Wolves vs Liverpool: Five things we learned as Sadio Mane inspires Reds to victory
Liverpool returned to winning ways in the Premier League by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 on Monday night.
The big early chance of the night fell to Sadio Mane after being played through, but in trying to round Rui Patricio he was forced slightly wide and the opportunity was quickly closed out.
Wolves had a couple of half-openings of their own, with Nelson Semedo denied by Alisson Becker and Ruben Neves smashing an effort wide, but most of the first 45 minutes were dominated by the Reds and they ended the half with the deserved lead as Diogo Jota finished off a sweeping counter against his old team.
Conor Coady headed a cross over the bar as Wolves came out fast after the restart, but the early rush soon fizzled out and it became a half of both teams waiting for counter-attacking chances, with few clear sights of goal.
Mane and Jota both curled efforts on-target, but very close to Patricio, before the Wolves keeper had to be stretchered off late in the game following a collision with team-mate Coady.
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Here are five things we learned from the match at Molineux.
Mane’s return to prominence
The Liverpool No. 10 was the best player on the park.
He should have scored at least twice, he wasn’t in his absolute best form, but he did everything else – on and off the ball – that the manager could have asked of him.
The left-sided forward was everywhere in terms of pressuring and tackling the defence, but also tracking back deep into his own half to double up on Adama Traore.
Going forward, he was happy to carry the ball past multiple challenges, winning free-kicks or opening up space as he rode tackles and then often picking the right pass at the end. A fine performance which leaves him just needing a league goal to be back to something like his finest.
Jota back to wound Wolves
It had to be him, didn’t it? Only just back to fitness after several months out, and Diogo Jota is back on the scoresheet for Liverpool.
The former Wolves man was regularly involved in the Reds’ counter-attacking play, helped win turnovers in dangerous areas and, of course, netted the opening goal.
His direct running and willingness to take the shot on early was the big factor, catching Rui Patricio out a little at the near post with his weaker left foot.
Defensively it’s also worth noting his hard work for the team in much deeper areas: he often fell into the left-back area and the spaces in front of defence to help close out spaces, despite nominally starting as the Reds’ centre-forward.
Wolves goal threat
It has been a season-long issue, but one particularly in evidence since the absence of Raul Jimenez.
Coming into this match, Wolves had netted an average of just one goal per game – and first-half goals are a real rarity.
They had one or two early openings, Semedo’s being the most clear-cut, but beyond that it was extremely forced for the most part with a few tame efforts being either headers or strikes from range through a number of bodies.
Willian Jose can claim to have made a number of runs which weren’t spotted by team-mates, but for much of the game it was a case of perspiration without inspiration for the home team’s attacking players.
Kabak at the back
A big positive for the Reds over the past couple of matches has been Fabinho’s return to holding midfield, but that wouldn’t have been as much of a boost if those behind him had been in poor form.
The Nat Phillips – Ozan Kabak partnership has started nicely, though, and the latter in particular took a big step here with another assured display.
His covering work was good, playing out from the back was done in accomplished fashion and he made several good challenges and clearances when stepping out of the deep line to avert any sustained pressure.
Sure, Adama Traore raced past him once or twice down the wing – few centre-backs can keep pace there every time for 90 minutes – but even against the speedy front man, his positional work was good enough at times to avert the need for a footrace.
European ambitions
With points dropped by West Ham, Spurs, Everton and Chelsea over the weekend, Liverpool knew this match presented an opportunity to regain ground.
It was a big struggle to stay in control, especially in the closing stages, but the points on the board were all that mattered on this occasion and the win will feel like a big one.
The Reds move up to sixth, while Wolves can now realistically aim for nothing more than trying to reach the top half – and even that might soon be out of reach.
If they are without Rui Patricio for any significant length of time, it will quickly be a campaign Nuno simply wants to write off and start over in summer.
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