Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Woof, that one hurt.

Wolves 3, Liverpool 0

Wolves: Matip 6’, Dawson 12’, Neves 71’

---

Pre-Match

Gomez and Matip as the muscle in the back line don’t inspire confidence, but that’s where we’re at right now. The rest of the team selection shows how threadbare the team truly is at the moment. Light a candle and say a prayer.

First Half

It only took six minutes for Liverpool to concede their first goal of the game after some very sloppy play. Hee-Chan’s cross got a lucky deflection off of Joël Matip to beat Alisson and hit the back of the net.

It was all Wolves in the first part 15 minutes of the game. Liverpool looked sluggish and familiar in a very painful way for Liverpool fans. At 12 minutes in, Craig Dawson double the lead for Wolves by taking advantage of the defense failing to clear their lines and get themselves out of danger.

Can Liverpool continue this dizzying trend of conceding a goal every six minutes? Big news came as the 18th minute came and went without a third Wolves goal.

The closest Liverpool came in the early stretches of the game were when Darwin Nunez forced Jose Sa to make a save, but even that ignored Mohamed Salah, who was unmarked and waiting on the wing.

I’m trying to think of something to say here that isn’t miserable. Um, Naby Keita got in a few weak half-efforts, but nothing came of them. Cody Gakpo looked better. The referee wasn’t helping anything with his subjective whistle-blowing.

The first half finally ended. That might be the best news yet.

Second Half

The second half started with no changes for the Reds. There was half a shout for a Wolves penalty on a handball that deflected Keita’s shot, but VAR denied it.

Liverpool livened up over the first 10 minutes, maintaining possession and looking to work Salah into the game more. The ball remained almost exclusively in the Wolves half, but Liverpool couldn’t make it count.

61 minute in, Salah got the ball on the wing and onto his preferred left foot. The shot was just wide of the outside of the goal, but it was the best the Reds have looked the whole game.

65 minutes in, Klopp made his first change, subbing out Keita for Jordan Henderson in the midfield.

Immediately after the substitution, Nunez makes a break, aided by a great pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold, but the resulting shot is right at Sa.

All of their brief dominance was for naught as the hosts score a third, hammering a nail into the coffin of this game. It’s Ruben Neves who gets on the end of a counter and doesn’t waste it.

Bejcetic came off, replaced by Harvey Elliott.

James Milner and Kostas Tsmikas come on for Thiago and Andy Robertson.

Jiminez nearly makes it 4-0, but Liverpool get off the hook when his finish is off. If losing 3-0 is getting off the hook anyway.

Final Thoughts

Did Liverpool do the thing? Did Liverpool not do the thing? And are we happy or (at least temporarily) furious about some aspect of the thing?

That is Noel’s suggestion in the template for what to write here. So, in response to your questions, Noel, no - Liverpool did not do the thing. Are we furious? I don’t know. I most feel resigned.