Cody Gakpo has scored in three straight matches after scoring twice for the Netherlands in international matches
- Author, Tom Mallows – BBC Sport
- Role, Journalist
Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp bemoaned his team’s slow performance during the first half of its meeting with Wolverhampton Wolves, but he praised the team’s flexibility in regaining its fighting spirit after its opponent scored its first and only goal, ending the match with Liverpool achieving its third victory in the five matches it played in the English Premier League. .
Wolves imposed their dominance during the first half of the match and opened the scoring deservedly when player Huang Haichan scored a goal from a pass from the foot of the team’s playmaker Pedro Neto.
After the half-time break, the Reds’ performance improved and they tied with the Wolves when player Cody Gakpo converted a cross from Mohamed Salah into a goal.
Then player Andy Robertson celebrated his 200th appearance in the English Premier League by achieving the lead for the Reds for the first time in the match, in the 85th minute of the match, before reserve player Harvey Elliott shot a shot that hit player Hugo Bueno and bounced into the Wolves’ net to achieve victory for Liverpool during Stoppage time of the match.
On the other hand, today, Saturday, the Manchester City team achieved a valuable victory over its host, West Ham, by three goals to one, in the fifth round of the English Premier League.
West Ham took the lead in the first half through James Ward-Prowse in the 36th minute, but Manchester came back strong in the second half and succeeded in adjusting the score under the leadership of Spaniard Pep Guardiola after his return from back surgery.
The Citizens’ goals were scored by Jeremy Doku, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland in the 46th, 76th and 86th minutes respectively.
Manchester City continued its series of victories in the league, achieving its fifth victory in a row, raising its score to 15 points and regaining the lead in the league from Liverpool, while West Ham’s score froze at 10 points.
Regarding the Liverpool match, Klopp told TNT Sports: “It was as if we had just met in the parking lot before the match with the organization that happened in the first half. The good thing is that our performance was so bad that we could not play like that.” The level of badness in the second half.
“We changed the style of play and one of the players and played at a more natural pace from the beginning. We controlled the game better.
“We have a good team, there’s no doubt about that. We had very strong substitutes today. But even with quality you can play poorly, and that’s what we did in the first half of the match.”
image source, Getty Images
Mohamed Salah controlled the ball and created his team’s goals
The Reds got their form back
Liverpool did not pose an attacking threat during the first 45 minutes of the match, as the team’s midfielder was constantly passed over.
Klopp brought on Luiz Diaz to replace the tired Alexis McAllister in the half-time break, before Elliott and Darwin Nunez came on 11 minutes after the start of the second half.
The substitutions had an impact on Liverpool, with Diaz picking up a wide pass from Robertson just 90 seconds after entering the field.
The Colombian player then participated in creating the equalizer through his interaction with the ball on the outskirts of the square, where he eventually passed the ball to Mohamed Salah, who crossed it to Gakpo, who scored the goal.
Then Nunez almost gave Liverpool the lead, but his shot was well intercepted by goalkeeper Jose Sa and defender Max Kilman.
Wolves looked like they were on the verge of collapse while the visitors looked the more likely to score goals.
And they duly did so when just five minutes remained in the match, when Robertson, the team’s captain in the absence of suspended Virgil van Dijk, ran to receive Salah’s pass and volley a side-throw from six yards out to score the winner.
Elliott sealed the victory late in the match, but his goal was not counted after the referee deemed that his throw took enough of a bounce off Bueno to land as a goal in the Wolves’ goal from the team’s own defender.
Neto shines, but the Wolves are losing energy
Wolves coach Gary O’Neill will have reasons for optimism despite the team’s fourth loss from five matches this season, which leaves the Black Country team close to the bottom of the Premier League standings.
O’Neill told the BBC’s Match of the Day programme: “In order to compete with Liverpool we have to compete at a level above our level. We did that for 45 minutes and perhaps missed the opportunity to strike in the second half.”
He added: “It looked like a comfortable win for Liverpool, but it was not comfortable for most of the afternoon.”
The home team was excellent in the first half, with midfielders João Gomez and Mario Lemina constantly shadowing the Liverpool players, allowing Jan Risner-Belgarde and Neto the opportunity to launch quick counter-attacks.
Neto excelled in particular in this half, as he made the first goal of the match when he passed three Liverpool players and ran into the penalty area before sending a low pass to scorer Huang.
Neto showed great skill as a winger when he passed the ball through the feet of player Joe Gomez and sent a pass to player Matthews Cunha, who did not jump in time to meet the ball and score the goal.
Cunha regretted missing that opportunity with Wolves’ poor performance in the second half of the match against Liverpool, where they failed to shoot on target.
The team’s trip next weekend to meet the Luton team, which has been suffering since the beginning of the season, looks like a pivotal confrontation for them.
