Well, thank God that’s over. City dropped points on Tyneside in the lunchtime kick-off, meaning that the Reds could go top of the league with a win at Molineux. This also inevitably meant that Wolves would morph into prime Barcelona come 17:30; which, for about a 15-minute spell in the first half, they appeared to have done. Arne Slot’s Reds lined up as expected, with the red-hot Cody Gakpo making way for Luis Diaz on the left wing, and Diogo Jota returning to the center-forward role as Darwin misses the journey due to illness. Wolves entered the game dead last in the league, having gained just one point up to this point in the campaign—but if you thought that this game would be simple, you’ve not watched us play at Molineux in the last six seasons. The traveling Kop settled in, big Virg led the Reds onto the pitch, and away we went.
To put it plainly, we got played off the pitch for the opening 25 minutes. We couldn’t get near Wolves when they were on the ball, and the passing and movement from the hosts in those early stages was nothing short of superb. However, for all of this excellent work on the ball, the home side was unable to craft any real opportunities. The final phase of this pressure saw Mattheus Cunha strike a hopeful effort from the right side of the penalty area that a sprawling Alisson gratefully held—and from this point on, the Reds began to play their way back into the game. The first real opportunity of the afternoon fell to Dominik Szoboszlai, who latched onto a brilliant low cross whipped into the six-yard box by Andy Robertson. Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone momentarily turned into Jerzy Dudek in the 2005 Champions League Final, miraculously denying Szoboszlai the opener on the goal line. The Liverpool pressure continued to ramp up from here, and the Reds finally found their reward in the form of Big Ibou’s first Premier League goal. Following a set piece and a recycled ball, Diogo Jota found himself with the ball on the left wing. The Portuguese dipped his shoulder, beat his man, and whipped a delightfully flighted left-footed cross into the area. Big Ibou was on the end of it, leaping like a French salmon to nod the Reds in front just before the break. It was a strange first half—Wolves were probably a touch unlucky to be behind going into the intermission, but Liverpool deserved it all the same after playing their way back into the match following a torrid start.
The Reds seemed to begin the second half how they had finished the first. The press that had been routinely broken by Wolves in the first 45 minutes was now beginning to cause significant problems, and the anticipation of Mohamed Salah nearly led to the second goal of the afternoon. After gambling on a pass played by Mario Lemina across the Wolves penalty area, the Egyptian found himself in front of an empty net. Salah hit the ball first time, and while I had already begun to celebrate, the ball slid agonizingly wide of the post. I should have known that picking up three points at Molineux could never be that simple, and this statement was about to be put to the test even further. A mix-up at the back between Alisson and Ibou gifted Wolves an equalizer out of nothing in the 56th minute, and once again the Reds found themselves with it all to do. Thankfully, Nelson Semedo was prepared to demonstrate his best impersonation of the Stone-Cold Stunner on Diogo Jota in the penalty area just 120 seconds later, with Anthony Taylor rightfully and immediately pointing to the spot to award the Reds their first penalty of the season. The Egyptian King stepped forward and lashed the ball into the right-hand side of Johnstone’s net, with the keeper diving the other way.
It would have been really nice to add a third and kill the game 30 minutes from time, but this is Liverpool, and we insist on doing things the hard way. We really struggled at times to control the game in the closing stages; sloppy passing saw the Reds on the back foot for a procession of counterattacks that left me with a perpetually puckered feeling in the final moments. Big Ibou made several vital blocks to atone for his earlier misfortunes, and when all was said and done, we just about got it over the line. It wasn’t pretty, but we’re top of the league, and I couldn’t be happier.
The Reds welcome Bologna to Anfield on Wednesday evening in the second matchday of the Champions League. Disclaimer: I will be on an airplane for the match and therefore will most likely be unable to write a review. I’ll do my best to get the MW7 predictions out on Friday, though. To be completely honest, I don’t know a great deal about Bologna. I know that they experienced somewhat unexpected success last season in achieving qualification for the Champions League, and I know that they’ve got some quality Swiss players—Freuler and Ndoye—but past that, I don’t think I’ve ever watched them play for 90 minutes. It should be an adventure, as Anfield on a Champions League night so often is, and we should be moving on to Matchday 3 with six points. As of now, Federico Chiesa and Diogo Jota have been ruled out of the match due to minor knocks—time for some chaos.
Prediction: 3-1 Liverpool
First Goal Scorer: Darwin Núñez
Anytime Goal Scorers: Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Santiago Castro
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