Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

A look back at the key moments in Liverpool’s [great/terrible/okay I guess victory/defeat to/draw with Team in Premier League/Champions League action].

Liverpool 2 - 0 Wolves

Liverpool: Mac Allister 34’, Quansah 40’

Wolves:

Pre-Match

Everything’s focused on Jurgen Klopp’s last match with the City and the Kop ready to do their part to ensure it is a send-off worthy of someone who’s given so much of himself to the community.

First Half

The pre-match rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone was loud and expressive. The crew covering the match made sure to spend ample time focused on Jurgen Klopp, who appeared to be fighting back tears. This is going to be a deeply emotional day.

Liverpool start off well, asserting control over the match early. In fact, at about 15 minutes into the match, they’ve had about 80 percent of possession. When the commentary crew brought that up, it felt right given that the overwhelming majority of the game has taken place in the Wolves end of the pitch.

Wolves’ commitment to remaining compact and disciplined in defense has to be lauded as Liverpool have managed to work the ball into the box and have been met with a crush of bodies, making it difficult to get a clear shot off. It’s been a cycle of shots in good positions being blocked off by a yellow shirt.

Similarly, Liverpool’s press and willingness to win the ball back is at a pretty high level. Not seeing many instances here where the focus or commitment to the work could be questioned. Liverpool’s own struggle in breaking through the Wolves defense, though, can either be chalked up to the aforementioned stout defending of Wolves or Liverpool needing a creative spark. The match will reveal which of those two is more responsible for the lack of a goal.

Big moment in the 28th minutes as Nelson Semedo comes and clips Alexis Mac Allister. Initially assessed a yellow card, the VAR calls it back, and upon a review via the on-field monitor, Chris Kavanagh rescinds the yellow and produces a red card. Liverpool have a man advantage.

GOAL!!! Alexis Mac Allister comes up with a brilliant header off of a lovely cross from Harvey Elliott. Liverpool strike first and mere minutes after the sending off. My one regret at this moment is that we have to deal with Martin Tyler who appears to be on the verge of going into a coma, as the play-by-play guy in the booth.

GOAL!!! Jarell Quansah gets onto the end of a ball that is deflected from a Mohamed Salah shot which looked like it was headed in. But with a defender looking to clear the looping ball, Quansah beat the Wolves player to the ball and made sure it was another goal assigned to the Liverpool side of the ledger. Given the amount of possession and the red card, this could get ugly.

Liverpool close out the half applying more pressure on the Wolves goal but the congested defensive arrangement manages to turn them away. Liverpool are up 2-nil at the end of the first frame.

Second Half

No changes to Liverpool’s set up entering the second half. Here’s hoping Liverpool can put a few more in as they attack the Kop end.

Luis Díaz nearly makes it three as Cody Gakpo pounces on a poor backpass from Toti Gomes and lashes a ball across the face of the Wolves goal. Díaz crashes the backpost and turns the ball towards the net, but hits the underside of the crossbar, which manages to just keep the ball out of the goal.

Wolves manage to squander a well-worked counter-attack (with help from Alisson Becker). It’s nice to see it going the other way, given how often Liverpool have played themselves out of a numbered advantage on the break over the last month or so.

The match has largely gotten boring. Not because the play’s been bad, but rather it does seem like Wolves’ tactic of just throwing everyone behind the ball - Pedro Neto being the lone exception - continues to work. Liverpool deserve at least one more out of this match but it doesn’t look like it’s coming.

And as I type that, Anfield comes alive to express their love for Jurgen Klopp. Once more, I have become a human teardrop.

The match ends at 2-nil. Liverpool send Jurgen Klopp off with a win.

Final Thoughts

Liverpool got the minimum done in that the win was the priority. But the match was one-sided from the jump and aside from being less wasteful with some of the breaks they were afforded, you can’t really pick many nits. Not on a day when the focus was on the outgoing gaffer and the baseline for the day was getting the victory.