Liverpool 4-0 Wolves: 5 talking points as the Reds beat the Wolves to go to the top of the table

Liverpool fell back on points with Tottenham atop the Premier League after a comfortable 4-0 win over Wolves.

The Reds took the lead after a howler from Conor Coady allowed Mohamed Salah to shoot home.

Gini Wijnaldum doubled the lead after halftime with a superb curling shot in front of 2,000 delighted fans in the Kop final.

The game effectively ended as a contest when Joel Matip headed home from downtown Salah.

And an own goal from Nelson Semedo completed the scoring on a thoroughly satisfying afternoon for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Here are five talking points from Anfield …

Liverpool goes back to business

Liverpool’s disappointing draw with Brighton last weekend, coupled with Chelsea and Tottenham’s recent excellent form, meant there was pressure on them to put on a performance tonight.

But there was rarely any question as to whether they would take all three points in what was a very impressive display against a talented Wolves team.

The Reds were relentless tonight, putting their opponents to the sword in possibly their best performance in the league so far this season.

You have the feeling that they continue to grow throughout the season, and considering they are already the best in the league, that spells trouble for the other title contenders.

Next weekend’s game against Fulham looks like a win for the bankers, ahead of a big game against Spurs on December 16.

The title race could be about to get very, very tasty.

Return from Trento

After a period of just under a month on the sidelines, Liverpool welcomed Trent Alexander-Arnold when the right-back came on as a substitute in the second half.

Although young Neco Williams has performed admirably in his absence, Alexander-Arnold’s return to the fold can only be a boost for Klopp as his disabled list begins to gradually shorten.

And he showed what his team had missed almost instantly by providing one of his signature crosses that Nelson Semedo shoved into his own net for the game’s fourth goal.

Naby Keita also came off the bench to stay out, and Thaigo Alcantara and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain should also be back in action in no time.

The extra strength in depth will be crucial for Klopp ahead of a packed Christmas season.

Bad night at the office for Coady

He has impressed both the club and the country so far this season, but tonight is not one that Wolves captain Coady will remember with fond memories.

The once on Liverpool’s books should have handled much better with an ambitious long ball from Jordan Henderson, but was only able to cushion it directly in Salah’s path for the first goal.

He then fell too easily into Sadio Mane’s challenge area to try and win a penalty for his team, with the initial award of the penalty disallowed after a VAR control.

And to top it all, he missed a decent chance at the other end of the second half, seconds before Wijnaldum made it 2-0.

Oh, and he and his team sent in two more goals.

It’s fair to say that this wasn’t the happy return to Anfield Coady that you dreamed of last night.

Kelleher has a bright future

The 22-year-old substitute goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher replaced the injured Alisson Becker again tonight.

And the Irishman barely made a misstep in what was yet another turnout after his excellent performance against Ajax in the Champions League in the middle of the week.

Sure, he didn’t have much to do, but he confidently tackled the junctions and threw several dangerous corners.

After Adrian’s unconvincing demonstrations earlier in the season, Kelleher appears to have usurped him as No. 2 in Klopp’s plans.

And the two clean sheets in a row can’t have hurt his chances of, perhaps, one day replacing Alisson as number one.

Special night for Reds fans

Two thousand lucky Liverpool fans can now say that they were among the first to see the Reds play as champions since 1990.

After the showdown to his charge for the title last season was completed with no fans present, the cries of “Bring in the champions!” it seemed especially loud tonight.

And the roar that greeted the players as they ran off onto the famous Anfield turf sounded like it came from far more than those scattered around the Kop.

A poignant “You will never walk alone” followed, and the fans didn’t stop all night as they cheered on their team and clearly enjoyed what they saw.

We hope it won’t be long until there are a few more.