Goals from Virgil Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah saw Liverpool claim a well-merited three points against a rejuvenated Wolverhampton Wanderers side, who could only relinquish after an assertive second-half display by the Reds.
The Dutchman netted the first blow, as his header was thwarted before a second bite of the cherry fell from a ball hauled back in.
Then Mohamed Salah returned to the goal-scoring podium, securing the Reds the game and a two goal cushion with his strike late on.
It could have been more if Darwin Nunez’s goal had counted, but the referee had called it back after checking VAR and spotted a foul in the build-up by Diogo Jota.
Here is some takeaways from a successful night at Anfield for the hosts.
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Goalkeepers saved respective sides in first half
Both shot-stoppers, Alisson and Jose Sa played pivotal roles in different ways, with some top saves by both being highly commended, with the Brazilian’s enough to help Liverpool win the game.
Alisson was called into early action to deny Joao Moutinho, as the Portuguese was left in criminal amount of space when he gathered the ball, but the shot-stopper managed to get down low to avert the danger.
Then Jose Sa was next to be hauled into goal-mouth action, with his first real test falling towards the end of the first half. Darwin Nunez cross-drawn pass picked out Harvey Elliott and his low drive be-fumbles the Wolves shot-stopper, but a brilliant reaction saw him haul himself across to claw it away.
Before Van Dijk’s strike, he had an effort destined for the back of the net, until Sa had the reflexes to claw the ball from the back of the net.
This went show that without the goalkeepers, the outcome of this fixture could have ended very differently.
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Van Dijk and Konate are Liverpool’s best centre-back pairing
The return of Ibrahima Konate to the Liverpool squad was long overdue, as some dire pairings have resulted in a defensive collapse for the Reds.
The pairing of Konate and Van Dijk is like one of best friends, as the duo bounce off each other with their defensive capabilities, and for Liverpool to really mount a push for Europe, the centre-back pairing should stick and should only be sporadic if any injuries occurred.
Van Dijk is known for making players around him better players with his calmness allowing others to venture up the field with great pleasure, but Konate is a piece in a jigsaw that Liverpool needed and it’s crucial for Jurgen Klopp that he keeps him fit.
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Nunez injects urgency into Liverpool’s wing
A revitalised player for Liverpool since his barren spell of form, Darwin Nunez has left many Liverpool fans with a lot to hammer home about after his recent displays, and it was no different this evening.
After missing the Crystal Palace game due to an injury, his return to the starting eleven proved to be an inspired one.
Nunez was rather unfortunate not to have marked his return to the Reds line-up with a strike, as his goal was swiftly and agonisingly ruled out by VAR, but nevertheless his performance overall has left many waxing lyrical.
He’s been finding his feet lately, and his sudden bursts of energy leaves many back-lines static as he becomes a handful at times, and he was again tonight. Quick off the mark, rapid, strong and much more, a player like Nunez is many defences nightmares and he’ll be hoping to replicate this in coming weeks.
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Ordinary Wolves leave Anfield empty handed
With Wolves being sucked into a relegation battle again, you wouldn’t think they had much to play for as an average display brought no just rewards as the Midlands-outfit travelled back down south with another defeat.
Julen Lopetegui has made Wolves a largely solid outfit and has took them from the cusp of relegation to 15th, but only they are still just three points above Everton, who are in the final drop-zone spot, as they begin to perilously slip back into danger.
It was a much changed display from the visitors who put Liverpool to the sword a little over three weeks ago, as they very rarely threatened Allison’s clean sheet apart from Moutinho’s early effort.
They had to fight more as Liverpool’s defence became a lot more compact and astute, and struggled to break it down whereas they had mauled over it in their 3-0 win at the start of February.
It’s back to the drawing board for Lopategui as his side are in aid of a desperate reaction to turn around their fortunes and re-climb the Premier League table.
