Liverpool came from behind again to win as Andy Robertson struck late on to help seal a 3-1 win over Wolves at Molineux in Saturday’s early Premier League kick-off.
The hosts were good value for their early lead, with Hwang Hee-chan crashing home after some excellent work from the brilliant Pedro Neto. However, they were made to rue several missed opportunities in the first half as Liverpool came roaring back after half-time.
Cody Gakpo drew the visitors level from close range just before the hour, and the Reds were dominant thereafter. Andy Robertson snuck in behind and coolly finished to give the visitors a deserved lead before Harvey Elliott’s deflected effort sealed all three points for Liverpool, who moved to the top of the Premier League table after notching their fourth-straight win.
How the game unfolded
Wolves were nothing short of outstanding in the opening period, with the hosts’ energy completely overwhelming a beleaguered Liverpool. Gary O’Neil sought to win possession high up the pitch early on, with the visitors struggling to penetrate a compact Wolves midfield.
When the Reds did advance into the final third, O’Neil’s men comfortably dealt with a Reds attack that looked woefully one-paced. Going the other way, Wolves were a constant threat in transition with Jurgen Klopp opting against deploying a natural holding midfielder, but they failed to add to their early advantage despite creating several excellent openings.
Klopp had to change tack after the restart, and Liverpool were immediately improved as Wolves struggled to deal with the Reds’ resurgence at the start of the second half. The visitors had drawn level by the time O’Neil reacted to Liverpool’s upsurge, with the dynamic of the tie completely shfiting after half-time.
In the end, Liverpool’s late show was inevitable as Wolves sunk deeper and deeper, inviting the visitors to eventually take all three points away from Molineux. Nevertheless, there’s still reason for optimism for O’Neil, whose side simply ran out of steam in the second half.
GK: Jose Sa – 6/10 – Made a couple of big saves, but didn’t cover himself in glory for Liverpool’s second.
RB: Nelson Semedo – 7/10 – While Liverpool did have some joy getting in behind Semedo, the full-back offered plenty when Wolves had the ball.
CB: Craig Dawson – 7/10 – Should’ve scored in the opening period and produced a couple of big defensive stops.
CB: Max Kilman – 7/10 – Assured for much of the contest with his distribution particularly impressive in the first half.
LB: Rayan Aït-Nouri – 6/10 – Did a pretty good job of containing Salah, although he did get plenty of help and was somewhat loose in possession.
CM: Mario Lemina – 8/10 – The ball-winning supremo did an excellent job of breaking up play in the middle of the park and setting Wolves on their way in transition. His presence was missed late on.
CM: Joao Gomes – 7/10 – A classy customer who was able to provide so much in all phases.
RM: Hwang Hee-chan – 7/10 – He was in the right place at the right time to score the opener and his positioning did cause Liverpool some issues in the first half. Had trouble tracking Robertson before his substitution.
AM: Jeanricner Bellegarde – 7/10 – Such an exciting and dynamic ball-carrier. Looks like he’ll be a great addition to the Premier League.
LM: Pedro Neto – 8/10 – Oh, he’s so back. Majestic showing, particularly in the first half.
ST: Matheus Cunha – 6/10 – The Molineux faithful once again enjoyed/endured the full Matheus Cunha experience. There was so much good up until he tried to put the ball in the goal.
Substitutes
Matt Doherty (60′ for Hwang) – 5/10
Fabio Silva (60′ for Cunha) – 6/10
Hugo Bueno (66′ for Ait-Nouri) – 4/10
Tommy Doyle (77′ for Bellegarde) – 6/10
Boubacar Traore (78′ for Lemina) – 5/10
Subs not used: Dan Bentley (GK), Toti Gomes, Hugo Bueno, Sasa Kaladjzic, Pablo Sarabia.
Manager
Gary O’Neil – 6/10 – His side were superb in the first half, with O’Neil’s bold approach paying off. However, Klopp’s changes brought about problems and Wolves’ intensity dipped notably after half-time.
GK: Alisson – 5/10 – The Brazilian didn’t have to do much after Hwang opened the scoring early on.
RB: Joe Gomez – 4/10 – He really didn’t enjoy the Pedro Neto experience (he’s also not Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jurgen).
CB: Joel Matip – 5/10 – Poor for Wolves’ opener and didn’t give Gomez much help in the opening period. Improved after the restart.
CB: Jarell Quansah – 7/10 – Very impressive on his first Premier League start. A cool and composed customer.
LB: Andy Robertson – 8/10 – Caught napping at the back post for Wolves’ opener but Robertson otherwise didn’t have too many problems defensively and proved a useful outlet going forward – best exemplified by his tidy finish.
CM: Alexis Mac Allister – 3/10 – Early yellow card seemed to completely throw him off his rhythm and he was hooked at half-time.
CM: Dominik Szoboszlai – 7/10 – One of very few who was ready to match Wolves’ early intensity and played a key role during Liverpool’s improved second-half showing. Several sloppy moments in possession, though.
CM: Curtis Jones – 5/10 – Couldn’t quite get himself into the game on his return to the XI.
RW: Mohamed Salah – 7/10 – Set up all of Liverpool’s goals in an otherwise quiet showing.
ST: Cody Gakpo – 5/10 – Tapped home the equaliser just before his planned substitution. Had looked lost in the first half.
LW: Diogo Jota – 5/10 – There were spurts of enthusiasm but not much else before his withdrawal.
Substitutes
Luis Diaz (46′ for Mac Allister) – 6/10
Harvey Elliott (56′ for Jota) – 7/10 – His deflected strike has been ruled a Hugo Bueno own goal by the Premier League.
Darwin Nunez (56′ for Gakpo) – 6/10
Ibrahima Konate (83′ for Quansah) – 6/10
Ryan Gravenberch (90+3 for Salah) – N/A
Subs not used: Caoimhín Kelleher (GK), Wataru Endo, Stefan Bajcetic, Kostas Tsimikas.
Manager
Jurgen Klopp – 7/10 – Hamstrung by injuries, Klopp’s makeshift XI looked lost in the first half but the German boss deserves credit for changing the outlook of the contest after half-time with his changes.
Player of the match – Andy Robertson (Liverpool)
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