Postmortem: Liverpool Survive Wolves Scare to Take Three Points

This was a game that had a banana skin attached to the pre match program, especially after Newcastle had held Premier League title favourites, Manchester City, to a 1-1 draw earlier in the day. Luckily for the concerned fanbase, a handful of good performances allowed the reds to take all three points and end the weekend as league leaders.

Below is how the team lined up, with match details following.

The Starting Eleven

GK – Alisson Becker

RB – Trent Alexander Arnold

RCB – Ibrahima Konaté

LCB – Virgil van Dijk (c)

LB – Andy Robertson

CM – Alexis Mac Allister

ACM – Dominik Szoboszlai

CM – Ryan Gravenberch

RF – Mohamed Salah

CF – Diogo Jota

LF – Luis Díaz

Subs

Curtis Jones – Dominik Szoboszlai (73 mins)

Cody Gakpo – Luis Díaz (73 mins)

Joe Gomez – Andy Robertson (89 mins)

Goals (Assisted by)

Wolves 0 – 1 Liverpool

Ibrahima Konaté (Diogo Jota) – 45+2 mins

Wolves 1 – 1 Liverpool

Rayan Aït-Nouri – 56 mins

Wolves 1 – 2 Liverpool

Mohamed Salah (penalty) – 61 mins

Important Match Stats

Possession

Wolves 44% – 56% Liverpool

Total Shots

Wolves 7 – 10 Liverpool

Crosses

Wolves 14 – 25 Liverpool

Corner Kicks 

Wolves 2 – 10 Liverpool

Goalkeeper Saves

Wolves 4 – 2 Liverpool

The First Half

The opening period of this game was a dark and damp performance from the visiting reds, as Wolves ran harder and with more intent to score the opening goal. Despite a risky desire to play out from the back, the midfield and attacking endeavour by the Premier League’s 20th placed side was apparent from the outset. Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, and Ibrahima Konaté, all did their best to ensure a first half clean sheet, as the midfield and attack of Arne Slot struggled to make anything stick.

Eventually, it was a simple ball into the box (by Diogo Jota) and a towering header by the French man mountain, Ibrahima Konaté, who opened the scoring in stoppage time of the first half, to dramatically alter the tone of the incoming team talk. Liverpool had struggled and Wolves will have felt hard done by, though the quality of the final ball and some solid build up in the ten minutes prior eventually saw the Premier League strugglers revert to form, which left the hosts annoyed and one nil down at half time.

The Second Half

On resumption of the second half, no changes were made as the Liverpool Head Coach sent out the same eleven men, which had struggled to overcome a team that has routinely struggled for anything close to good form this season. As the visitors settled into a more dominant and perhaps relaxed mindset, Mohamed Salah first missed a golden opportunity to score into an open net, after the high press eventually created an opening for his side. Later, the Egyptian King would fail to deliver a simple through ball to the advancing Curtis Jones, as a counter attack into a vacant opposition half was not taken advantage of.

Before that second opportunity, a pair of goals presented themselves, with the game being turned on its head in a five-minute spell at either end of the pitch. As Wolves pushed forward to find their equaliser, Andy Robertson made a fine challenge on the edge of the red’s penalty area, which should have allowed his defensive teammate, Ibou, the ideal situation to clear the ball. The uncharacteristic indecision to do nothing of note was that which allowed a goal to be a scored, as his laid-back moment of play created the opening for the scores to become level.

Luckily for the Premier League title challengers, Mohamed Salah was able to expertly score from the spot just minutes later, after Diogo Jota had been brought down in the box. The momentum shift had come full circle and from that point, though brilliance was often lacking, control was enabled against a side who would be very unlikely to score a second goal themselves. Trent Alexander Arnold was sporadic on the ball, however, his efforts in the defensive line were solid enough. Robbo was good though not great and in terms of Ryan Gravenberch, his ability to carry the ball and relieve pressure was key in the final thirty minutes. The subdued performances of both Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai were apparent, as the rhythm in the engine stuttered more than it purred. Luis Díaz could not conjure anything of note, whereas Curtis Jones looked very good in his minutes on the pitch.

Overall, the team showing was decent enough to earn three points but the ability to overcome stubborn teams is still a worry in certain circumstances.

What Are My Final Thoughts…?

This was a game that I was not looking forward to, as the opponent was always an animal that would eventually want to make an impression, especially against the heavyweight opponents from Merseyside. A top of the table position cannot be ignored and which allows something to fight for, with a sliver of breathing room between them and their two title rivals, Manchester City and Arsenal.

Bologna come next, with another European night under then Anfield lights.

Pre-match Prediction;

Wolves 0 – 2 Liverpool