Bottom-club Wolves secured a sensational 2-1 victory over Liverpool on Saturday, as a 94th-minute strike from Andre condemned Arne Slot to his fifth stoppage-time defeat of the season. Just as it appeared Mohamed Salah had rescued a point for the visitors, a deflected effort from the edge of the area left Alisson stranded and the Molineux faithful in raptures.
The result marks a remarkable turnaround for Rob Edwards’ side, who have now secured two Premier League wins in just five days after waiting six months for their first. For Liverpool, the loss serves as a "punch-drunk" reminder of their defensive vulnerabilities, leaving them three points adrift in the race for Champions League qualification.
Arne Slot cut a dejected figure on the touchline as the final whistle blew, hunched over by the weight of a familiar narrative. This was the fifth time this season that Liverpool have conceded a winning goal in added time, a statistic Slot described as "summing up our season."
The winning goal was a comedy of errors from a Liverpool perspective. A "half-baked" clearance from Alisson was headed back into the danger zone by Jackson Tchatchoua. Andre seized the loose ball 35 yards out and took aim; his shot took a wicked deflection off Joe Gomez, wrong-footing Alisson and nestling in the back of the net.
Same old story. We struggle and find it very hard to score from open play chances that we do create... That it happened in injury time may be a coincidence, although it has happened so many times.Arne Slot, Liverpool
Standings: Liverpool remain 5th (64 pts); Wolves move off the bottom with their second win in five days.
Opener: Rodrigo Gomes (78') clinical finish after Virgil van Dijk was caught out.
Equalizer: Mohamed Salah (83') inventive finish with the outside of his left boot.
Hero: Andre (94') secures the winner via a Joe Gomez deflection.
Prodigy: 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha impressed again as a sub, nearly setting up a winner for Van Dijk.
While the drama focused on the final minutes, the preceding 90 offered little encouragement for the traveling supporters. Virgil van Dijk endured a difficult afternoon, directly at fault for Wolves' opening goal. He was outmaneuvered by substitute Tolu Arokodare, who laid the ball off for Rodrigo Gomes to toe-poke past Alisson.
Mohamed Salah, despite scoring the equalizer, appeared unconvincing for much of the contest. He missed a glaring opportunity to set up an unmarked Dominik Szoboszlai shortly before the Wolves winner, failing to find his teammate as Liverpool flooded forward.
The one bright spark for the Reds continues to be 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha. Introduced as a second-half substitute, the youngster hit the post just minutes after Wolves had taken the lead and later provided a "dainty" cross that Van Dijk nearly converted. His directness and flair stood in stark contrast to a Liverpool midfield that laboured throughout.
The two sides are set for an immediate rematch this Friday in the FA Cup fifth round. Wolves head coach Rob Edwards, who celebrated the winner so vigorously he nearly replicated the calf injury he sustained against Aston Villa, suggested his team might have "poked the bear."
"We’ve probably made them quite angry now, so we’ll see," Edwards noted with a smile.