Every game is a cup final now for Wolves

If you told most Wolves fans a week ago that we would take one win and one defeat from two games against Liverpool, plenty of us would have snapped your hand off. The only debate would have been which one we would choose.

Many would have picked the FA Cup, because for a while the league has felt like the ending is already written. But after what we have seen at Molineux, taking seven points from Arsenal, Villa and Liverpool, you have to ask the question again. Is it really already lost?

In that league win, Wolves looked like the team with more hunger. We ran, pressed, tackled, and fought for every second ball. Players threw bodies on the line. It was not perfect football, but it was brave football, and it was a performance supporters could be proud of.

Friday’s cup tie brought us back down to earth. The edge was not quite the same and the intensity dipped. Liverpool were the better team, they pressed us hard, and they were on top for long spells. We did not match their intensity or their control, and it showed. Going out hurts, because the cup can give you a story to cling to. But the league is the one that matters now.

And there is a case for hope. Wolves arguably have a kinder run-in than some of our relegation rivals. No Premier League game is easy, but we do not face anyone in the top six. We have big, defining matches against West Ham, Leeds, Spurs and Burnley. Those are the ones that can swing a season.

Momentum is with us too. Performances have improved, and you can see the belief Rob Edwards and the staff have worked to build. We have even picked up a few unexpected points in the last week. Keep that trajectory going and the impossible might just start to look realistic.

Yes, it is a long shot. But football is built on hopes and dreams. The Molineux atmosphere has lifted, and the fans will roar this team on if we keep seeing fight, drive and determination.

It is not over until it is over. We are out of the cup, so now every game is our cup final.