Liverpool will have 5 Premier League matches in 15 days, starting this streak with a match against Wolves at Anfield. Arne Slot's team completed the task with 3 points and a score of 2-1. Contrary to the prediction of a big win against their opponents, The Kop only won by 1 goal.
With only 15 minutes left for the Wolves game, Liverpool fans in Anfield began to feel worried. The away team had a goal to reduce the gap in the 67th minute and are raising their formation to find a draw. Andy Robertson signaled his teammates to calm down. Instead of deploying the ball up, he passed it back to goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
In the final minutes, there was a situation where instead of catching easily, Alisson punched the ball out. Not long after, Liverpool's midfield sweepers such as Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch broke the ball quite awkwardly. Even Wataru Endo had to retreat very deep many times after being put on the field to support the defense. When Liverpool received a free kick from Wolves in the extra minute, the Japanese star and his teammates celebrated as if they had just scored. At that moment, Liverpool knew the time had come and they would win.
When the match ended, Liverpool were still 7 points ahead of Arsenal, but the slogan " Liverpool's Group leader" was no longer clearly felt in the Anfield stands.
"When the players leave the pitch, I felt they looked a little depressed. This was clearly not our best performance, it showed how high Liverpool have been playing since the beginning of the season.
I told the players that this win was much more meaningful than defeating Tottenham 4-0 in the recent League Cup semi-finals. If you don't keep a strong spirit to win these tough games, you'll never achieve anything. This explains why I and the players were so disappointed after the draw with Everton, until now that feeling is still there" - Arne Slot shared.
The reason for the concern for Slot and Liverpool fans is that the way the team handled Wolves in the second half was not the same as the image they had built since the beginning of the season. When Matheus Cunha shortened the gap for the away team, Liverpool lost their composure to the point of not being able to regain their original calmness. If the match had lasted a few more minutes, it is unknown whether Alisson's net would have shaken again.
"When it was 2-0, we thought we needed to score one more goal. Liverpool tried to do it but VAR handled it correctly in the offside situation and awarded a penalty. Immediately after that, when the score was shortened to 1-2, it was really not easy at all.
There are many people who say Liverpool have Mohamed Salah and he will score at all costs. It is difficult to win at the current intensity of 3 days/match. That is why this victory is so important when the first 2 weeks are extremely difficult. We need to show better spirit and ability to play football" - Arne Slot shared.
Liverpool have seen Aston Villa and Manchester City in front of their eyes this week. If they fall into the same situation as against Wolves, they will pay the price immediately. In their recent match at Anfield, which was the first time since the 2003-2004 season, The Kop did not have any shots at the opponent's goal in the second half.
The last thing Arne Slot needs to worry about is whether the level of reserve players will be enough to compete from now until the end of the season? Liverpool brought on four players in this match. Three of them, Wataru Endo, Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley, played well, only Darwin Nunez was disappointed in the context of the home team needing a goal. The Uruguayan striker completed only 4/8 passes, won 2/5 of the challenges and directly weakened the home team's attack.
From now until the end of the Premier League season, Liverpool will play 7/11 matches at Anfield. As long as they keep calm, the worrying atmosphere like before Wolves will disappear. Man City and Aston Villa are very strong but Liverpool should not forget that they are truly the dominators at the moment.
