Liverpool held on for a narrow 2-1 victory over bottom-club Wolves at Anfield, moving above Chelsea into fourth place for the time being. Florian Wirtz scored what proved to be the decisive goal just before half-time, adding to Ryan Gravenberch’s opener. Wolves stayed 16 points behind 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, with the defeat deepening an already severe survival crisis.
The result did little to hide Liverpool’s nervous display, despite a fast start and long spells of control. Liverpool edged the shot count by 14 to nine and posted a marginally higher expected goals figure of 1.56 to Wolves’ 1.07. Wolves’ late pressure unsettled the home crowd, who saw several clear chances go begging for the visitors.
Liverpool’s breakthrough arrived in the
41st minute, after sustained pressure and two earlier efforts against the woodwork. Jeremie Frimpong drove into the area and cut the ball back neatly for Ryan Gravenberch. Gravenberch swept his finish past Jose Sa, giving Liverpool a deserved lead after Hugo Ekitike and Alexis Mac Allister had both struck Sa’s left post.
Liverpool doubled the advantage less than two minutes later, with Wirtz finally opening a Premier League account. Ekitike threaded a precise pass through the visitors’ defensive line, and Wirtz timed the run well to stay onside. Wirtz prodded the ball beyond Sa in the 42nd minute, appearing to put Liverpool in full control at 2-0.
Wolves had shown threat before the interval when teenage winger Mateus Mane forced Alisson into action from the edge of the box. After the break, the visitors attacked with more belief and forced Liverpool deeper. Tolu Arokodare, starting ahead of Jorgen Strand Larsen, troubled Liverpool’s defence with aerial power and movement inside the penalty area.
The visitors pulled one back in scrappy fashion, increasing tension around the stadium. Alisson reacted superbly to claw Arokodare’s towering header away from the goal line, but the danger remained. Santiago Bueno reacted quickest to the loose ball and finished from close range, giving Wolves hope and turning the closing stages into a test of Liverpool’s nerve.
Wolves’ best chance to equalise also fell to Arokodare, who found space in the box late on. Jackson Tchatchoua delivered a high, hanging cross from the right flank that invited a header. Arokodare rose above the defence but directed the ball over the crossbar, allowing Liverpool to escape with three points despite the late wobble.
Liverpool vs Wolves Premier League figures and unwanted records
For Wirtz, the winning strike carried personal significance after a long wait in the competition. The goal arrived from Wirtz’s 21st Premier League shot and came in his 17th appearance in England’s top flight. Wirtz now has attacking returns in consecutive league matches, having assisted Alexander Isak in a 2-1 win at Tottenham the previous week.
The defeat extended a bleak sequence for Wolves and head coach Rob Edwards. Edwards has lost all seven matches since returning to Molineux as head coach. Wolves have now suffered 11 straight Premier League defeats, the third-longest such run in the competition, behind Sunderland’s 20 in September 2005 and Norwich City’s 16 in September 2021.
Wolves’ wider league record underlines the scale of the challenge across this campaign. With only two points collected from 18 matches, Wolves have recorded the worst start to any Premier League season. Only Bolton Wanderers, who waited 23 games for a first win in the 1902-03 top-flight season, have ever endured a longer opening run without victory in English league history.
Liverpool gained an important win that strengthened the current position in the top-four race, yet the display revealed defensive concerns as Wolves created several strong chances. For Wolves and Rob Edwards, this latest defeat added to a historic run of poor results, leaving survival hopes faint as the season moves towards a decisive phase.
