Goals from Phillipe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling late on in the game saw Liverpool overcome Bolton 2-1 in their FA Cup replay at the Macrom stadium, setting up a 5th round tie at Crystal Palace.
Both sides had chances in the opening half with David Wheater and Sterling both wasting opportunities to fire their sides ahead, Wheater especially was causing Liverpool problems at set pieces with his height, whilst being a stalwart in a firm defence.
Sterling thought he had put Liverpool ahead in the second half, as his curled effort struck the post. Bolton were then however awarded a penalty as Martin Skrtel brought down young Zach Clough inside the area. Eidur Gudjohnsen calmly placed the penalty past Simon Mignolet to put the Trotters ahead. Soon after this Neil Danns was sent off to reduce Bolton to ten men.
Liverpool threw on Daniel Sturridge, Fabio Borini and Jordan Henderson in search of an equaliser, as Emre Can and Henderson both found the woodwork with attempts on goal. It seemed as if Andy Lonergan was to be the hero with the 'keeper making save after save, most notably tipping Can's effort onto the bar.
Raheem Sterling did finally equalise for Liverpool with five minutes remaining, racing onto a Can pass before side-footing his volley through the legs of Lonergan. The Red weren't done yet though as Coutinho, who had been a threat all night, dropped his shoulder and sent a curling effort into the net to send Liverpool through in added time. Here's five things we learned from the game.
1. Coutinho CAN shoot, can't he?
Phillipe Coutinho flatters to decieve, a roulette of tricks, flicks and exceptional passes seem to accompany Coutinho in every game he plays, however there is one thing missing from his game, a deadly instinct for finishing. Last night seemed no different until the final moments, when he found space on the edge of the box and whipped a curling effort over Lonergan and into the net. Previously, he had only found the outside of the post at the end of the first half following a sweet spell of passing from his side. A marvellous dribble was ended by a David Wheater challenge, with fans groaning at the Brazilian not releasing his shot any quicker. Goalscoring isn't the main requirement of Coutinho's position as an attacking midfielder, however it would be expected of him to have contributed more than his current tally of three this season. With his performance levels getting consistently better as the weeks go by, all Coutinho needs is a few more goals to be rivalled with the likes of David Silva and Mesut Ozil in the Premier League.
2. Crystal Palace awaits.
The victory sent Liverpool into the fifth round where they face a trip to Crystal Palace, rejuvinatd by Alan Pardew. Last season Liverpool went to Palace with their title hopes still in the balance, and conceded a 3-0 lead, drawing 3-3 after attempting to miraculously catch Manchester City's superior goal difference. The image of Luis Suarez leaving the pitch in tears still haunts Liverool fans, an the visit to Selhurst Park this season was even worse. Buoyed by an early Rickie Lambert goal, the Reds seemed to have banished their demons in London. Palace hit back however, brushing aside a poor Liverpool in a 3-1 win. The sides meet in completely different circumstances this time around, however Liverpool must keep their heads to win this tie and wait for their chances against a confident Palace side. Dwight Gayle is quickly becoming a nemesis to the Reds, they must mark him well to avoid a heartbreak on valentines weekend.
3. Balotelli now 5th choice.
With Raheem Sterling cementing himself as an accomplished striker when called upon, and Daniel Sturridge returning to the fold it seems now that Mario Balotelli has become Liverpool's 5th choice striker. Sturridge, Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini were all on the bench for the Bolton game with Sterling starting. After just two goals in his Liverpool career as of yet, and no start since November, it seems that Balotelli is the outcast forward. The Italian has been bemoaned by Brendan Rodgers for not being able to match up to Liverpool's pressing style of play. Liverpool knew this when they signed him and Rodgers doesn't seem to have done much to try and fit Balotelli in, however the return of Sturridge could see the pair tried in a two. They played upfront together in the 3-0 away win at Tottenham earlier in this season, which was arguably Balotelli's best game to date. It remains to be seen whether 'Balo' can patch up his Liverpool career or whether he'll be sold in the summer.
4. Emre Can is great both in midfield and defence.
A mainstay in the Liverpool defence which hasn't conceded from open play in eight games, Emre Can is quickly becoming a cult hero for his battling displays combined with stylish style at centre back. The German, brought in from Bayern Leverkusen in the summer, was on the fringes of the first team until the defensive switch came about. However as Liverpool trailed last night Can was thrust back into his natural position of centre midfield and excelled, almost levelling up with a powerful weak footed shot before providing a fantastic assist for Raheem Sterling. Taking the ball around 20 yards out, with a sea of white shirts blocking his pass, Can showed the calmness and vision to pick out Sterling's run with a perfectly executed lofted ball that allowed Sterling to level the game. Can doesn't offer Rodgers a selection headache as such, he is easy to pick. The question now is, where does he get played every week?
5. Liverpool are well prepared for Everton.
With the Merseyside Derby looming, Brendan Rodgers did take slight precaution in resting Jordan Henderson and Lucas Leiva with the former only being required for half an hour off the bench. Daniel Sturridge also didn't start and only came on for half on hour. Everton away is always a huge game for Liverpool and an especially important one this time as they look to stay in the hunt for Champions League football on the same day direct rivals Arsenal and Tottenham face eachother. With the Toffees struggling in the bottom half of the table, and Liverpool on this good run they will be hoping to gain a win at Goodison on Saturday that sets them up nicely for the rest of the season. Around this time last year, a Daniel Sturridge brace was sandwiched by a Steven Gerrard header and Luis Suarez finish as Liverpool ran riot in the Anfield derby, winning 4-0.