Digging Deeper Into A Nervy Win Over Wolves

Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images

With Liverpool’s ugly win over Wolves in the books, we take a look at what it means for Arne Slot’s Reds.

After an intense derby match with Everton in midweek that saw Liverpool drop points at the death, Arne Slot was hoping to see his side settle down and get back to calmly churning out results. The Reds were not at their best early on, but the did prove to be effective after scoring two goals in the first half. Things went sideways in the second half as Liverpool struggled to keep hold of the ball and conceded quite a few chances, including a stunning effort by Cunha that drew Wolves back within a goal. The Reds just managed to hold on for the win, which is what is most important at this point.

Below, we take a look at some winners and losers on the night, and attempt to disentangle narrative from fact.

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Winners

Mohamed Salah
Liverpool played a football match and Mohamed Salah scored. Mo calmly chipped the ball down the middle from the penalty spot after Luis Diaz drew the spot kick. Salah scored a fantastic solo goal in the second half, only to see it chalked off for being a hair offside just across the midfield stripe.

Luis Diaz
With Diogo Jota finally fit enough to start the match through the middle, Lucho was able to slide back to the left wing, where he is most effective. His willingness to make the runs down the wing and serve as a ball progresser was apparent early and often. He was involved in the initial build up for the first goal before hustling to get in position to, umm, touch in the first goal. He again made the run to get to the ball in the box to get to the ball ahead of Jose Sa and earn the penalty for the second goal.

Virgil van Dijk
The captain was again imperious at the heart of the defense. He finished with 8 clearances and 3 interceptions, and was one of the few calm heads during the frenetic second half.

Matheus Cunha
The Portuguese attacker continues to see his price tag climb as he will surely move for a pretty penny this summer. His goal in the second half was a thing of beauty, leaving Ryan Gravenberch lunging with a quick cut inside before unleashing a sensational left-footed strike that curled just inside the far post.

Losers

Ibrahima Konaté
The yellow card shown to Ibou was probably a bit harsh (though he also kicked the ball away), but he more than earned one that was not given just a few minutes later for a late crunching shoulder barge when he had no chance for winning a header. His physicality is a big part of his game, but Konaté needs to understand ramp it down when walking a fine line and Simon Hooper more than willing to throw cards around. He was pulled at the half for Jarell Quansah to avoid a second yellow.

Second Half Control
Throughout much of the season, Liverpool have gained more control and ramped up pressure as the match progresses. Against Wolves, the Reds looked adrift for most of the second half and were outplayed by the visitors. Liverpool struggled to keep any control of the ball, turning it over all too frequently as they ceded the ball right back to Wolves. The Reds failed to even register a shot in the second half while allowing 10, including the goal by Cunha.

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Dissecting The Narrative

Liverpool have played quite poorly in three consecutive matches for the first time under Arne Slot. The loss to Plymouth Argyle and draw to Everton can be explained away to some degree with a makeshift lineup in the cup competition and a typical derby match. Against Wolves, however, there was the question of could the Reds shake away the recent results and push through the fatigue of the intense match at midweek and return to their ability to exert their control over the match against the bottom sides. Liverpool never seemed to fully dominate in the first half, despite earning a two goal lead, and faded badly in the second half.

The Reds have played a lot of matches, and are in an important stretch in the Premier League with four matches coming over the next two weeks. Winning ugly is good (and important), but it can take a toll on a squad during a mentally and physically draining period of the season. Let’s hope Slot can get the squad back to playing with composure and control.

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What Happens Next

Liverpool are in the midst of a very busy stretch of Premier League fixture ahead of the EFL Cup final in mid-March. The Reds head to the midlands on Wednesday to take on Aston Villa before a match at the semi-resurgent Manchester City on Sunday.