Wolves 1 (Ait-Nouri 57) Liverpool 2 (Konate 45+2, Salah 60 pen)
Wolves put in a spirited performance under the lights at Molineux against an in-form Liverpool side, but it wasn’t enough to avoid falling to a 2-1 defeat.
The only disappointment in a solid first half display from the hosts came in injury time when Ibrahima Konate headed home from a Diogo Jota cross to see the visitors go in 1-0 up at the break.
The home side got themselves back on level terms in the 57th minute as dogged Wolves pressing in the Liverpool box and tentative defending saw the ball to fall to Rayan Ait-Nouri to tap home.
Joy turned to despair only three minutes later when Nelson Semedo bundled Jota to the ground and Mohamed Salah fired home from the penalty spot, compounding Wolves’ misery as their search for a first league victory of the season goes on.
Wolves were keen to kick-start their season at home and it was a positive start from the Old Gold, who looked to impose themselves on the game in the early minutes.
Chances were fairly limited for both sides in the first quarter of an hour. Wolves’ first effort saw Jean-Ricner Bellegarde cut inside from a throw-in, but the shot was a tame one. Up the other end, Salah’s floated ball into the box from the right was easily taken by Sam Johnstone. Moments later, the Reds broke down the left as Andrew Robertson fizzed a ball across the box, but Ait-Nouri eased Salah off at the back post to watch the ball out.
Joao Gomes and Andre were at the heart of a lot of the positive work from the home side, with Jorgen Strand Larsen linking up well up front. The neat play nearly paid off when a long ball from Santiago Bueno found Semedo out wide. The right-back wriggled past three Liverpool players to deliver a cross that just evaded the Wolves attackers, but the home side continued to build the pressure.
Wolves showed solidity and discipline for much of the first half, limiting the visitors to only half-chances, but their good work was nearly undone when Virgil van Dijk slipped a ball into the channel for Robertson. His inviting ball into the box was met by Dominik Szoboszlai in the middle of the six-yard box, but Johnstone made a spectacular point-blank save with his legs.
The home side failed to make any real advances as the half moved towards its conclusion and suffered in first-half injury time as the visitors took the lead. Former Old Gold man Jota beat Strand Larsen out wide before delivering an inch-perfect cross into the box that was met with purpose by Konate.
Half-time | Wolves 0 Liverpool 1
Buoyed by their half-time lead, Liverpool looked to dictate in the early stages of the second half, and Wolves were nearly their own worst enemy as Mario Lemina’s misplaced pass across the back line was intercepted by Salah, who failed to hit the back of an empty net.
The early introduction of Carlos Forbs for Bellegarde was intended to give the home side some impetus and it was Forbs who was involved in Wolves getting back on level terms. Matheus Cunha played through Strand Larsen down the middle and some tentative defending allowed the striker to pull the ball back. Forbs was waiting but couldn’t get his feet sorted but Ait Nouri was on hand to slot home for his first goal of the season.
If Wolves hoped the equaliser would bring them a foothold in the game, those hopes were quickly dashed when shortly after the kick-off, Semedo pulled down Jota in the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Salah stepped up and sent Johnstone the wrong way to restore Liverpool’s lead.
The visitors looked to regain control and Salah was soon in once more, cutting inside from the right and firing a shot on target, which Johnstone was able to collect on the second attempt.
Another impressive performance from Andre almost led to a second for Wolves. The Brazilian held off his man in Wolves’ third before sliding a neat ball into Cunha, who fed Forbs through down the middle. The Portuguese ran determinedly at the Liverpool defence but saw his shot deflected.
As Wolves sought to get back into the game, Tommy Doyle replaced Bueno, with Lemina stepping back into defence, and the new-look back line was immediately tested as Salah cut the ball back in the box to Curtis Jones, drawing a save at the near post from Johnstone.
The visitors continued to press in the final ten minutes but failed to stretch their advantage, while Wolves searched for a breakthrough but struggled to carve out any real chances, falling to their fifth defeat of the season.
Full-time | Wolves 1 Liverpool 2
Wolves | Johnstone, Semedo, Bueno (Doyle 76), Toti, Ait-Nouri, Andre, J Gomes, Lemina, Bellegarde (Forbs 51), Cunha, Strand Larsen (Hwang 68).
Unused subs | Sa, Doherty, Pond, Sarabia, R Gomes, Guedes.
Liverpool | Alisson, van Dijk, Konate, Diaz (Gakpo 72), Szoboszlai (Jones 72), Mac Allister, Salah, Jota, Robertson (Gomez 88), Gravenberch, Alexander-Arnold.
Unused subs | Kelleher, Endo, Chiesa, Tsimikas, Quansah, Bradley.
