team and believes Wolves can build on it to turn around their Premier League campaign. Wolves are currently 19th in the table, one point from safety.

“For me, the most important thing about tonight is how we should be proud of our players," the Spaniard said. "They showed themselves that they can play against any team. Liverpool is one of the best teams in the world, with the best squad and the best coach, so for us it was a very important test.

“This is only one step. The real situation is that we’re in a bad position in the league and this is the most important thing. We have to change it and we have three matches where we have to be ready a lot, and ready to arrive in the last match, in the last minute, to achieve what we want. We have to be strong in our mind, believe in ourselves and work very hard for each match."

After facing Nottingham Forest in the League Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday, Wolves are back in Premier League action with a crucial home game against fellow strugglers West Ham on Saturday.