Table of Contents
12:51 PM BST
20 min: Wolves 1 Liverpool 0
Lemina, Pedro Neto and Ait-Nouri triple team Salah when Liverpool’s talisman is found wide on the right. They smother him and Ait-Nouri pinches the ball off him.
12:50 PM BST
18 min: Wolves 1 Liverpool 0
There’s a pattern emerging in which Liverpool probe without a great sense of urgency until Wolves win the ball back and break. This time Bellegarde nicks it and bombs off, looking for Pedro Neto as usual and he hares up the left to cross. Liverpool, even with Gomez trying to play the Alexander-Arnold hybrid role and bolstering midfield, look very vulnerable on the break.
12:47 PM BST
15 min: Wolves 1 Liverpool 0
Wolves earn another corner from Pedro Neto’s tenacity but Alisson plucks it out of the air.
12:45 PM BST
13 min: Wolves 1 Liverpool 0
Better from Liverpool and Szoboszlai to set up Diogo Jota for an angled shot which he blazes over the bar.
12:44 PM BST
11 min: Wolves 1 Liverpool 0
Matheus Cunha gives Quansah a scare with an aggressive run.Wolves are so quick to hound Liverpool and they can’t find the space to pick a pass.
12:43 PM BST
9 min: Wolves 1 Liverpool 0
Liverpool, so far, can’t cope with Wolves’ press and the vulnerability down the flanks.
12:37 PM BST
Goal!!
Wolves 1-0 Liverpool (Hwang) Excellent counter-attacking goal, ripping a gaping hole down the right of Liverpool’s defence. The ball was played up to Matheus Cunha just outside the centre circle in his own half. He spins on it and plays it out to Pedro Neto on the left but, crucially, Cunha then continues his run up the left in support, taking a man with him. Neto drives into the box and whips over a cross through the six-yard box, just out of Alisson’s reach and Hwang meets it at the far post to stab it through Alisson’s frantic dive.
12:36 PM BST
6 min: Wolves 0 Liverpool 0
Matheus Cunha exposes Mac Allister’s lack of pace by accelerating past him on the dribble and the World Cup winner sticks out an arm to grab him. He makes hardly any contact, brushing him at best, but the referee whistles for a free-kick and books him as well.
The ball is played short to Bellegarde from the free-kick and he whips in a cross that Liverpool head out but Wolves then hound them back and stop the counter.
12:34 PM BST
4 min: Wolves 0 Liverpool 0
Szoboszlai plays a good, early ball into the box, expecting Gakpo to have anticipated it and made a run beyond Dawson but Gakpo didn’t read it.
12:33 PM BST
3 min: Wolves 0 Liverpool 0
Effervescent start from Bellegarde who drives down the left, nutmegs Gomez and scurries into the box to cross. Matip sticks out a leg and blocks it behind for a corner that Liverpool defend stoutly.
12:31 PM BST
1 min: Wolves 0 Liverpool 0
Wolves kick off, attacking from left to right and they launch it up their left for Pedro Neto to chase but it goes over his and Gomez’s head and out for a Liverpool throw.
12:29 PM BST
But first …
A minute’s silence for victims of the Morocco and Libya earthquakes.
12:29 PM BST
If Jarell Quansah has a good game?
When will someone write that he should play for England in October? I’d plump for 2.45pm.
12:27 PM BST
Out come the teams
Both sides in their home kits, thankfully. Last year Wolves marmalised Liverpool at Molineux and were 2-0 up in 12 minutes.
12:18 PM BST
A marathon not a sprint
12:16 PM BST
Having a wager?
Having a bet on today’s match? First take a look at these free bets and betting offers.
12:13 PM BST
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde makes his Wolves debut
A deadline day signing from Strasbourg for £12.8 million. “He’s been excellent in training, very, very good,” Gary O’Neil said on Thursday of the dynamic, titchy midfielder. “His approach and his work ethic and how well he understands what you ask have been good.
“And there’s no fuss. He never questions what’s been asked of him and he has a really good understanding of it and is willing to do it until you blow the whistle and tell him to stop.
“He has a fantastic attitude, quality and athleticism.
12:09 PM BST
Liverpool’s team sheet
Suggests Jarell Quansah will start in his primary position of centre-half rather than right-back, a role he has played in the past. Joe Gomez, also a centre-back by trade, will cover for Trent Alexander-Arnold … if that were possible. T A-A is not fit enough for a place on the bench but Ibrahim Konaté is.
11:59 AM BST
And now for those of you watching in black and white
Wolves Jose Sa; Semedo, Dawson, Kilman, Ait Nouri; Joao Gomes, Lemina, Bellegarde; Pedro Neto, Matheus Cunha, Hwang.
Substitutes Bentley, Doherty, Traore, Silva, Hugo Bueno, Kalajdzic, Doyle, Sarabia, Gomes.
Liverpool Alisson; Gomez, Quansah, Matip, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Jones; Salah, Gakpo, Jota.
Substitutes Kelleher, Endo, Konate, Diaz, Nunez, Elliott, Tsimikas, Gravenberch, Bajcetic.
Referee Michael Oliver (Ashington)
11:52 AM BST
Quansah, Gakpo and Jota start for Liverpool
11:51 AM BST
Wolves give debut to Bellegarde
03:56 PM BST
Rock on, Tommy
Good afternoon and welcome to coverage of Liverpool’s visit to Molineux. Wolves start the day in 15th after a victory over Everton at Goodison and three defeats but they are not without hope. Liverpool, with 10 points from their four games, were beaten 3-0 by Julen Lopetegui’s side last February and Gary O’Neil, Wanderers’ new manager, led Bournemouth to a 1-0 victory over the Red Men at Dean Court last spring, a result which exemplified their recovery under him since the 9-0 mauling at Anfield overseen by Scott ‘Scottie’ Parker.
And yet Liverpool looked so comfortable during their 3-0 victory over a well-regarded Villa side last time out and played with such clinical intelligence to come back with 10-men to beat Newcastle at St James’ Park that it is little wonder they are such strong favourites to win. Everyone has reported fit after international duty and, though Virgil van Dijk is serving an additional one-match suspension for initially refusing to depart when sent off at Newcastle and sits out today, only Thiago of the pre-break casualty list is without hope of turning out today. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahim Konaté are nearing full fitness and may play some part.
Wolves have everyone bar young Joseph Hodge available but his fellow Man City Academy alumnus, Tommy Doyle, grandson of Mike Doyle and also for George Best’s victim Glyn Pardoe, for those of this author’s age, should be in line to make his first start having joined on loan on deadline day. If you haven’t seen him play, Doyle is a throwback box-to-box midfielder, ‘an 8’ in current parlance, who could give Wolves a new dimension alongside Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina in midfield. His signing, and the fact they have been scoring even though they have not been winning, are the main reasons I think they will be all right this season, whatever happens today.
And what of Liverpool’s deadline day signing, Ryan Gravenberch? He has had two weeks at Liverpool, untroubled by a call-up, but has played only nine minutes of football this season making it mire likely that Jürgen Klopp will stick with a midfield trio of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and either Curtis Jones, Harvey Barnes or possibly even Stefan Bajcetic.
EMEA Tribune is not involved in this news article, it is taken from our partners and or from the News Agencies. Copyright and Credit go to the News Agencies, email [email protected]
