Liverpool extend lead with Wolves win

Liverpool — Premier League leaders Liverpool extended their advantage to seven points with a trickier-than-expected 2-1 win over lowly Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield on Sunday courtesy of goals from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah.

Arne Slot’s team had looked to be cruising at 2-0 after Diaz bundled in on 15 minutes and won a penalty later in the half for strike partner Salah to convert with ease — a 23rd league goal for the league’s leading marksman.

But Wolves, fighting for their lives near the bottom, gave them a few frights and punished Liverpool for a sloppy second half when Matheus Cunha curled a low shot brilliantly past Alisson in the 67th minute.

In an edgy finale, Liverpool held on for the win, taking them to 60 points and still on track for the title with nearest rivals Arsenal on 53. Both have 13 games left.

“We just managed to dig deep,” Liverpool defender Andy Robertson said. “The second half was a slog ... everyone gets nervous. But it’s a huge win for us and another game down.”

Wolves are 17th on 19 points, two above the drop zone.

Though Liverpool were far from their best, especially in a nervy second half, victory was a huge relief after a week of unusual slip-ups including an FA Cup defeat by second-tier Plymouth and a last-gasp equaliser for Everton against them in the league.

“We’d love to dominate for the full 90 minutes but it is the Premier League and Wolves can punish you and create dangerous moments against you. It says a lot we kept fighting and kept going and got the three points,” said Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk.

“At times we were sloppy as well and we couldn’t keep the ball as well as we can.”

In the first half, the Reds looked comfortable after Diaz slotted home when Toti Gomes’ attempted clearance dropped kindly for him. The speedy Colombian was then brought down by Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa for Salah to do what he always does — score easily from the spot — in the 37th minute.

Cunha was by far Wolves’ best player and had put a free kick just over before his glorious effort from outside the box had the away fans dreaming of a comeback.

Wolves’ recently signed midfielder Marshall Munetsi, who saw a shot superbly saved by Alisson when one-on-one, said the players were proud of their second-half performance.

“We created a lot of chances and made them uncomfortable ... the second half was the identity of the team, this is what the coach wants. This is something we have to keep doing.”

With a colossal fight against relegation to come, Wolves coach Vitor Pereira echoed that after so nearly matching the Premier League’s best team.

“We must play the first half as we played the second half, this is what I want to see in my team — the personality, courage and identity,” he said. “Even the best players in the world, if you press them they make mistakes.”

Reuters