What is becoming somewhat of the norm thus far in the campaign, Gary O'Neil's Wolves side fell to yet another defeat in an encounter that supporters feel was another missed opportunity for the Old Gold.
Accused of a lack of urgency and drive, O'Neil watched on as his side slowly limped towards defeat, with Arne Slot's visiting Liverpool side not being required to shift up through the gears at Molineux.
After taking the lead via Ibrahima Konate in the latter stages of the first half, Liverpool saw an early response from Wolves in the second, with Rayan Ait-Nouri bundling the ball home from close range.
However, in a matter of moments, the visitors were allowed to reinstate their lead on the road after Nelson Semedo clumsily brought down ex-Wolves man Diogo Jota in the box, giving Anthony Taylor no choice but to award a penalty.
In typical fashion, Mohammed Salah made no mistake from twelve yards, finding the back of the net for what would become the match-winning goal in the 61st minute, leaving Wolves rooted to the bottom of the Premier League.
Struggles in possession
O'Neil has been working to turn Wolves into a more possession-oriented team this season, but that strategy has its drawbacks, especially against elite teams like Liverpool.
In this match, the Old Gold were occasionally reckless when playing out from the back, with Sam Johnstone, Sam Johnstone and Mario Lemina were lucky that their mistakes didn’t lead to goals.
Wolves might have been punished on another occasion, and the visitors could have scored more.
Wolves need to either eliminate these errors or stop playing risky passes in dangerous areas, or it could well prove costly for Wolves in future fixtures.
A lack of adaptability
With a certain case of deja vu, Wolves yet again showcased a lack of adaptability against Liverpool.
On too many occasions, O'Neil's side was guilty of being too slow and pedestrian-like in possession as the hosts plugged for an equaliser during the game's latter stages.
After facing criticism regarding his substitutions throughout the campaign so far, O'Neil faced a similar situation after Hwang Hee- Chan's poor showing off the bench, touching the ball just once after replacing target man Jørgen Strand Larsen with half an hour left to play.
Wolves failed to make any impression in an attacking sense, with no real adaptability during build-up and in the final third, creating more frustration at Molineux.
Brentford clash is the biggest game of Wolves' season so far
After securing just one point in six games, Wolves sit at the bottom of the Premier League. However, the run of fixtures does have to be considered.
Facing Chelsea, Newcastle and Liverpool at home, with Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa on the road, Gary O'Neil's early season fixtures have been far from kind.
With a trip to Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium next weekend, Gary O'Neil and Wolves are set for an encounter that could well be season-defining.
With a visit from Manchester City to follow the trip to Brentford, the fixtures do get kinder for Wolves. However, next Saturday's clash against the Bees will be seen as an opportunity to kick-start some positive form.
Wolves are in desperate need of a win, and if O'Neil and his side bring three points back from London, it could be viewed as a season-changer for the club.
Bellegarde experiment cannot continue
After being deployed in the front line alongside Jørgen Strand Larsen and Matheus Cunha, it is becoming increasingly obvious that Jean-Ricner Bellegarde cannot operate in the higher role in which he is currently being deployed.
Deadline-day addition Carlos Forbs made a positive impact from the bench on Saturday evening, playing a huge hand in setting up Ait-Nouri for the Wolves equaliser.
The pace and drive of Frobs proved to be the only real problem caused by Wolves throughout the second half.
With Rodrigo Gomes and Goncalo Guedes on the sidelines, O'Neil has multiple wide-men at his disposal, making the Bellegarde experiment out wide all the more baffling for supporters.
A midfielder by trade, Bellegarde has flattered to deceive out wide, and a switch-up from O'Neil in this area of the pitch may well be on the cards.
