Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Liverpool come from behind to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux

sportsmole.co.uk, 16 September 2023, 13:31
Liverpool have moved to the top of the Premier League table after coming from behind to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 at Molineux.

Wolves dominated for large periods during the first half and took an early lead thanks to Hee-chan Hwang's goal.

The hosts squandered more than one good opportunity though and Liverpool punished them as they came back into the contest in the second half.

Cody Gakpo's equaliser brought Jurgen Klopp's men back into the game, before Andy Robertson popped up with a crucial goal five minutes from time.

Hugo Bueno's own goal in injury time sealed the three points for Liverpool as Klopp's men move above Manchester City to the Premier League summit for the first time in 16 months.

Wolves remain down in 15th after a fourth loss from five games, and they could slip further before the end of the weekend.

Gary O'Neil handed a Wolves debut to deadline day signing Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and he instantly looked lively, driving at the heart of the Liverpool defence in the opening minute.

That would be a precursor to how much of the first 45 minutes went, as Liverpool struggled to get to grips with Wolves' direct attacking play.

It was all Wolves in the opening exchanges, and the hosts took advantage by going ahead inside seven minutes thanks to Hwang's acute-angle finish.

Excellent play down the left-wing by Pedro Neto saw him breeze past Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Dominik Szoboszlai before his square ball found an unmarked Hwang, whose effort crept through the legs of Alisson in the Liverpool goal.

Neto was involved again just moments later when Gomez completely missed Nelson Semedo's cross, but the Portuguese winger made the wrong contact and blazed over.

Former Wolves man Diogo Jota got a rather unwelcome reception from the Molineux crowd, and they were delighted when their former hero sent a volley a long way over Jose Sa's crossbar in Liverpool's first attempt on goal after 13 minutes.

Wolves maintained their control of the match though, and Craig Dawson, who has a fine scoring record against Liverpool, squandered an excellent chance from a corner, taking his eye off the ball and mistiming his header after finding space in the box.

Then with 10 minutes remaining of the first half, Wolves wasted arguably their best chance of the game, when more Neto magic up against Gomez saw him beat the stand-in right-back with ease before providing a brilliant cross for Matheus Cunha, who tried a header but saw the ball awkwardly bounce off his thigh as the chance got away.

Klopp cut a frustrated and irate figure at times on the touchline, but Liverpool came into the game a little more towards the end of the first half, with Gakpo missing the target with two half chances.

Robertson was the provider for one of those opportunities, and it was from another of his crosses where Liverpool almost found their equaliser.

In first half stoppage time, the left-back's dangerous delivery was flapped by Sa, before Rayan Ait-Nouri blocked Mohamed Salah's initial effort, with the goalkeeper getting back to his feet to deny Szoboszlai on the rebound.

A hectic first half was rounded off with more frustration for Cunha, after his promising run opened up plenty of space, but his effort sailed high over the bar when he had options either side of him.

Liverpool looked much improved in the second half, and their equaliser did come 10 minutes after the restart, with Gakpo levelling for the visitors.

After Salah found space on the right, his shot-cum-cross evaded three Wolves defenders and Gakpo was on hand for a tap-in, a touch that would go on to be his final involvement as he was taken off straight after.

Gakpo was replaced by Darwin Nunez, who came into the game carrying a knock picked up away with Uruguay during the international break.

Nunez was lively as ever, and his link-up with fellow substitute Luis Diaz almost turned the game on its head, but Sa came out and made himself big to deny the Liverpool number nine one-on-one.

In the final few minutes Liverpool looked the most likely to find a winner, and eventually it came, from the most unlikely of sources.

After Sa made a mess of his kick out, Liverpool regained possession midway through the Wolves half, as Robertson glided through the Wolves defence and got on the end of a Salah pass before sliding the ball underneath the Wolves keeper.

Wolves looked crestfallen after letting the lead slip, and there would be further damage inflicted, as Harvey Elliott's strike deflected just inside the post off left-back Bueno in stoppage time.

