Match ends, Wolverhampton Wanderers 0, Liverpool 1.
WolvesWolverhampton Wanderers0LiverpoolLiverpool1
Liverpool substitute Divock Origi scored a last-minute winner to sink Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux as the Reds continued their superb form in the Premier League.
With seconds remaining, Origi latched on to a Mohamed Salah pass, smashing the ball beyond Jose Sa in the Wolves goal.
His goal sparked wild celebrations from the visiting players, while Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp ran straight to the centre circle to hug the striker after the full-time whistle.
Klopp then told BBC Radio 5 Live he thought Origi "was a legend", saying he hoped "people will write books about him" as he acknowledged the Belgian's cult hero status at Anfield.
The win meant Liverpool briefly went top, leapfrogging Chelsea, who lost 3-2 to West Ham in Saturday's early kick-off, but they returned to second after Manchester City beat Watford 3-1.
Defeat was cruel on Wolves, who had defended heroically for 94 minutes and were 60 seconds away from becoming the first team to stop Liverpool scoring this season.
Reds go top in dramatic fashion
Liverpool came into this match in blistering form, having scored at least twice in each of their past 18 matches and scoring 14 times in their past four.
But for most of the afternoon, it looked as if they would be denied in front of goal for the first time since drawing 0-0 with Real Madrid last April.
In the first half, former Wolves forward Diogo Jota headed a deep cross narrowly off target while Romain Saiss produced a superb sliding tackle to deny the Reds' Salah a tap-in.
And in the second period, Liverpool continued to dominate as Thiago was denied by a combination of Raul Jimenez and Sa before Jota missed a huge opportunity, seeing an effort blocked on the line by Conor Coady with the keeper stranded.
It looked as if that would be the game's best chance but the Reds kept up the pressure and were awarded for their attacking intent with just one minute of stoppage time remaining when Origi broke the deadlock with his fourth goal of the season.
Wolves firm in defence
Spirited defensive efforts have become a regular habit for Wolves who boast the third-best defensive record in the Premier League and were seconds away from a fourth clean sheet on the bounce.
As they were cheered on by a boisterous home crowd on a cold afternoon in the West Midlands, the hosts were content to sit back and rarely threatened going forward. Wolves managed just three shots compared to Liverpool's 17.
Bruno Lage may look towards his attackers as one area to improve upon going forward.
Wolves, who have Chelsea and Manchester City to face before Christmas, have now failed to score in eight of their 15 league games this season.
Defeat sees them remain in eighth, six points off the top four and 11 clear of the relegation zone.
Player of the match
OrigiDivock Origi
with an average of 7.38
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Avg
- Squad number16Player nameCoadyAverage rating
6.49
- Squad number9Player nameJiménezAverage rating
6.38
- Squad number37Player nameTraoréAverage rating
6.35
- Squad number8Player nameRúben NevesAverage rating
6.27
- Squad number11Player nameTrincãoAverage rating
6.20
- Squad number23Player nameKilmanAverage rating
6.17
- Squad number27Player nameSaïssAverage rating
6.17
- Squad number3Player nameAït-NouriAverage rating
6.17
- Squad number22Player nameNélson SemedoAverage rating
6.16
- Squad number28Player nameJoão MoutinhoAverage rating
6.13
- Squad number1Player nameJosé SáAverage rating
6.13
- Squad number26Player nameHwang Hee-chanAverage rating
6.12
- Squad number32Player nameDendonckerAverage rating
6.06
- Squad number2Player nameHoeverAverage rating
5.48
Liverpool
Avg
Squad number27Player nameOrigiAverage rating7.38
Squad number7Player nameMilnerAverage rating6.95
Squad number11Player nameMohamed SalahAverage rating6.89
Squad number26Player nameRobertsonAverage rating6.71
Squad number14Player nameHendersonAverage rating6.71
Squad number4Player namevan DijkAverage rating6.65
Squad number66Player nameAlexander-ArnoldAverage rating6.63
- Squad number1Player nameAlissonAverage rating
6.61
- Squad number6Player nameThiago AlcántaraAverage rating
6.56
Squad number10Player nameManéAverage rating6.50
Squad number32Player nameMatipAverage rating6.49
- Squad number20Player nameDiogo JotaAverage rating
6.49
- Squad number3Player nameFabinhoAverage rating
6.46
Squad number15Player nameOxlade-ChamberlainAverage rating6.15
Line-ups
Wolves
Formation 3-4-3
- 1Sá
- 23Kilman
- 16Coady
- 27Saïss
- 22Nélson Semedo
- 8Neves
- 32DendonckerBooked at 26mins
- 3Aït-NouriSubstituted forHoeverat 90+2'minutes
- 37TraoréSubstituted forMachado Trincãoat 89'minutes
- 9JiménezBooked at 88mins
- 26Hwang Hee-chanSubstituted forJoão Moutinhoat 79'minutes
Substitutes
- 2Hoever
- 10Podence
- 11Machado Trincão
- 17Fábio Silva
- 21Ruddy
- 28João Moutinho
- 39Cundle
- 64Bueno
- 77Campbell
Liverpool
Formation 4-3-3
- 1Alisson
- 66Alexander-Arnold
- 32Matip
- 4van Dijk
- 26RobertsonBooked at 66mins
- 14HendersonSubstituted forOrigiat 68'minutes
- 3FabinhoBooked at 62mins
- 6Thiago Alcántara
- 11SalahSubstituted forMilnerat 90+6'minutes
- 20JotaSubstituted forOxlade-Chamberlainat 82'minutes
- 10Mané
Substitutes
- 5Konaté
- 7Milner
- 15Oxlade-Chamberlain
- 18Minamino
- 21Tsimikas
- 27Origi
- 47Phillips
- 62Kelleher
- 76N Williams
- Referee:
- Chris Kavanagh
- Attendance:
- 30,729
Match Stats
Home TeamWolvesAway TeamLiverpool
- Possession
- Home33%
- Away67%
- Shots
- Home3
- Away17
- Shots on Target
- Home1
- Away5
- Corners
- Home2
- Away8
- Fouls
- Home4
- Away7
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Wolverhampton Wanderers 0, Liverpool 1.
Substitution
Substitution, Liverpool. James Milner replaces Mohamed Salah.
Goal!
Goal! Wolverhampton Wanderers 0, Liverpool 1. Divock Origi (Liverpool) left footed shot from very close range to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Mohamed Salah.
Post update
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Raúl Jiménez (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Substitution
Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Ki-Jana Hoever replaces Rayan Aït-Nouri because of an injury.
Post update
Attempt saved. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Substitution
Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Trincão replaces Adama Traoré.
Booking
Raúl Jiménez (Wolverhampton Wanderers) is shown the yellow card.
Post update
Offside, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Nélson Semedo tries a through ball, but Raúl Jiménez is caught offside.
Post update
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by José Sá.
Post update
Attempt saved. Sadio Mané (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top left corner.
Post update
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Maximilian Kilman.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Divock Origi (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Trent Alexander-Arnold with a cross.
Substitution
Substitution, Liverpool. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replaces Diogo Jota.
Post update
Corner, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Conceded by Virgil van Dijk.
Post update
Attempt missed. Divock Origi (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Diogo Jota.
Substitution
Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. João Moutinho replaces Hwang Hee-Chan.
Post update
Attempt missed. Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Sadio Mané.
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Well done all football fans for showing such respect to the boy Arthur Labinjo-Hughes who was monstrously murdered. God love him he was a true blue Birmingham supporter. RIP little man.
Wolves dreadful timewasting bites them in the backside.
Absolutely hilarious.
Liverpool go top for a few minutes...