Liverpool remain on course to win the Premier League title this season after beating Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield on Sunday. Luis Diaz scored the opening goal for the hosts in the 15th minute, and Mohamed Salah doubled their lead from the spot in the 37th, with Jose Sa deemed to have fouled Diaz inside the box. Matheus Cunha put Wolves back into the contest with a wonderful strike in the 67th, but in the end, the visitors couldn’t find an equalizer and the three points remained on Merseyside.
The teams
Arne Slot was able to lead his team from the dugout as he awaits the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings following his red card against Everton on Thursday. He wasn’t, however, able to call upon Joe Gomez, who is reportedly set for another long spell on the sidelines, as well as Cody Gakpo due to a minor knock, and Curtis Jones, who was also sent off against Everton.
Alisson Becker was in goal, with the centre-back pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate flanked by Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson. Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister played in the two deeper midfield roles, while Dominik Szoboszali patrolled further up. In attack, Jota had Salah on his right and Diaz on his left.
Meanwhile, Wolves boss Vitor Pereira was without Hwang Hee-chan, Sasa Kalajdzic, Jorgen Strand Larsen, Leon Chiwome, Enso Gonzalez and Yerson Mosquera, all through different injury problems.
With Jose Sa between the posts, Toty Gomes, Agbadou and Matt Doherty formed the back line of three. Andre and Joao Gomes paired up in the middle of the park, flanked by Rayan Ait-Nouri on the left and Nelson Semedo on the right. Cunha, along with Pablo Sarabia, played in support of Goncalo Guedes as the man closest to the opposition goal.
Brief recap
Liverpool started brightly and nearly took the lead early on when Jota’s left-footed volley flashed just wide. Wolves’ resistance didn’t last much longer, as a deflected Salah cross fell kindly for Diaz, who bundled the ball home with his midriff after 15 minutes.
Diaz was involved again as Liverpool doubled their lead, winning a penalty after nudging Emmanuel Agbadou aside before drawing a foul from Jose Sa. Wolves’ defenders were unhappy with the decision and grew more frustrated when Konate avoided a second yellow card for a late challenge on Cunha moments later – though, in truth, it was rather far from a bookable offence.
Slot reacted by substituting Konate for Jarell Quansah at halftime, while Wolves made attacking changes, introducing Marshall Munetsi and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde for Guedes and Sarabia. The adjustments almost paid off immediately, with Munetsi breaking through only to be denied by a sprawling save from Alisson.
Wolves’ momentum continued, and Liverpool thought they had a chance to put the game to bed when the referee awarded a penalty for an apparent Agbadou foul on Jota. However, replays showed minimal contact, and after a VAR review, the decision was rightly overturned. The former Wolves man was arguably lucky to avoid a yellow card for diving.
The visitors capitalized on that reprieve, with Cunha curling a stunning left-footed strike into the bottom corner from 25 yards to bring Wolves back into contention. By the 75th minute, Wolves had registered nine second-half shots to Liverpool’s none, reflecting their dominance after the break.
However, the hosts eventually regained control, limiting Wolves to just one more attempt in the closing stages. Their defensive efforts saw them hold on for an important win, greeted with a roar of approval from the Anfield faithful.
Mixed feelings
Liverpool ultimately got what they wanted – the three points, vital for their efforts to equal Manchester United’s record of 20 league titles this summer. Had any of their fans been asked before the game whether they’d accept a 2-1 victory, they’d probably have said “yes, thank you” without too much thinking.
However, Liverpool simply don’t look as good as they did throughout the season so far. They are yet to string three matches in all competitions without winning, but after the shocking FA Cup defeat to Plymouth Argyle and the Merseyside Derby draw, they came very close against a determined Wolves side on Sunday. Their form has obviously slipped somewhat and their performance in the second half certainly wasn’t worthy of a victory. Slot will be working hard to find ways to rectify their mistakes and patch up the weak links as soon as possible, or their lead in the title race, though still comfortable at first glance, could melt away rather quickly.
The view of this match is completely the opposite when Wolves are concerned. A team still much too close to the relegation zone, whose season obviously hasn’t gone anywhere nearly enough so far, they suffered defeat at the hands of the league leaders. But realistically speaking, they wouldn’t have expected to get anything at Anfield anyway, and the way they pushed a great team like Liverpool to their limits in the second half will have offered great optimism for the remainder of the season.
Pereira obviously knows what he’s doing and his players have plenty of quality, and as often is the case, consistency will prove the key to answering the question whether Wolves will be fighting for Premier League survival come May, or sit rather comfortably in the middle section of the table.
Looking ahead
Things won’t get easier for Liverpool this month. They have three matches left to play in February, all of them against difficult opponents and coming very thick – away to Aston Villa on the 19th, away to Manchester City on the 23rd, and at home against Newcastle on the 26th.
From their point of view, the importance of Slot straightening things out and getting his players to perform again as quickly as possible cannot be stressed enough. If they do well in the next 10 days, the title will be in their grasp. If not, Arsenal, sitting seven points behind, may well catch them up.
Wolves will face in-form Bournemouth twice within the next fortnight, both times away. They travel to the south coast for a Premier League clash at the end of the week, and then again for the battle in the fifth round of the FA Cup on March 1st. Playing against the Cherries won’t be easy – Andoni Iraola’s side have been one of the great positive shocks of the season so far, so Wolves will be looking at their meeting with Fulham at the Molineux on February 25th as their best chance to earn some points.
And points they desperately need, sitting just two above the relegation zone. But if their trip to Anfield is anything to go by, they should do well.
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