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Get better soon, Rui Patrício. That thought was top of mind for everyone at Molineux after the Wolves goalkeeper was carried away with a head injury just before the end of a match decided by Diogo Jota’s goal in the first half. Patrício was injured in an accidental collision with the knee of his teammate Conor Coady when the pair tried to shut down Mohamed Salah. Doctors treated him in the field for 14 minutes before transferring him.
Nuno Espírito Santo later said that Patrício was conscious and may not need hospitalization, although the goalkeeper will be closely monitored for at least the next 48 hours.
Until Patrício’s misfortune, the main consideration here was the influence of the sole scorer. No matter his return to Molineux, Diogo Jota is back for Liverpool. His 10th goal for the Merseyside club since arriving from the Wolves last summer was the first since he regained form after a three-month hiatus and not only gave Liverpool maximum points from vibrant competition, but That confirmed how important it is to their hopes. to save the joy of a miserable season.
He was far from the best player on a visiting team that showed few signs of fatigue, but still found the decisive touch that has eluded Roberto Firmino, in particular, for most of the season. The 24-year-old is highly regarded in the Midlands but, truth be told, he was not as vital to the Wolves in his final months there as he has been to Liverpool.
Just as encouraging for Jürgen Klopp, Ozan Kabak and Nat Phillips were solid in central defense. This was their third match starting side by side in the sector where Liverpool have been most vulnerable this season and they lost a third sheet to zero. The wolves made them work for it.
Having accepted that Liverpool’s only path to glory this season is the Champions League, and given that injuries have hampered his team throughout the campaign, Klopp might have been tempted to rest one or two key players to preserve them for European competition, even if it meant inviting other clubs to finish above them in the Premier League. But that’s rarely the way Klopp operates and his team suggested he regretted wasting time with the rotation in his team’s last league game, a weak 1-0 home loss to Fulham. Instead, the German sent the same team that started last week’s Champions League victory over RB Leipzig, arguing that regaining momentum on the home front could help his team advance on the continent.
Their defense was stretched in the second minute when Adama Traoré flew past Andy Robertson and delivered a cross that it took Alisson two attempts to claim. Moments later, the goalkeeper stopped a shot from Nélson Semedo, who had stormed the same flank after Traoré moved inside the box to wreak havoc.
Nuno has been frustrated all season by his team’s habit of starting games slowly, but the evidence suggests he had found a solution to that problem, as the Lobos were sharper and cleaner across the field from the start. But Liverpool opened them in the 11th minute when Gini Wijnaldum released Sadio Mané. Patrício did enough to force the Senegalese to swerve so that the angle was too narrow for him to shoot after passing over the goalkeeper.
Now the contest had an exciting flow, with teams launching tit-for-tat attacks, though none were able to produce a killer finishing touch. Kabak did well to prevent Traoré from shooting from 15 yards after another skillful play by the Lobos. Coady hits a crucial block in the 24th minute to deny Wijnaldum a chance after a wonderful right-wing mischief from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Salah. Soon Phillips had to organize an equally important intervention at the other end.
Five minutes before the break, Salah and Alexander-Arnold combined very well again before the defender crossed for Mané, who sent a header that sank just from 11 meters. Jonny invited Rúben Neves to give the Wolves a lead into the interval, but he threw 15 yards. He regretted it even more when Jota attacked moments later.
The goal came from a counterattack from Liverpool’s three forwards, and when Mané passed Jota on the left of the home penalty area, the Portuguese shot him at the near post, with Patrício reaching in but unable to stop him.
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The wolves came out as a party determined to correct a mistake. Willian José would have had a chance to equalize if Phillips hadn’t hit him to a cross. Then Coady received a free header from eight yards, but he nodded. The wolves were coming in strong, but Liverpool threatened to hit the counter again in the 55th minute, only for Jonny to ambush Salah just as the striker finished off a shot.
Liverpool handled the rest of the game well, with Alisson making comfortable saves from Traoré and Fábio Silva. Salah then ran towards the end and put the ball in the net; he was offside, but Coady and Patrício had collided while looking to thwart him.
