Liverpool hold on for vital three points
Liverpool 2 - 1 Wolves
Mohamed Salah extended his red-hot scoring form as a nervy Liverpool saw off Wolves to stretch their lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points.
The Egyptian forward calmly converted from the penalty spot, making it five goals in four league matches, with manager Arne Slot watching from the sidelines.
Slot was shown a red card following Liverpool’s Merseyside derby draw with Everton, but the Dutchman has until Wednesday to respond to the FA’s charge.
Determined to put Everton’s dramatic 98th-minute equaliser behind them, Liverpool started brightly at Anfield and took the lead after 15 minutes, thanks to Luis DÃaz’s persistence.
The Colombian ended a 10-game goal drought by bundling the ball over the line after Salah’s pass was deflected in the box by Wolves defender Toti Gomes.
Liverpool doubled their advantage 22 minutes later when referee Simon Hooper awarded a penalty after Wolves keeper José Sá brought down DÃaz. Salah made no mistake, firing straight down the middle for his 23rd league goal of the season.
At half-time, it seemed Liverpool were on course for a routine win, but Wolves striker Matheus Cunha had other ideas. He beautifully curled home his 12th league goal of the campaign in the 67th minute, extending Liverpool’s run without a home clean sheet since 1st December.
Liverpool thought they had another penalty just after the hour mark when Emmanuel Agbadou was penalised for a foul on Diogo Jota. However, after a VAR review, the decision was overturned, with replays showing there was no contact on the Portuguese forward.
Wolves had their chances late on, with debutant Marshall Munetsi forcing a superb one-on-one save from Alisson, before João Gomes created space brilliantly but fired over the bar.
As Wolves pressed for an equaliser, tension grew around Anfield, but Liverpool held firm to restore their seven-point cushion at the top of the table.
Best reaction to a vital Liverpool win
Liverpool v Wolves. A vital win for the home side at Anfield. Highlights here - youtu.be/OdpSS82s1xw?... Footage below from SkySports
— European Super Football (@superfootball.bsky.social) 16 February 2025 at 17:26
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Liverpool season ticket holder Holly reflected on the match: "Not sure the stats tell the full story here. Liverpool had a goal disallowed and a penalty overturned, so Wolves were lucky to still be in it. That said, they had Liverpool pinned back at times. Sometimes, when you're chasing a title, you just have to dig in and defend – and that's exactly what they did."
Fellow fan Tom Booth added: "Hard-fought win for Liverpool. These are the types of games that make the difference in a title race. We absolutely had to get three points – well done, Reds!"
