Tired Reds limp past toothless Wolves
Liverpool 2 Wolves 1, 16th February 2025
LIVERPOOL 2 (Díaz 15, Salah 37)
WOLVES 1 (Cunha 67)
Since the earliest games of the season and perhaps a couple of wins post their 0–1 reverse to Nottingham Forest in early September, I’ve been utterly convinced the Mighty Reds of Liverpool would win the Premier League this season. Blind fan loyalty perhaps or the simple fact that game on game Arne Slot has remarkably picked up the reins and the squad bequeathed him by Jürgen Klopp and turned his squad of players and, crucially, Slot’s preferred starting XI, into relentless winners again, I’ve been as convinced as ever that Virgil van Dijk will be the first man in a soon to be May of this year to touch and then hoist the silver Premier League trophy high, and into a joyous Liverpool sky. They won today 2–1 without registering a single shot on or off target in the entirety of a second half of football whereby they held on by their fingertips to a lowly, toothless Wolves threatened by relegation. Not a criticism, just an ugly truth, as is the lack of squad reinforcement in the summer (at Slot’s overall request) and even in January when his squad was already paper thin. Everton on Wednesday was a horror show, but they didn’t lose despite being completely outplayed for large parts of a second half the Reds simply didn’t play. Today, and turned around from the kick-off to attack The Kop End in the first half they were perfunctory if unspectacular in taking a 2–0 half-time lead.
But a whisper quiet Anfield crowd could sense something was in the air, a second half starting as it meant to continue with an early Wolves strike at goal, a Mo Salah goal rightly disallowed, a penalty given by a referee today who couldn’t be helpful to the Reds in the first half but was now contradicting his own on-field decision following advice from VAR, and another correct decision was eventually made. From hereon in the ugly truths continue: a Liverpool team whilst not manning the barricades were certainly happy with a 2 goal lead then reduced to just 1 by a brilliant curling strike from Matheus Cunha with 23 minutes remaining and not threatening the visitors goal, at all, happy now to cling on desperately for a much needed win and 3 Premier League points. Which they secured, but only just, and an Anfield crowd so silent this afternoon now raising their collective voice to will the team over the line with every free-kick and goal-kick won greeted by roars of relief filled approval, and a tired looking Liverpool inching over the winning line.
For this team, this starting XI with very little in the way of experienced squad depth on which to fall back on, look tired and weary and perhaps the Everton game on Wednesday has temporarily knocked the stuffing out of them or it’s the relentless grind of a game every 3 or 4 days and with their absence from the FA Cup and a League Cup Final on the horizon together with two-legged knock-out football in the Champions League, a game every 3 or 4 days that are must win affairs lest Arsenal close the gap in the Premier League or a heartbreaking Wembley defeat to Newcastle or a first leg reverse in Europe they can’t overcome in the return fixture.
Perhaps I’m being pessimistic and over-reacting (for the first time this season) and, it has to be said, on my birthday too. Perhaps I’ve eaten too much delicious mint chocolate birthday cake? Perhaps. But here’s an even uglier truth: Had Liverpool faced a quality and worthy opposition today there’s a good chance they would have squandered another 2–1 lead or perish the thought, lost. For they were poor today. Tired, leggy, directionless even, and thank heavens for Virgil van Dijk and captain fantastic in defence marshalling the troops.
Aston Villa away on Wednesday was always going to be a tough fixture and Arne Slot has to reinvigorate his team and find their early season zip and game dominance again, but I see parallels to seasons of recent past. Here’s hoping my fears are unfounded.
Piece of mint chocolate birthday cake anyone?
Arne’s Afterword
“Yeah, clearly it was relief at the end, especially after what happened on Wednesday. Those last eight minutes, and especially the last minute where we conceded a goal, you are so frustrated because you know that moment can also have impact for the next game or for the next games that are coming up. And I think you saw today after us conceding the 2–1 that maybe for the first time this season we were a bit, ‘Ooh…’ after conceding in the last minute against Everton. I think that was in our heads a bit and that’s also why we, as a team, were so furious on Wednesday”.
“I don’t think the nerves were too much, I think it also had to do with how Wolves came out. On Wednesday, we showed immense mentality in the most difficult circumstances we faced this season and then going 2–1 up and then playing the last 15, 20 minutes the way we played with all the things that happened in those 15 to 20 minutes, and to come out with a draw, that was very, very, very hard to take. And then today, 2–0 up, we had to deal with thinking we scored the 3–0 — completely the correct decision that he disallowed it for offside. Thinking we were going to score the 3–0 with a penalty Mo, again, in my opinion, the correct decision for the VAR to turn that decision over. And then immediately receiving the 2–1, that is mentally not always easy — and that’s why these wins are probably even more important than when we outplay Tottenham like we did here two weeks ago with 4–0”.
Thanks for reading. I pen my thoughts on every Liverpool game and in recent seasons, with the addition of numerous pieces of retro writing on Reds games of the past, I’ve curated and created the following two self-published books:
A final word from The Boss" - link to Amazon
"Chasing the Impossible and a Sword of Damocles" - link to Amazon
Whilst you’re here I may as well brag about the release of my trilogy of recently self-published books too. Beautiful covers eh! As the title(s) would suggest, this is my life at the movies or at least from 1980 to 2024, and in volume 1 you’ll find 80 spoiler free appraisals of movies from debut filmmakers, 91 of the very best films appraised with love and absent of spoilers from 1990–2024 in volume 2, and in volume 3 you’ll find career “specials” on Paul Thomas Anderson and Quentin Tarantino together with the very best of the rest and another 87 spoiler free film reviews from 2001–2024.
All available in hardback and paperback and here are some handy links:
"A Life at the Movies Vol.1" - link to Amazon
"A Life at the Movies Vol.2" - link to Amazon
"A Life at the Movies Vol.3" - link to Amazon