Liverpool boost top-4 hopes against Wolves but victory hides Jurgen Klopp’s grief

(Van Dijk, 73′, Salah, 77′)

ANFIELD – Anfield were once the scene of some of the most exciting football matches the Premier League has ever seen, which is why what happened to Liverpool in less than a year is so extraordinary.

The victory over Wolverhampton, the third in four league games, suggests that a season at Liverpool that was the opposite of their near-immortal campaign last season has finally begun and the challenge to the top four can now begin.

However, the performance and energy, or lack of it, shown at Anfield suggests that while results are improving, there is little sign that Jurgen Klopp’s team will reignite the fires of last season. Everything except.

Goals from Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah placed Liverpool in sixth place, just six points behind the top four. Overcoming the next hurdle seems far from certain.

It never became a classic as Liverpool haven’t scored in four of their last six league games and only Everton have fewer goals than Wolves.

Those who ventured out on a cold Merseyside night for the fourth match between Liverpool and Wolves in all competitions in 53 days deserved more than the show they put on at Anfield.

Those same fans nine months earlier, on the last day of last season with an unprecedented chance of a quad lead in the same spot on the Kop, saw many of the same players struggle to put together more than a few passes against The Wolf. a team that couldn’t believe their luck.

Joao Moutinho made a good save for Alisson early on when the visitors saw their chance to win, which could no longer be called a surprise given the demise of this Liverpool side.

However, the last pass has eluded the visitors since then as Harvey Elliot missed two representative first-half chances, most notably a close-range header that gave a disappointing Liverpool an undeserved first-half lead. It is ironic that Anfield’s public address system warning fans not to use pyrotechnics during the break did not go unnoticed by those present.

The only real bright spot for Liverpool was Darwin Nunez. The Uruguayan is a delight for his social media success, energizing a team that is almost in a vegetative state.

Nunez emerged as Liverpool’s biggest threat and his single-handed efforts seemed to pay off as he stalked the hosts ahead midway through the second half, but VAR saved the blow after Diogo Jota’s foul on the build-up. .

The goal that calmed Anfield’s nerves was typical of the entire game – close – but Anfield didn’t care as Jota ensured Van Dijk went home after Voleva’s goalkeeper José Sa ineffectively deflected a Dutch defender’s header.

Nuñez’s effort was no less, and another assault to the left provided a decisive second scored by Salah, who is now one goal clear of Liverpool’s Premier League top scorer, Robbie Fowler.

But the result, like some others of late, masks issues that won’t go away for Klopp. Too many big players suddenly seem like shadows of themselves, it’s not a drop in form, breakthroughs don’t last two-thirds of the season.

If they make it into the top four this season, Liverpool won’t be able to continue playing the way they used to. There are so many games to play after the World Cup that Manchester United fans will not only be looking forward to their first win since 2016 at Anfield on Sunday, but also a Real Madrid-style defeat.