Matt Murray has praised James Milner for the Liverpool star’s performance against Wolves defender Rayan Ait-Nouri in the FA Cup. The Reds took a 1-0 win at Molineux in the replay.
Liverpool will meet Brighton & Hove Albion in the fourth round after Harvey Elliott (13’) hit the only goal. Jurgen Klopp had recalled the 19-year-old to his starting line-up at Wolves as the Reds replayed their third-round tie following a 2-2 draw at Anfield earlier in the month.
Milner also returned to the Liverpool squad in the West Midlands as the 37-year-old made his 21st appearance this season. The veteran technician has started in eight of his outings, including four Premier League games. He missed the initial Wolves match due to an injury.
Klopp had lost Milner to a hamstring problem in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup away to Manchester City on December 22. He was only fit enough to take a seat on the bench at Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday. But he returned to the field on Tuesday night.
Milner also enjoyed 66 minutes on his return before making way for Nat Phillips in a triple substitution from Klopp. The £120k-a-week former Citizens star, who joined Liverpool for free in 2015, also impressed at Molineux after offering a reassuring and calming presence.
Murray hails Milner for shutting Ait-Nouri down in Wolves 0-1 Liverpool
Milner impressed former Wolves goalkeeper Murray with his work up against Ait-Nouri as Liverpool won their FA Cup replay. The 21-year-old has enjoyed a solid season at Molineux so far this term. He has also struck two goals and an assist in 20 outings in all competitions.
Ait-Nouri lined up against Milner at left-wing as Wolves hosted Liverpool in the FA Cup on Tuesday. But the former France Under-21 international struggled to produce a dangerous end product. Per SofaScore, he did not register a single key pass and saw his shot blocked.
Murray hailed Milner for shutting Ait-Nouri down before coming off in Liverpool’s FA Cup win at Wolves. The 61-cap England international has now played 733 minutes this season.
“Milner’s been top-class,” Murray stated on talkSPORT (17/01, 20:56). “Ait-Nouri’s not got round him once. He’s used his experience.”
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