Valiant Wolves undone by late Origi strike

Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 v Liverpool FC 1

If the prospect of the visit of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool doesn’t get the pulse racing then you must have spent the last four years living in a remote cave on South Uist. Masters in the art of gegenpressing – the high tempo style of football orientated around rapidly recovering possession – to which they marry the clinical finishing of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, Liverpool are as good as any side currently taking the field in Europe. So it was never going to be an easy afternoon for Wolves but after 93 minutes of stubborn resistance, during which they had rebuffed wave after wave of Liverpool attacks, it looked for all the world as if an improbable draw was going to come to pass.

Then as the clock moved into the fourth minute of added time Ki-Jana Hoever, who had literally just replaced the spent Rayan Ait-Nouri, picked the ball up in his own half and on fresh legs advanced at pace into the opposition half. It was now that the destiny of the game was sealed for had his pass attached itself to a Wolves boot the attack would have continued, the clock would have been run down and the game would have remained goalless. But it didn’t. Instead, Virgil van Dijk picked it up before firing a perfectly waited pass over the retreating Hoever to Mohamed Salah. In the blink of an eye the Egyptian striker had reached the bye-line from where he pulled the ball back to Divock Origi. Turning and shooting in one movement the ball at last pierced the Wolves rear-guard to nestle in the net and in so doing it pierced Wolves hearts. With barely twenty seconds left on the clock the Belgian international had sealed the game.

Was it undeserved? Yes and no for, as in all things, you need luck and in a pulsating second half Wolves had certainly ridden theirs. I lost count of the times the ball bounced around the Wolves penalty area before being desperately cleared. Their greatest moment of fortune came on the hour following a rare foray upfield which had ended in a decent Dendoncker strike. Charging out of his area to intercept a long punt up-field, goalkeeper Jose Sa collided with Romain Saiss and in do doing the ball fell to ex Wolves striker Diogo Jota. Advancing almost as far as the six yard box the Portuguese striker chose power rather than precision firing the ball directly at Conor Coady off whose thigh it rebounded somewhat remarkably to safety. Sa would later make amends for his earlier error with an excellent save to deny Mane and with just three minutes remaining it appeared the hosts had done enough to save the day. But as we know it was not to be.

Matching Liverpool was always going to be a tough ask and nobody can criticise Wolves for their tenacity and effort. All of which made the “at the death” manner of defeat the harder to take. But in ninety minutes of football not once did Alisson Becker have to make a save. Furthermore, whilst we are not comparing like with like, contrast the performances of the respective full backs. Virtually every time Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson received the ball they advanced into opposition territory at pace. They don’t get to the half-way line, stop, turn inside and pass the ball square or back as Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait Nouri are far too often inclined to do. And Liverpool do it with a back four not a back five. Too often Wolves squander good attacking opportunities resulting in too few chances created and too few goals scored. It’s like Nuno in his losing the plot phase and it needs addressing.

Next up Manchester City followed by Chelsea. Two more points before Christmas would be very welcome.

Wolverhampton Wanderers: Sa 7, Semedo 5, Kilman 7, Coady 7, Saiss 6, Ait-Nouri 6 Sub Hoever, Dendoncker 6, Neves 7, Hee-Chan 6 Sub Moutinho, Traore 7 Sub Trincao, Jimenez 5

Liverpool FC: Alisson 6, Alexander Arnold 7, Matip 7, Van Dijk 7, Robertson 7, Henderson 5 Sub Origi, Alcantra 7, Fabinho 6, Salah 7 Sub Milner, Jota 6 Sub Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mane 6

Attendance: Not stated

Referee: C Kavanagh 8

©Mark Brennand