Liverpool should start thinking only of possible Conference League spot
Liverpool again demonstrated their apathy and midfield problems against Wolverhampton, losing the game from the opening whistle
One of the most interesting encounters in this Premier League matchweek took place at Molineux Stadim, with Wolverhampton hosting Liverpool.
The Wolves made four changes from their defeat to Manchester City. At centre-back, Dawson makes his debut with the former West Ham man replacing Collins. Ait-Nouri also starts at left-back. In the attack, Sarabia is preferred ahead of Traore and Cunha replaced Jimenez.
At the other end, Liverpool had two changes from their FA Cup elimination against Birghton. Konate (injured) gave way to Matip at centre-back. The other change occurred at left wing with Elliott being replaced by Darwin Nuñez.
Problems in defence and midfield come back to haunt Liverpool
After a brief positive period, Liverpool fans were certainly annoyed again by an obvious disorganisation of the defensive system early on, conceding two hugely dangerous chances to the Wolves.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Reds contributed decisively to the opening score in Wolverhampton’s favour. Hee-Chan latches onto a ball over the top from Nunes, getting to it before Matip surprised Alisson at the low cross and scored an own goal. This is definitely the picture of Liverpool’s defence this season.
The situation got worse soon after. Neves’ free-kick down the right of the box is kept alive by Cunha and Kilman got on the cross through the middle, being blocked. The defence failed to keep up with Dawson, who beat Alisson on the rebound. It took just 10 minutes for 2-0 on the scoreboard in favour of the Wolves.
Apart from the goals conceded, Liverpool’s listless performance also caught the eye again as Wolverhampton controlled the entire first half, forcing problems for Liverpool in the final third thanks to great performances from Cunha and Nunes.
Wolverhampton take fatal chance and dominate Reds
During the first half, Gakpo and Keita played in depth, but Salah failed to make an impact with many loose balls and successive attempts at crosses into the area.
Liverpool came back a little better in the second half and had a great chance to score. Keita’s low effort flicks off the foot of Robertson with his attempt blocked. On the rebound, Robertson shot firmly but Kilman blocked.
The best chance occurred with Alexander-Arnold spots the run of Nunez, flicking the ball over the top of the Wolves defence. On the one-on-one, Sa made a great save. This missed opportunity was decisive, as Ruben Neves took advantage of the freedom on the infiltration of the penalty area to shoot past Alisson and set up the score.
Wolverhampton’s crucial win avoids further proximity to the Premier League relegation zone. Meanwhile, Liverpool are further and further away from thinking about getting places in European competitions (and we’re talking about the Conference League here, a more tangible reality).