Lacklustre Liverpool find way past fearless Wolves

For the second time in five days, Liverpool entered stoppage time below their best but 2-1 up.

- RICHARD JOLLY

The finish was different this time, and not merely because rather than losing his temper, Arne Slot gained a seven-point lead at the Premier League summit. On paper, a home win against relegation-threatened Wolves could rank as one of the least impressive victories of their season. As Anfield was engulfed in anxiety, Slot felt it ranked among their most important.

James Tarkowski's 98th-minute equaliser for Everton, he felt, had the potential to cause further damage, to have a knock-on effect in a huge week. "I think you saw today that after us conceding the 2-1 that maybe for the first time this season were "Ooh," he said. "Conceding in the last minute against Everton was in our heads a bit. You know that moment can have impact for the next game and the games that are coming up." Trips to Aston Villa and Manchester City loom next, and Liverpool needed to keep out the Wolves at the door. They did.

Slot's message to his players was instructive. "I said this win is maybe a bigger accomplishment than beating Tottenham 4-0," he said. Not in the quality of the football, but in the mentality.

Because, amid what became a rearguard action, there was a historic first. In the second half, for the first time on record at Anfield in the league, Liverpool failed to register a shot of any kind. "It's never the game plan, not to create anything at all," said Slot.