Bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers stun lacklustre Liverpool in late 2-1 win
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(From left) Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister and Rio Ngumoha react after Andre's late goal at Molineux, on Feb 3.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON – Captain Virgil van Dijk said his team were “slow, predictable and sloppy” after late goals saw bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers secure a 2-1 English Premier League victory over Liverpool at the Molineux on March 3.
Rodrigo Gomes and Andre struck late on to give the home side back-to-back wins over top-five teams, following their 2-0 victory over Aston Villa.
Liverpool have 48 points from 29 games and are fifth in the table, while Wolves’ recent improvement has moved them to 16 points from 30 matches.
Victory for Chelsea at Villa in a late match on March 4 would see champions Liverpool drop to sixth and out of the Champions League qualification places after a ninth league defeat of the campaign. They have not lost 10 league games in a season for a decade.
Van Dijk told TNT Sports: “I think it’s down to ourselves. We were slow, we were predictable and sloppy in possession and wrong with decision-making...
“If you perform like that, then a result like this could be the result of that. That’s the fact and that’s disappointing from tonight...
“Today we had the majority of possession, but we were still making the wrong decisions I think and couldn’t find the end product.”
Liverpool manager Arne Slot responded to his skipper’s comments, saying: “Slow or predictable are words I can understand he uses.
“If you want to go further, you have to be able to dominate on each side because then something can happen. We struggled to dominate on the sides today.”
There is no doubt Wolves have improved under manager Rob Edwards and their goals came either side of a strike by Mohamed Salah as he ended his 10-game goal drought with a fine finish.
The teams will meet at the same venue on March 6 for their FA Cup fifth-round tie.
“It is a bad result. It was far from good in the first half; second half there was a bit more urgency,” Slot told TNT Sports.
“We were getting closer to scoring but then conceded from probably the first moment they had around our box.
“We create enough chances but we find it hard to convert those into goals.
“We are losing far too many football games and dropping points. But we have something to play on Friday (in the FA Cup).”
Wolves led after 78 minutes when a quick break provided an opportunity for Gomes and he produced a clever finish with his right foot.
The visitors sprang into life after that and Salah ended almost 900 minutes in the Premier League without a goal when he benefited from a stray pass, burst into the box and finished expertly past Jose Sa in the Wolves goal.
Salah has not scored fewer than 18 goals for Liverpool in a Premier League season. That was his fifth this campaign.
Liverpool looked the most likely to win it from there, but Wolves kept attacking and were rewarded when Andre’s shot deflected off Joe Gomez and into the net in the fourth minute of added time.
“It was an amazing night, winning two games in a row here under the lights – it is an amazing feeling,” Gomes said.
“It is maybe a little late (in the season), but we need to keep going, keep this momentum and keep believing in ourselves.”
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Andre celebrates scoring the team’s second goal with teammate Joao Gomes (top).
PHOTO: AFP
The Reds have lost five Premier League games due to stoppage-time goals this campaign, more than any team in a single season in the competition’s history.
Added-time goals have also seen them draw two league matches this term.
Said Slot: “That it happens in extra time might be a coincidence, maybe, although it happens so many times.” REUTERS
