Abhay Singh
On Saturday, Mohamed Salah’s decisive penalty propelled Liverpool to the summit of the Premier League, securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory against a resilient Wolves side. The Egypt international’s crucial goal came in the second half, responding superbly after Rayan Ait Nouri had equalized Ibrahima Konate’s initial strike for Liverpool.
Salah’s clinical finish not only showcased his prowess but also underlined Liverpool’s determination to succeed in a closely contested match.
Arne Slot’s side have won five of their six league games
With five victories from their six league games this season, Arne Slot’s team leads second-place Manchester City by one point. Earlier in the afternoon, Manchester City was held to a 1-1 draw against Newcastle.
Although Slot maintained this week that Liverpool still has to establish themselves as title challengers, the Dutchman has left a lasting impression on Anfield since replacing Jurgen Klopp.
Following their unexpected defeat at home by Nottingham Forest, the Reds have won four straight games across all competitions. As the last minutes of their most recent victory drew near, Liverpool supporters crammed into one side of Molineux loudly yelled Slot’s name.
The 46-year-old has orchestrated one of Liverpool’s most impressive managerial debuts in history. It will be difficult for even Slot to refute their title credentials if they keep going at this rate.
The only thing that worried Slot was that Scotland’s left-back Andrew Robertson had to limp off due to a late injury.
He said “The first 20 minutes weren’t great. It was a real tough start for us but eventually we took control of the game and scored the first goal, Wolves have a really good game plan for every opponent and it was the same for us. It’s always nice to win, especially away.”
Liverpool, who last won the championship in 2020, will play their second Champions League match on Wednesday at home against Bologna, then travel the following weekend to Crystal Palace.
Wolves, currently at the bottom of the table, faced a challenging match due to a virus. Despite their dire circumstances, they played competitively in the first half. Matheus Cunha’s curler tested Alisson Becker, and Wolves keeper Sam Johnstone made a superb save to block Dominik Szoboszlai’s close-range effort.
Without a clean-sheet in their previous 17 league games
Wolves couldn’t hold out for long—they hadn’t kept a clean sheet in their previous 17 league games—and Konate broke the tie in first-half stoppage time. Jota performed a good job of heading over a pinpoint cross from the left, and Konate timed his run to force Johnstone’s feeble attempt at a six-yard save with his header. After three years at Liverpool, it was the French center back’s first Premier League goal.
Early in the second half, Salah had a great chance to double Liverpool’s lead, but he missed it. After receiving a pass from Johnstone on the boundary of his own area, Mario Lemina foolishly gave up the ball to Salah, who had the goal at his mercy but missed the chance.
In the 56th minute, wolves took advantage of that escape to equalize, due to a disjointed Liverpool defense. After a misunderstanding with Alisson, Konate attempted to let the ball run for a goal-kick, but Jorgen Strand Larsen shoved him aside and found Carlos Forbs. After Forbs was unable to convert and Ait-Nouri eventually stabbed home from close range, Liverpool once more failed to contain the danger.
In the 61st minute, Jota was sent off in the area by Nelson Semedo for a challenge for Alexander-Arnold’s cross, and Slot’s team responded forcefully. With his sixth goal of the year, Salah stepped up to blast the penalty past Johnstone.
After Forbs broke through on goal, Konate made up for his earlier error with a last-ditch tackle that deflected the forward’s attempt over.
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