WOLVERHAMPTON, England — Liverpool cannot claim they were not forewarned. Even prior to the match commencing at Molineux on Tuesday night, the approach of the home team, Wolverhampton Wanderers, was succinctly captured in a banner displayed over the center circle, reading: “Fear Nothing.”
Although they sit at the bottom of the Premier League standings with minimal prospects of avoiding relegation, Wolves’ recent victory against high-flying Aston Villa indicated their determination to fight for their esteemed top-flight status. Indeed, Rob Edwards’ squad dealt a significant blow to Liverpool when midfielder André’s shot deflected past Alisson Becker, leading the Reds to another disheartening late defeat.
The Brazil international’s winner in the 94th minute means Liverpool has now suffered five losses due to goals conceded after the 90th minute this season—the highest number for any team in a single Premier League campaign. Alongside the defeats to Wolves, Manchester City, AFC Bournemouth, Chelsea, and Crystal Palace, Liverpool has also allowed injury-time equalisers against Fulham and Leeds United, resulting in the loss of nine crucial points.
This season has been marked by late drama—both positive and negative—and Liverpool’s tendency to reveal their vulnerabilities has frequently been their downfall. A mix of misfortune and defensive errors set the stage for Wolves’ last-minute winner, handing the reigning Premier League champions a 2-1 defeat against the league’s bottom team.
While the Reds may lament the uncalled foul on Dominik Szoboszlai and the significant deflection off Joe Gomez, the troubling frequency of their collapses this season indicates that this is not merely a tale of bad luck.
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Before Tuesday’s match in the West Midlands, Liverpool manager Arne Slot was asked for his thoughts on the Premier League’s growing emphasis on physicality and set pieces, to which he responded candidly: “Do I like it? My football heart doesn’t like it.”
While his remarks may have resonated with some, there was little in Liverpool’s performance against Wolves that would have pleased football purists. The first half at Molineux was largely uneventful, with Cody Gakpo’s weak attempt on goal being the only notable chance created by the visitors, who have been guilty of allowing too many matches to slip away this season.
Wolves, on the other hand, were content to let Slot’s team control possession and awaited their opportunity to strike. They seized it with force in the 78th minute when Tolu Arokodare overpowered Virgil van Dijk and found Rodrigo Gomez, who skillfully lifted the ball over Alisson to convert the hosts’ first shot on target.
According to Opta, this marks the second-latest a team has scored with their first shot in a Premier League match, following Fulham vs. Newcastle in October 2022 (88th minute). The score was equalized just five minutes later when Mohamed Salah intercepted a loose pass from Jean Ricner-Bellegarde and slotted it past José Sá.
This was Salah’s first Premier League goal since November 1, but while the Egypt international finally ended his drought, his overall lack of effectiveness once again highlighted Liverpool’s deficiency in width. On the opposite flank, Gakpo’s most significant contribution came when he seemingly prevented a certain goal from Curtis Jones in the second half, before being substituted shortly after the hour mark.
Despite last summer’s record expenditure of nearly £450 million, Liverpool once again finds themselves needing significant changes to address the evident gaps in their squad and to form a creative unit capable of breaking down increasingly resolute Premier League defenses. The return of midfielder Florian Wirtz—currently sidelined with a back issue—cannot come soon enough.
Nevertheless, Slot’s team should have possessed sufficient attacking strength to overcome a side that, prior to Tuesday night, had secured only two league victories all season. Their eagerness to seek a winner—once again this term—left them exposed defensively and allowed Andre to take a chance from the edge of the penalty area.
This risk proved fruitful for the Brazilian, as his shot sent the home fans into a frenzy and prompted manager Edwards to sprint down the touchline. That Liverpool’s shortcomings have sparked such exuberant celebrations on numerous occasions this season is perhaps the most telling critique of their tumultuous campaign.
“How do I sum this up?” Slot stated in his post-match press conference. “Same old story. Recently we are accumulating points because we score frequently from set pieces, but what hasn’t changed in the last five, six, or seven games is that we struggle and find it very difficult to score from the open play chances we do create.
“Not as much as I would like from all the ball possession we have, but enough and far more than the other team. But the end result is we scored one and they scored two, including another one in injury time, so it sums up our season again.”
This is a reasonable evaluation from the Dutchman, but one that has been too frequently applicable this season.
Too often this term, Liverpool have faced the “same old story.” They are quickly running out of matches to alter the conclusion of their campaign.
