Two late goals earned Liverpool a 3-1 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers; another dramatic turnaround for the Reds.
Liverpool has produced another dramatic turnaround as two late goals earned a 3-1 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Hwang Hee-chan scored with seven minutes remaining in Saturday’s Premier League match at Molineux, giving the hosts a lead they would not relinquish until early in the second half.
However, Cody Gakpo’s close-range strike from Mohamed Salah’s assist brought the Reds level, and the latter then set up Andy Robertson – Jürgen Klopp’s captain on the day – for a cool 85th-minute effort.
And substitute Harvey Elliott contributed to Liverpool’s unexpected advantage with a strike off the post in stoppage time that was ruled an own goal by Hugo Bueno, guaranteeing a fourth successive victory.
Liverpool full team
Jarell Quansah started his first competitive game for the senior team at centre-back, with Joe Gomez shifting to the right side of defense in place of the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Liverpool’s starting XI: Alisson, Gomez, Quansah (Konate, 82), Matip, Robertson, MacAllister (Diaz, 46), Jones, Szoboszlai, Jota (Nunez, 56), Salah (Gravenberch, 90+3), Gakpo (Elliott, 56).
Subs not used: Kelleher, Endo, Tsimikas, and Bajcetic.
In the first half of the game:
Jarell Quansah started his first competitive game for the senior team at centre-back, with Joe Gomez shifting to the right side of defense in place of the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Liverpool’s starting XI: Alisson, Gomez, Quansah (Konate, 82), Matip, Robertson, MacAllister (Diaz, 46), Jones, Szoboszlai, Jota (Nunez, 56), Salah (Gravenberch, 90+3), Gakpo (Elliott, 56).
Subs not used: Kelleher, Endo, Tsimikas, and Bajcetic.
As the hosts continued to have the better chances, Neto swung another shot wide at the end of a counter-attack.
In fact, Gary O’Neil’s squad had a chance to double their lead in minute 34. Neto outmuscled Gomez on the touchline before heaving a cross into the middle for Matheus Cunha, who missed his close-range header, allowing Quansah to clear.
After some patient passing from Liverpool, Robertson was played in down the left channel. The captain of the day chose Gakpo, but the No.18 was unable to make complete contact with a side-footer.
Gakpo glanced a header into the stand from Gomez’s cross in the final minute of the half and a scramble followed in added time, with Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai seeing shots blocked after Jose Sa fumbled Robertson’s delivery.
Second half
At the start of the second half, Klopp substituted Luis Diaz for Alexis MacAllister, and within 90 seconds, the Colombian headed off target from Robertson’s tee-up.
However, the Reds equalized in the 55th minute.
Jota wrestled on the edge of the box to get the ball to Salah, whose cross-shot from right to left found Gakpo to finish yards away.
The visitors had already planned a double substitution, which they carried out following their equalizer: goal scorers Gakpo and Jota were replaced by Elliott and Darwin Nunez.
Sa came off his line to deny Nunez after he combined with Diaz to go into a one-on-one inside the box, with Liverpool now well in control heading into the last 20 minutes.
As time expired, Wolves’ shouts for a handball by Joel Matip – and a penalty – from Nelson Semedo’s strike were denied, and Quansah was knocked down.
But there was still time for the Reds to make another spectacular away comeback, as Robertson executed an exquisite long-range one-two with Salah to glide into the box and nudge the ball beneath Sa for 2-1.
And, in the first of eight added minutes, Elliott fired a 20-yard effort inside the right post off a Bueno touch – from a third Salah set-up of an ultimately extremely satisfying afternoon that also saw new midfielder Ryan Gravenberch make his debut late on.