Wolves Deal Another Blow to Liverpool’s Champions League Hopes
Molineux has become a fortress of late for Wolverhampton Wanderers, and their latest triumph over Liverpool has significant ramifications for the Reds’ pursuit of Champions League qualification. For the second time in mere days, Wolves coach Rob Edwards was seen in a jubilant sprint down the touchline, celebrating a victory that effectively seals their Premier League status while simultaneously derailing a rival’s European aspirations. Following their dramatic win against Aston Villa, Liverpool have now joined the list of top-tier teams to falter at Wolves’ home ground this season.
For Liverpool manager Arne Slot, the encounter was a disheartening exercise in déjà vu. His side has etched their name into the Premier League record books for all the wrong reasons, becoming the first team in history to suffer five defeats in a single season courtesy of goals conceded in the 90th minute or later. This latest setback, where Wolves, much like Bournemouth and Manchester City before them, snatched victory at the death, adds to a worrying trend. When factoring in late equalisers conceded against Fulham and Leeds United, Liverpool have a staggering nine points slipping through their grasp in injury time alone. This alarming inability to close out games could prove to be the decisive factor in their Champions League aspirations.
Liverpool could, with some justification, label this latest defeat as particularly cruel. The decisive goal required a fortunate deflection, and the Reds had also struck the woodwork on two separate occasions. Slot lamented, “That it happens in extra time might be a coincidence, but it happens so many times.” This recurring issue inevitably raises questions about Liverpool’s game management and their capacity to navigate critical moments effectively.
The familiar narrative of Liverpool dominating possession, outshooting their opponents, and boasting superior statistics beyond the final scoreline played out once again. “We hardly give away a chance, but they score two,” Slot rued, highlighting the frustrating efficiency of Wolves’ attack.
However, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk refused to attribute the loss solely to misfortune. “I think it’s down to ourselves,” he stated candidly. “It was slow, we were predictable, sloppy in possession, and [guilty of] wrong decision-making.” This was a scathing assessment, yet it was difficult to argue with its accuracy.
While the defeat was sealed in the dying moments, Liverpool’s struggles can be traced back to a sluggish start. Even as they eventually increased their tempo and Mohamed Salah ended a four-month Premier League goal drought, and despite Wolves not registering a single shot until their opening goal, Liverpool arguably did too little for large swathes of the match. The game, for the most part, was a forgettable affair, punctuated by a frantic final quarter.
Wolves initially frustrated Liverpool with their defensive resilience and organisation. They began as a compact unit, with four central midfielders and three centre-backs forming a formidable defensive block. However, Edwards recognised that the game would eventually open up, and his influential substitutions proved to be a masterstroke.
Two of these second-half replacements combined for Wolves’ breakthrough. Rodrigo Gomes, who had only been on the pitch for eight minutes, netted his second goal in as many games. A fellow substitute, Tolu Arokodare, displayed superior strength to Virgil van Dijk, turning the defender and laying off the ball to the on-rushing Gomes, who expertly dinked a shot over Alisson Becker.
After Salah had equalised, and as Liverpool committed more players forward in search of a winner, Wolves also pushed men up the pitch. Following a misplaced kick from Alisson, Andre’s shot deflected off Joe Gomez, looping over the helpless goalkeeper to seal the dramatic victory. It was an ironic twist that the decisive touch came from a Gomez, for the team that also featured the four Gomeses. “We conceded a deflected shot, which was not even a chance,” Slot commented, underscoring the element of fortune in Wolves’ second goal.
This latest result leaves Liverpool facing the very real prospect that their struggles against so-called inferior opposition could cost them a top-five finish. They have already succumbed to Nottingham Forest and Wolves this season, and dropped points against Burnley and Leeds. In total, they have squandered approximately 12 points in these fixtures.
At one point, it seemed Liverpool had salvaged a draw at Molineux, and it was Mohamed Salah who briefly turned back the clock. Even when their powers may be waning, great players can still summon moments of their former brilliance. After a largely ineffectual performance, Salah found a pocket of space and improvised a stunning finish with the outside of his left foot. Despite Jose Sa getting a hand to it, the ball nestled in the back of the net. Salah’s 253rd goal for Liverpool was his first in the Premier League since November.
However, this moment of individual brilliance ultimately summed up Liverpool’s current predicament, as it failed to prevent defeat. The Reds had struck the woodwork twice in distinct fashion. A couple of minutes before Salah’s goal, Rio Ngumoha’s low drive was brilliantly tipped onto the post by Sa. Shortly after half-time, a combination of Curtis Jones’s shoulder and Cody Gakpo’s boot diverted the ball onto the crossbar after Hugo Ekitike had flicked on a Salah corner. After scoring three goals from set-pieces against West Ham on Saturday, Liverpool would have expected to add to their tally from such situations.
Yet, they mustered too little else from open play. “What didn’t change in the last five, six, seven games is that we struggle and find it very hard to score from open play chances that we do create,” admitted Slot. Furthermore, they simply did not create enough clear-cut opportunities.
This was a match that was crying out for the introduction of Ngumoha long before his 64th-minute appearance, which was the earliest he had featured in the Premier League this season. Cody Gakpo, meanwhile, had an uninspired performance as a starter.
Wolves, however, finished the match, and perhaps their season, with a flourish. After securing only one win earlier in the season, they have now achieved two in the space of a single week. “We are showing we are not as bad as people thought,” said Edwards, whose celebratory dash down the touchline highlighted the emotional release of victory and the pain of his own physical ailment – “It’s my groin this time,” the Wolves manager revealed with a wry smile, “I’m falling apart.”
