From Ipswich to Manchester, Milan and now Wolverhampton, Arne Slot’s travel plans have been in good order.
Smooth at times when moving forward. Almost always solid at the back. Here they were not at their most serene and needed help from a decision in their favour for a penalty converted by Mo Salah to settle the contest.
Wolves had flickered, threatened intermittently and fought their way back onto level terms after going behind to Ibrahima Konate’s first in the Premier goal, scored just before half time.
Ait-Nouri scored the equaliser as they capitalised on a rare mistake by Liverpool at the back, a mix-up between Konate and Alisson but Gary O’Neil’s team rarely penetrated the defensive shield.
But Salah settled the contest from the penalty spot after a foul on Diogo Jota, which was enough to ease Slot’s team back to the top of the Premier League, five wins from five and four wins out of four on the road in all competitions.
Liverpool went back to the top of the Premier League by winning away at Wolves on Saturday
Wolves remain bottom of the Premier League table with just one point from a possible 18
They will travel next to Crystal Palace after hosting Bologna in the Champions League and the only slight concern will surround Andy Robertson who limped off near the end having been caught on the heel by Carlos Forbs.
Slot did not think it would be anything too serious and played down the flying start.
‘Six games into the season does not give you a realistic view of the table, that is more like after 19 games where we can feel like ‘okay, where are we’,’ said the Liverpool boss. ‘But of course it helps us if you get some good results, especially if you bring in a new manager and a new staff after such a successful one. If we had lost four of five, out of these first six, life would have been a bit different.’
Wolves are rock bottom and winless. Little is going their way, and their supporters left for home grumbling about referee Anthony Taylor, who took only six minutes to issue his first yellow card, shown to Trent Alexander-Arnold for a Declan Rice style toeing away of the ball after a foul.
It was Taylor’s first game back in the middle since his record 16 yellow cards during the game between Bournemouth and Chelsea a fortnight ago. His second pocket dip caused more of a stir, penalising Andre whose boot rode over the ball in a tackle and caught Alexis Mac Allister who made the most of it.
Wolves fans jeered, the game lost its rhythm and there was more fuel for the home crowd after Sam Johnstone had saved the free-kick driven his way by Alexander-Arnold because Diogo Jota looked as if he might get away with a nasty challenge, raking Mario Lemina from behind.
Belatedly Taylor flashed a yellow at Jota and at a coach on each bench before football broke out again.
The visitors had resisted early pressure. Alisson, back after injury, opened in commanding form and his centre-halves looked strong. Together they built the platform as Slot’s forward players grew into the game.
Defender Ibrahima Konate scored Liverpool’s first goal before celebrating with a knee slide
Liverpool No 5 Konate found the net with a powerful header just before the half-time break
Wolves made it 1-1 against the run of play in the 56th minute when No 3 Rayan Ait-Nouri scored
Ait-Nouri was congratulated by his team-mates but the Wolves celebrations did not last long
Liverpool almost went ahead from a slick move down the left, when Robertson sped onto a pass from Virgil van Dijk and whipped over a low cross.
Dominik Szoboszlai seemed certain to score as he got on the end of it with a side-foot volley from close range, but goalkeeper Johnstone spread his frame and earned his good fortune, as the ball clipped his left leg and went wide.
Wolves almost made the interval when Johnstone was beaten. Again, the cross came from the left. This time Jota with fabulous delivery, swerving and dipping over Santiago Bueno to Konate, who towered above Toti to score for the second time in three outings.
They almost had a second early in the second half when Mario Lemina swept a careless pass from Johnstone across his own penalty area. Salah pounced but missed the target in a shock twist.
Wolves levelled courtesy of a swift break through the centre of the pitch and a mistake by Konate who dithered over the ball, waiting for Alisson who never budged from his goal line.
Jorgen Strand Larsen hooked the ball from Konate towards Carlos Forbs, whose miskick spilled square across goal to Ait-Nouri, who came charging forward and found the net.
Liverpool retook the lead just after the hour-mark when Mo Salah converted a penalty kick
Salah now has five goals in his first eight Liverpool games in all competitions this season
Arne Slot has now delivered seven wins in his first eight matches in charge of Liverpool
It was an untidy equaliser and survived a long VAR check for a handball claim against Forbs. ‘Avoidable to say the least,’ said Slot but his team were soon back in the lead.
Less than a minute after confirming the Wolves goal referee Taylor was awarding a penalty to Liverpool for a foul by Nelson Semedo on Jota as they jostled for a cross from the right.
Liverpool’s former Wolves forward collapsed theatrically but Semedo was the wrong side to defend and paid for his lapse in concentration.
‘We made some mad decisions chasing the game,’ said Wolves boss O’Neil. ‘We got carried away and opened the game up too much, but apart from that there were loads of good bits.’
Salah thumped in the penalty and this time the visitors protected the lead and moved back to the top of the pile.