Despite a very long period of injury time, Liverpool managed the game well and saw out a well-fought 3-1 victory on the road.

Wolves travel to newly-promoted Luton Town next weekend, while Liverpool have a trip to Linz first before returning to league action, facing LASK in the Europa League on Thursday.

The Reds will then face fellow Europa League contestants West Ham United at Anfield in the league next Sunday.

Top News

26 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona are reportedly considering making a move for Hull City forward Jaden Philogene during this summer's transfer window. 26 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Euro 2024 will enter the last knockings of the group stage on Wednesday night, and while 11 of the last 16 places have already been accounted for, the battle for the remaining slots is still red hot. 26 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Erik ten Hag is reportedly on the verge of signing a new contract at Manchester United, with the finer details of the fresh agreement expected to be finalised 'this week'. 26 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Luton Town and Burnley - two clubs relegated from the Premier League - will square off on the opening day of the 2024-25 Championship season. 26 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The transfer window is open! Clubs around the UK and Europe are getting business done as they look to give themselves the best possible chance at success in the new season. 26 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Slovakia vs. Romania (Wednesday, 5.00pm) In the most hotly-contested group at Euro 2024, third-placed Slovakia are set to face leaders Romania on Wednesday in Group E at Deutsche Bank Park in each side's final group stage game, and the winner could qualify for the knockout rounds in first place. 26 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fulham have reportedly stood firm on their asking price for Bayern Munich target Joao Palhinha. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo has encouraged head coach Arne Slot to sign a new "number six" in the summer transfer window. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Seeking to snap their four-match winless run, Sao Paulo play host to Criciuma at the Estadio do Morumbi in round 12 of the Brasileiro Serie A on Wednesday. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly offered out-of-favour winger Jadon Sancho to La Liga giants Barcelona this summer. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona are reportedly open to selling midfielder Ilkay Gundogan this summer amid concerns over their financial situation. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have reportedly made contact with Barcelona to inform them that they expect to sign Marc Guiu. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Denmark were evidently riding high on confidence after their impressive performance against England, as they pressed Serbia aggressively to good effect from the front and dictated the tempo of the game in possess with patient build-up play, picking their moments to get players into the opposing box. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England have finished top of Group C at Euro 2024 despite playing out a drab 0-0 draw with Slovenia at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne on Tuesday night. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The final round of Euro 2024 group matches is in full swing as teams battle it out to reach the knockout rounds in Germany. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Austria have qualified for the last 16 of Euro 2024 as Group D winners after beating the Netherlands 3-2 in a thriller at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on Tuesday evening. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk France missed out on top spot in Group D after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Poland despite Kylian Mbappe scoring his first goal at a European Championship. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England reached the Euro 2024 knockout rounds on Monday after Spain claimed a 1-0 victory in their final group game against Albania. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Borussia Dortmund striker Niclas Fullkrug has reportedly been identified as a summer transfer target by fellow Bundesliga club Stuttgart. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nottingham Forest have announced that they have completed the signing of highly-rated Eric da Silva Moreira. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The USA can potentially qualify for the knockout stage of the Copa America on Thursday when they face Panama in matchday two action at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea will reportedly face competition from a Champions League club if they pursue a deal for Hoffenheim forward Maximilian Beier. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have been handed a major boost in their efforts to sign Guido Rodriguez. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fluminense and Vitoria, both struggling at the foot of the 2024 Brasileiro Serie A table, go head-to-head on Thursday at the Maracana. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have confirmed that Nacho will be leaving the club at the end of this month. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain's Manuel Ugarte. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have reportedly been handed a major boost in their efforts to sign Nottingham Forest defender Murillo. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly interested in the signing of Roma attacker Paulo Dybala this summer. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea reportedly intend to send Alfie Gilchrist out on loan for the 2024-25 campaign. 25 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Everton have reportedly reached an agreement with Marseille to sign striker Iliman Ndiaye.