Soccer

Matt Doherty shines as Wolves squeeze into fifth round

Premier League side had to come from behind again against Shrewsbury to advance

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matt Doherty celebrates scoring his side’s second goal of the game during the FA Cup fourth round replay win over Shrewsbury Town. Photo: Martin Rickett/PA Wire

Paul Wilson at Molineux
Tue Feb 5 2019 - 21:55

Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 Shrewsbury Town 2

Shrewsbury once again proved a handful for Wolves, coming back from a goal down in the first half to take the lead before a splendid second-half winner from Ivan Cavaleiro booked the home side a fifth-round FA Cup tie at Bristol City.

As if determined not to repeat the mistakes of the first game Wolves took the lead as early as possible, scoring in the second minute with their first attack of the game. Ryan Haynes conceded a corner that was only half cleared, Morgan Gibbs-White swung over a cross from the right, and when the ball dropped on the six-yard line Matt Doherty was quickest to react to stab a low shot over the line.

If that was daunting for Shrewbury it did not show. They won their first corner in the 12th minute, Ollie Norburn delivered an inswinger and James Bolton took advantage of some hesitant defending to get his head to it first.

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Wolves created the next opening with a trademark Adama Traoré run and cross down the right, and Jonny Otto must have thought he had scored with a firmly struck first-time shot, only to see his attempt blocked on the line.

The home side were doing most of the pressing by the half hour stage and Willy Boly should probably have scored with a free header from a corner, except that by the time Gibbs-White’s cross reached him he was almost on his knees and facing away from goal.

Traoré used his speed to bamboozle Omar Beckles, getting goalside but electing to pass instead of shoot and failing to leave Ivan Cavaleiro with much of a sight of the target.

All of which made it more of a surprise when Shrewsbury scored a goal from nothing, completely against the run of play, to get their noses in front just before the interval. The game had stopped for a while as Romain Vincelot limped off with a hamstring injury and when it restarted Wolves appeared to be caught cold. Josh Laurent was given enough space to try a speculative shot from outside the area, and though John Ruddy appeared to have it covered he let the ball slip through his grasp to trickle slowly over the line.

The goalkeeper had not been given much to do in the previous half hour but there was nothing particularly venomous or tricky about the shot, he just seemed to get his positioning wrong.

Fortunately Doherty managed to spare his blushes with an equaliser late in the hefty six minutes of first half stoppage time added for injuries to Vincelot and Ryan Bennett. After Gibbs-White had carried the ball forward Otto crossed from the left for the wing-back to force the ball over the line with a stooping header.

Despite Shrewsbury showing more resistance than Everton managed at the weekend Nuno Espírito Santo resisted the temptation to send on some of his big names from the bench for the second half.

His confidence was rewarded by a succession of early corners, almost all of which Gibbs-White put too close to Steve Arnold, and then by an excellent goal from open play just past the hour. The lively Traoré picked Beckles’ pocket on the right, then Doherty’s ball into the area was maximised by a surging run from Cavaleiro, who used his strength and control to hold off two defenders before slotting the ball home from the six yard line.

Wolves did send on their big guns after that, first João Moutinho, then Raúl Jiménez, but though the latter brought a fine save from Arnold the score remained unchanged. Beckles almost earned extra time with a shot that grazed an upright but Shrewsbury had to be content with four goals in two games against opponents two divisions higher. It is more than some Premier League teams will manage this season. – Guardian service