Premier League: Wolverhampton vs Liverpool 3-0 Match Report

Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Liverpool 3-0 at Molineux in the Premier League on Saturday.

Wolverhampton Wanderers moved back out of the Premier League relegation zone thanks to a 3-0 win over struggling Liverpool at Molineux.

Julen Lopetegui’s side slipped into the bottom three thanks to Everton’s win over Arsenal earlier in the day, but they wasted no time getting over the line again, capitalizing on Liverpool’s current poor form.

The hosts scored twice in the space of 12 minutes after Joel Matip broke the deadlock with an own goal, before Craig Dawson scored on his debut to double the lead.

It was another nightmare start for Liverpool, who left Manager Jurgen Klopp on the sidelines in disbelief, and it could have been worse before the break with Matheus Nunes and Dawson going begging.

The Reds at least improved in the second half but were unable to convert them and another poor performance ended after 20 minutes when Ruben Neves scored the hosts’ third to secure a first home win against Liverpool. sealed. 1981.

Having beaten Wolves in the FA Cup at Molineux just two-and-a-half weeks ago, Liverpool are unbeaten in their last nine league games at the stadium and have won 11 in a row home and away against tonight’s opponents, so Klopp was the match. . it could have been ideal to stop the rot and finally get a first win since 2023.

Such thoughts were banished for the Liverpool manager during an agonizing 12 minutes, even as he saw his side’s poor defending hand Wolves – a team who had scored just 12 goals last season – a 2-0 lead -0 at double time.

The first saw new signing Pablo Sarabia throw the ball in front which Matip Hwang left Hee-chan unchallenged in his penalty area and it was still not close enough as the Wolves striker turned the ball back into the middle, Matip’s knee shot wide. from paint.

It was the first time Wolves had scored in the first five minutes of a league game, while Liverpool had conceded more goals than any other team that season.

Matip’s own goal also meant Liverpool equaled last season’s tally of goals conceded in their 20th game of the season, surpassing that unwanted figure just seven minutes later.

Again guilty of poor defending as this time Matheus Cunha was allowed to collect the ball in the box after a corner as he sat crosswise in the box which Joe Gomez brought down Alisson Becker only to shake his head. . in a dangerous area.

Wolves’ first shot was blocked, but the rebound then fell to Dawson, who scored in January, who slipped past the keeper to send Molineux into dreamland.

The Reds were in danger of competing in last month’s defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion – a performance Klopp described as the worst of his managerial career – although they have somewhat steadied the ship since their nightmare start.

However, Wolves could, and perhaps should, have extended their lead before half-time when Alisson blocked Nunes in a one-on-one after latching on to a rampant Matip in possession, and Dawson made it all go wrong with an unmarked header.

In response, Liverpool could only create half a chance for Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, although none really tested Jose Sa in the Wolves goal.

The visitors improved in the second half as Salah made his 200th appearance for the club and Nunez squandered his best chance when he fired directly at Sa after receiving a pass from Alexander-Arnold that had split the defence.

However, a comeback, as we have seen so often under Klopp, never seemed likely, and such hopes were definitively extinguished when Neves burst into the box late to collect Adama Traore’s pass and calmly complete a thunderous finish. attack: the first time Wolves have scored three goals in a league match since March.

Raúl Jiménez had a late chance to turn things around for the hosts and his revival continued under Lopetegui, the first time they have won back-to-back league games at home since November 2021.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have lost six of their 10 Premier League away games this season, including the last three, but have conceded exactly three goals in each of them, and their away record for the season is in the offing. only eight points out of a possible. 30. .

Just as concerning is that the Reds have failed to score in three straight games for the first time since January 2021.

The defeat leaves Liverpool in 10th place in the Premier League table, still 10 points away from Champions League places, although the gap could increase to 13 if Newcastle United beat West Ham United later in the day.

Wolves meanwhile moved up to 15th in the table, now two points out of the relegation zone, with Everton slipping back into the bottom three.

Meanwhile, Liverpool face Everton in the Merseyside derby in their next game, while Wolves visit relegation rivals Southampton.

Lineups:

Wolverhampton (4-4-2) :

 Sa, Semedo, Dawson, Kilman, Ait-Nouri (Jonny 83), Neves, Lemina (Podence 83), Nunes, Hwang (Adama 42), Sarabia (Moutinho 60), Cunha (Jimenez 60).

Unused subs:  Bentley, Bueno, Collins, Hodge.

Liverpool (4-3-3): 

Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Matip, Robertson (Tsimikas, 86), Bajcetic (Elliott, 76), Thiago (Milner, 86), Keita (Henderson, 65), Salah, Gakpo (Oxlade-Chamberlain, 86), Nunez.

Unused subs: Kelleher, Jones, Carvalho, Phillips.

Scorers:

Bookings: