Liverpool 2 Wolves 1: Reds extend lead over Arsenal to 7 points after relegation-battling visitors set up nervy finale

THAT NICE-GUY grin was backmost connected Arne Slot’s look adjacent if it was lone a faint one.

For portion mean work had not precisely been resumed, a seven-point pb astatine the apical of the Prem was re-established.

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Luis Diaz and Mo Salah were some connected people for Liverpool against Wolves[/caption]

There were ragged nerves astir astir of Anfield and plentifulness of them by the extremity aft Matheus Cunha delivered a stunning onslaught to chopped the first-half shortage erstwhile Wolves decided to spell for it.

But a triumph was a triumph for Slot and helium and his squad needed it badly.

And this clip determination was no scowl and hard words astatine the last whistle arsenic determination had been towards referee Michael Oliver from him and Sipke Hulshoff successful the acheronian moments aft Wednesday’s Merseyside derby.

But astatine the extremity of a turbulent week that threatened to destabilise a antecedently imperious march towards occurrence successful his archetypal play successful English shot Slot and his Liverpool players did get a triumph implicit the line.

Diaz’s opener wasn’t the prettiest and Salah delivered what turned retired to beryllium the clincher from the spot.

But if teams bash person to triumph disfigured to present a title, past this was the cleanable illustration of that.

For by the end, Slot’s players were hanging connected desperately.

Slot had warned that “nothing bully ever comes of losing a shot game” aft the shocking 1-0 FA Cup exit to Championship bottommost nine Plymouth Argyle 7 days ago.

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Nobody thought helium mightiness beryllium talking astir himself successful the build-up to the last–ever clash with Everton astatine Goodison Park that ended with James Tarkowski’s 98th-minute equaliser, a punch-up betwixt players and that furious dust-up with Oliver.

True enough, helium had already served a one-game touchline prohibition for picking up 3 yellowish cards but that was simply the benignant of totting-up slap connected the wrist that tin spell the mode of plentifulness of under-pressure Prem managers.

Wednesday night’s behaviour was altogether different – an penetration into what has truly been going connected down the quiescent grin that helium has presented to the world, 1 that said helium was conscionable blessed to beryllium here.

He mislaid it, and admitted so, saying “emotions got the amended of me”, and the disguise slipped successful the process.

And for a agelong portion successful the 2nd half, it looked similar his squad had mislaid it too.

Slot declared successful the moments earlier kick-off that helium wanted his broadside to re-channel the fury they felt aft the Everton clash towards getting backmost connected track.

He stressed: “I anticipation we usage the choler we felt successful the dressing country – usage that choler successful a affirmative mode erstwhile we commencement this game.”

At the commencement helium got precisely the effect helium was looking for, a country won successful 10 seconds, the opener successful the 15th minute.

Wolves had worked hard connected a five-man debased artifact program to frustrate the leaders but Diogo Jota, starting his archetypal league crippled successful 4 months, did for that idea.

He turned accelerated connected the halfway line, and fed Diaz who successful crook recovered Salah lurking, arsenic ever, connected the right.

The Egyptian king’s interaction was thing but majestic, his attempted walk a shocker, but Diaz followed up, pushed past Toti Gomes, and bundled the shot implicit the enactment with his belly.

Cue celebrations and alleviation from Diaz and his team-mates aft the Colombian winger’s archetypal extremity astatine Anfield since September but connected the touchline Slot was backmost successful Mr Cool mode, high–fiving his staff.

In information other fig Vitor Pereira recovered himself successful Simon Hooper’s atrocious books, picking up his 2nd yellowish successful successive games for getting acold excessively agitated for the referee’s liking.

The Portuguese was spitting feathers by 37th infinitesimal aft Salah had taken his 50th punishment for Liverpool, making it a 42nd success.

Referee Hooper pointed to the spot instantly aft Diaz was unquestionably sent to the platform by Jose Sa’s dive, catching him connected the ankle.

The occupation for Pereira and his squad was that Diaz archetypal shoved his mode past Emmanuel Agbadou to get to the shot and their complaints were valid adjacent if VAR John Brooks ignored them.

Hooper was overmuch much lenient connected Ibrahima Konate, however, aft the cardinal defender’s brain–dead aerial lunge connected Cunha that should person brought him his 2nd booking of the game.

Agbadou got distant with one, too, having been cautioned for a yellowish paper motion towards Konate, helium past took retired Diaz connected the halfway enactment and someway Hooper ignored that situation too.

Unsurprisingly Jarell Quansah replaced Konate aft the interruption but Agbadou was near to locomotion the disciplinary tightrope

And aft Salah had a extremity disallowed for a marginal offside, the Wolves defender had the restitution of seeing a VAR verdict spell successful his favour successful the 57th infinitesimal erstwhile Hooper had pointed to the spot.

Agbadou fell for an outright dive by Jota arsenic the cardinal defender dived successful but the reappraisal showed that the January signing had made nary interaction connected the striker – and yet the Liverpool antheral walked Scot-free.

After their failed efforts to support Liverpool’s onslaught astatine bay, Pereira had taken the leash disconnected and Alisson made a hopeless one–on–one artifact connected recently arrived midfielder Marshall Munetsi.

But the goalkeeper had nary accidental astatine stopping Cunha’s blistering 3rd extremity successful 3 games, a 67th-minute left-footer rasped into the bottommost corner.

It near Slot fretting each the mode to the extremity earlier that smile, watery though it was, broke out.

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Diaz bundled successful disconnected his midriff[/caption]

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Wolves wanted a 2nd yellowish paper for Ibrahima Konate successful the archetypal half[/caption]

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Diaz won the punishment erstwhile Jose Sa clipped his ankle[/caption]

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Salah enactment his punishment down the middle[/caption]

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Salah recovered the nett again but it was ruled retired for offside[/caption]

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Diogo Jota escaped a yellowish paper contempt his blatant dive looking for a penalty[/caption]

AP

Matheus Cunha got Wolves backmost into it with a good strike[/caption]

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Arne Slot was each smiles astatine the extremity arsenic the Reds restored their seven-point advantage[/caption]