New Delhi: Liverpool shot atop the Premier League table after a 1-2 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, but the scrappy nature of their performance has put their league-leading status into great scrutiny.
Reds center-back Ibrahima Konate scored his first Premier League goal since joining the club in the 2021/22 season, heading the ball into the back of the net deep into the first-half. Wolves fullback Rayan Ait-Nouri thought he would inspire a fiery comeback after exploiting a defensive bust-up between Konate and Reds’ keeper Alisson Becker, only for the evergreen Mohammed Salah to convert from the spot some forty seconds later.
The start to this season has brought an unprecedented proposition, with six teams without a win in five games. Wolves were amidst the maligned group, with church bells already ringing ominously on manager Gary O’Neil’s career at Molineux. Life on the other half was spotlessly rosy. With the exception to their chastening defeat against Nottingham Forest at Anfield of all places, Liverpool have been cruising through life with new head coach Arne Slot, both their offensive and defensive statistics portraying them as one of Europe’s finest at the moment.
That being said, if there’s ever a time to catch Liverpool napping over the past 13 months, it has been in the opening minutes of a tie. Perhaps powered by that fact, Wolves sought to teach Liverpool a lesson in front-foot footy for at least the opening 25 minutes. They weren’t afraid to build from the back or suppress the visitors in their own half, with midfielder Mario Lemina and Liverpool transfer target Andre running a mighty shift in the middle of the park, along with winger Jean-Ricner Bellegarde licking his lips whenever he strode towards Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Wolves first knock on the door came through a clash between the latter two, with Alexander-Arnold losing out to Bellegarde’s quick feet, only for the resultant cross to be met by Wolves forward Jorgen Strand Larsen’s poor header. At that point however, the Molineux crowd was far too unconcerned about Wolves’ xG, with their growing excitement threatening to swallow a timid Liverpool entirely. By the time winger Matheus Cunha fired at Alisson from an awkward angle for an easy save in the 22nd minute, the crowd was already sold on a lofty dream and potentially an unforgettable win.
Like a teacher’s pet at school, Reds’ manager Arne Slot just had to chime in and spoil a party, with a brief team-talk in the 25th minute turning his side more compact out of possession, and allowing them to claw some lost ground. Suddenly, Wolves keeper Sam Johnstone was under pressure, first parrying a devilish low free-kick from Alexander-Arnold from close range.
The home crowd, who were anticipating a Queen-esque triumphant ending to the first-half, were probably hearing alarm bells ringing instead, especially when Liverpool fullback Andrew Robertson’s cross found Dominik Szoboszlai in the six-yard box, only for the Hungarian to frustratingly fire his first-time effort straight at Johnstone, that too at a time when the €70 million attacking midfielder has been urged by Slot to put cold-hard end product on the table.
No worries, said Liverpool defender Ibrahim Konate right before half-time, who sought to recreate his San Siro heroics in Black Country. Liverpool and ex-Wolves forward Diogo Jota would keep a cleared corner in play, before skipping past Strand Larsen on the left flank and fizzing a deft cross for the French centerback to convert from close range.
In the same fixture the previous season, Liverpool struggled in the first half, before bouncing back dramatically in the second and securing a comfortable 1-3 victory. Likewise, a brief moment of deja-vu did persist in the first 15 minutes, heralded by Lemina receiving a pass from his keeper, only to send the ball into Salah’s stride on the right, with the Egypt forward missing the open net by mere inches. A few minutes later, Robertson was bursting into Wolves’ left-hand channel, clattering his effort into Johnstone’s palms from a tight angle.
Wolves fullback Rayan Ait-Nouri simply skipped past tripped communication lines to equalize. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
However, on a day that saw Manchester City slip up, with Arsenal almost emulating the reigning champions, any concept of momentum was simply not on the cards for the scriptwriters. In the 57th minute, Strand Larsen chased what initially seemed to be a hopeless through-ball. Surely the world-beaters in Konate and Alisson had in all under control. The latter pair, instead, treated the ball like a radioactive sphere, with their collective, baffling hesitation in clearing the ball away, allowing Strand Larsen to pick their pockets. Wolves substitute Carlos Forbs should’ve converted from the subsequent cutback, but dynamic fullback Rayan Ait-Nouri capitalized on the chaos and smashed home the tap-in to complete Liverpool’s humiliation.
Now, it was time for the hosts to finally quench their thirst for victory and end a horrible start to their league campaign with a set of three points to remember for posterity. Nearly forty seconds later, to Wolves’ dismay, the scriptwriters struck again. Alexander-Arnold’s cross from the right-channel found Wolves’ Nelson Semedo and Diogo Jota in its trajectory, with the aerial duel ending in Semedo bringing down Jota unfairly, prompting referee Anthony Taylor to point at the spot. Salah took a look at the hosts’ hopes and dreams, and dashed them with a searing penalty kick into the bottom-right corner to restore his side’s lead.
Despite the sucker-punchiness of the goal, Liverpool failed to capitalize and fleeting in their spells of controlled possession, turning the tie into a basketball match of sorts. First it was Salah in the 64th minute, receiving Alexander-Arnold’s fizzed pass on the right, before cutting inside and seeing his curled effort handled neatly by Johnstone. Cunha would almost mirror Salah in his reply, cutting from the left of Liverpool’s box and dragging his low effort wide of the mark.
Mohammed Salah’s consistent goal-scoring came to Liverpool’s rescue at Molineux. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Forbs had the pick of his side’s chances in the 72nd minute, with Cunha’s slicing through-ball launching him on a one-way path to Liverpool’s box. Despite leaving Alexander-Arnold in dust with some trickery, Forbs was denied a one-on-one opportunity against Alisson by Konate, with the defender valiantly throwing himself to block the venomous shot. The exchange of missed opportunities wasn’t over, as Salah led a counter with only Johnstone in opposition, who would’ve breathed a sigh of relief with the winger frustratingly misplacing his square pass to substitute Curtis Jones, with the midfielder ending a decent team move by firing into Johnstone from an acute angle minutes later.
By this time, fate seemed all but sealed for Wolves, with every pass not made with the intention to hurt Liverpool inducing audible groans from the home crowd. There was a brief fire lit in the gold shirts when the announcement for six added minutes were made, but it was Liverpool who created the last opportunity in the tie. Alexander-Arnold powered down the right channel, finding midfielder Alexis Mac Allister on the edge of the box, who relayed the ball to substitute Cody Gakpo whose square pass skid across the goalmouth without opposition.
After disappointment for Manchester City and near-calamity befalling Arsenal, Liverpool were put under real pressure by winless Wolves on Matchday 3 of the Premier League. Find out how the Reds got out of jail free in this match report! Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
