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Jota becomes the new Firmino
Diogo Jota is the new Roberto Firmino in at least one aspect.
When the Liverpool forward grabbed onto Sadio Mane’s pass in the second minute of first-half overtime, his left-foot shot into the bottom corner wasn’t just the winning goal for his former club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
It was also notably only the Reds’ second goal in the first half in their last 14 league games.
The other had been scored by Firmino, also in injury time, in the win over Tottenham Hotspur in January.
Firmino was absent here again due to the knee problem that has left him out of the last three games.
Jota’s ability, then, to start racing for the second time in his career at Anfield, as Jurgen Klopp later admitted, is proving to be quite timely.
The Portuguese, employed as a central striker, had cut a largely isolated figure before his goal, given poor service from a failed midfield in which neither Thiago Alcantara nor Gini Wijnaldum did justice.
However, after the break, Jota’s willingness to run towards the defenders and move the ball high up the field helped ease the pressure on Liverpool’s defense and, in the fourth quarter, threatened a second for the visitors.
If the Reds want to turn a tortuous campaign into a success over the past two months, he suspects Jota will be a major influence.
Mane will not come down
Clearly, honesty is not always the best policy.
Just ask Sadio Mane, whose continued decision not to hit the platform when trapped within the penalty area continues to reap little rewards.
The latest incident occurred during the first half here when, having been found by Gini Wijnaldum, Mane faced only Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patricio to beat.
Sure, the Liverpool winger should have scored anyway, his touch wasn’t the most convincing and he pushed it too far.
But there was also no question that the goalkeeper grabbed Mane’s foot as he chased the loose ball, causing him to stumble momentarily.
If he had fallen, it would have been a clear foul. Instead, he opted to stay on his feet and have the chance and, thanks to referee Craig Pawson and VAR Andrew Madley choosing not to act, he missed the penalty.
The Senegalese, as has often been the case this season, was not in top form.
He still had threat going forward, though, wide open with a header in the first half and constantly nibbling on the Wolves’ bottom line.
Mane could at least take comfort in his assistance for the winner of Diogo Jota. However, the time may have come to do more of the indiscretions that you are imposing on your opponents.
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Phillips and Kabak keep it clean
They are not the couple that anyone could have envisioned a few weeks ago. And they may well be a mere breakout moment in Jurgen Klopp’s tenure at Anfield.
But for now, Nat Phillips and Ozan Kabak are exactly what Liverpool need.
A third game as a starting pair in central defender, this was a third consecutive clean sheet.
Only the pair of Joel Matip and Fabinho, with four, have kept more shutouts for the Reds at the heart of the defense this season.
Yes, the start was not convincing as the Wolves made the most of a hesitant and sloppy opening from the visitors.
Phillips, however, soon had a boom in the signature aerial challenges, while Kabak grew in confidence with an excellent tackle inside the area to strip the always dangerous Adama Traore.
It’s easy to forget that Kabak is both Liverpool’s most inexperienced player, in terms of minutes, and the youngest player on the team today. Keep improving.
Credit must also go to Trent Alexander-Arnold, who after a woeful start responded with an increasingly impressive defensive display, particularly during the second half when the Wolves looked to take advantage at the far post.
And while their troubles at Anfield are well documented, this victory means Liverpool have now lost just three of their last 19 matches away from their home stadium. The trip to Arsenal in three weeks will be a real barometer that way.
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