Wolves winless run in the Premier League continued as Liverpool came away from Molineux with a 2-1 victory.
Wolves were in crisis ahead of kick off, both on and off the pitch, as Craig Dawson missed out on the matchday squad presumably due to the virus that had hit Gary O’Neil’s side.
Luckily, Toti Gomes was fit enough to take his place in the starting XI alongside Santiago Bueno, and that was the only change made from the 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa.
Much like in previous matches, Wolves came out of the blocks fast and knocked the ball around well however, they failed to take advantage of Liverpool’s slow start by scoring.
Instead, Liverpool handed the hosts a sucker punch on the stroke of half-time as Diogo Jota’s wicked cross was powered home by Ibrahima Konate.
The Reds then made a strong start to the second half and looked like they were going to double their lead til Rayan Ait-Nouri capitalised on a Konate error to equalise.
Unfortunately, their joy was short-lived as Jota won a penalty at the other end, which Mohamed Salah unsurprisingly dispatched to give Arne Slot’s men the lead.
Wolves showed some promising signs in this encounter but it was ultimately their fifth defeat in six games this season, leaving them bottom of the Premier League. Here are five things we learned…
Wolves struggle to play out from the back
O’Neil has attempted to turn Wolves into a more possession bases team this season and that can have its drawbacks, especially against a top side like Liverpool.
At times in this game, the Old Gold were guilty of playing the ball out from defence carelessly, with both Sam Johnstone and Mario Lemina lucky to get away with their errors.
On another day, O’Neil’s men would have been punished for their mistakes and the visitors would have netted a few more times.
But Wolves need to either cut out these mistakes going forward or stop playing the ball in dangerous areas altogether, otherwise, it will cost them.
Rayan Ait-Nouri needs to be deployed further forward
Since O’Neil switched to a four-man defence, Ait-Nouri has played as a natural left-back instead of a wing-back.
The Algerian has been criticised for his clumsy defensive play previously and is a far better weapon in a three-at-the-back system, where he’s given license to push forward.
Ait-Nouri showed that once more this evening, as while he started as a left-back, he found himself in the box for the equaliser and tapped the ball into the back of the net.
It’s this instinct in the box that you can’t buy as a player, and it proves the 23-year-old is better used as an attacking force.
Toti Gomes and Santi Bueno stepped up for Wolves
Wolves fans would have feared the worst when they saw Dawson wasn’t in the matchday squad and Bueno was partnering Toti against Liverpool’s potent front three.
In one of the most difficult teams to come up against in the Premier League, the two centre-backs rarely put a foot wrong and can perhaps only be blamed for the first goal as Konare found himself unmarked in the box.
Considering Wolves have conceded six goals against Chelsea and three to Aston Villa in separate games this term, their defence looked a bit more watertight in this match, and the two centre-backs deserve some credit.
Nelson Semedo is clumsy defensively
Nelson Semedo is arguably better going forward than he is defensively, just like Ait-Nouri, and that was visibly clear in their defeat to Liverpool.
The Portuguese international was at fault for the second goal, clumsily pulling Jota down in the box before Salah slotted home the resulting penalty.
This was at a time when Wolves had just equalised and could have grabbed more of a foothold in the match but thanks to some poor defending from Semedo, they picked the ball out of their net instead.
The 30-year-old is entering the final year of his contract at Molineux and with Pedro Lima waiting in the wings, perhaps the Brazilian deserves a start in the coming weeks or months.
Gary O’Neil needs to show more adaptability
Liverpool weren’t at their best today and there was a real chance for Wolves to score a goal late on to secure a result.
It beggars belief that in the closing stages of the match, O’Neil’s men were passing the ball around the back instead of launching the ball forward and this was frustrating to watch.
O’Neil has been recently criticised for his substitutions in games and he didn’t cover himself in glory here, with the hosts struggling to change the pattern of the game.
There was no urgency to push forward and hit Liverpool where it hurts by getting the likes of Matheus Cunha and Carlos Forbs on the ball in dangerous areas.