Robertson and Elliott seal tricky comeback win
A quick recap:Wolves roared out of the traps, going a goal up after seven minutes when Hwang Hee-chan converted a Pedro Neto cross at the far post. Completely dominant in the first half, Wolves failed to further capitalise and were left to rue missed chances. Matheus Cunha was particularly culpable.
The buildup to this entertaining early kick-off predominantly centred on Jürgen Klopp’s grievances at the tight turnaround for his South American contingent – prompting him to use Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez as substitutes – but by the end it was his opposite number, Gary O’Neil, who was clocking up the mileage, pacing the Wolves technical area and wondering how his side ceded control of this game. Wolves deservedly took the lead through Hwang Hee-chan after brilliant work by the electric Pedro Neto but Liverpool levelled when Gakpo prodded in Mohamed Salah’s pass from close range, his final act before being replaced by Núñez 11 minutes after the break. Núñez and Díaz applauded from the sidelines as Gakpo converted from inside the six-yard box.
Klopp voiced concern about Díaz, Alexis Mac Allister and Núñez travelling back from Colombia, Bolivia and Ecuador respectively, but it was Wolves who seemed to run out of steam. Robertson collected a booming kick downfield by the Wolves goalkeeper José Sá on halfway, burst forward and played a give-and-go with Salah. Robertson carried on his run and drilled in to make an uncomfortable afternoon rather more bearable.
Once Wolves crumbled, Liverpool went for the jugular and Salah supplied Elliott, who capped the scoring via a deflection off Bueno. Much has been made of Liverpool’s midfield summer revamp and, despite victory, on this evidence they are still very much finding their feet. Wolves’s trio of Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, a deadline-day signing from Strasbourg, Mario Lemina and João Gomes made life deeply uncomfortable for Liverpool, who were second-best in a one-sided first half. Mac Allister, booked for an early, sly tug at the shirt of Matheus Cunha, was hooked at the interval.
The second half was a different story, with Wolves playing meekly on the back foot as they let Liverpool back into the game. Their victory looked a formality after Cody Gakpo equalised with a tap-in, and it duly arrived courtesy of Andy Robertson’s strike and a late Hugo Bueno own goal.
