Liverpool

Charlotte Coates
BBC Sport journalist

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After watching Arsenal cut their lead at the top of the Premier League to four points yesterday, Liverpool have now reinstated their seven-point gap, but it did not come easily.

The Reds started the game at home to Wolves looking fresh and determined to put Wednesday's disappointing equaliser against Everton behind them and they did so in fine fashion when Luis Diaz bundled over the line in the 15th-minute.

It almost seemed to be game over when Mohamed Salah converted from the spot to net for the 23rd time this season.

But that was far from the case with Wolves debutant Marshall Munetsi forcing Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson into an excellent one-on-one save.

The alarm bells were then ringing for Liverpool, who had a goal chalked off for a offside and a second penalty rightfully overturned, as Matheus Cunha superbly curled into the bottom corner to make it 2-1 with over 20 minutes to play.

Wataru Endo's cameo from the bench was vital for the Reds as they hung on in the final minutes with the Japan international winning vital interceptions and disrupting numerous Wolves attacks.

With Aston Villa to come on Wednesday night, Liverpool can move 10 points clear of the Gunners before making the short trip to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City.

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Liverpool boss Arne Slot, speaking to MOTD after today's win: "It was mentally difficult the second half because we thought we scored the third, then thought we got a penalty, both situations were correctly handed by the referee.

"They got better and better, we got worse and worse. We had to show a different mentality which we did and got it over the line.

"In a season like this we have played so many great games, but in a season you want to win something you have to win the difficult ones as well when you are not playing your best. We were so close on Wednesday, this time we did survive.

"If you want to achieve something it is not only about bringing the ball out from the back or Mo [Salah] scoring goals, it is also about defending."

On the title race: "If you look at the last few seasons it has mostly been a battle between two teams. As things stand now it mostly looks like between us and Arsenal. I believe they have a 15-point game unbeaten run and I think at the start of that we were seven points clear of them and we still are now.

"So, it tells you how well they are doing but also how well we are doing."

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Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk, has been speaking to MOTD after today's victory: "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.

"Today showed at times that when we have the ball you can exploit it as well. Cunha was a danger man for them today we had to be aware of. Unfortunately he scored but we kept them to that.

"I definitely give them credit the way they went one v one most of the times and how they found the free man between the lines.

"At times we were sloppy as well and we couldn't keep the ball as well as we can at times."

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Liverpool have won 30 of their 40 matches across all competitions this season, more than any other team in Europe's big five leagues. Only in 2019-20 (37) and 1982-83 (39) have they reached 30 victories in a season in fewer games.

Liverpool have scored two or more goals in 17 successive matches at Anfield in all competitions - their joint-longest run of scoring two or more at home since joining the Football League in 1893 (also 17 from February to November 2019).

This was the first time on record (since 2003-04) that Liverpool failed to attempt a shot in the second half of a Premier League game at Anfield. In fact, it was the first time in this period that the Reds went an entire half of football without attempting a shot in a home league match.

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Wolves got a big win over Villa in their last league match and I watched them beat Blackburn in the FA Cup too.

I cannot see Vitor Pereira's side getting anything at Anfield, though.

Liverpool have to bounce back after conceding an equaliser so late on against Everton but I do expect them to react positively here.

They might not have manager Arne Slot or his assistant Sipke Hulshoff on the bench after their red cards on Wednesday, and this is a tricky spell for them with away games against Aston Villa and Manchester City coming up next week.

A lot of people might be thinking this might be their blip, but I don't think what happened in the derby is going to faze Liverpool.

There are 14 games left so they are not in the home straight yet, and they still have a seven-point cushion at the top.

In many ways, their players might use the dropped points at Goodison Park as a motivation to see off Wolves, and I am pretty confident they will get back on track straight away.

I am going for Mohammed Salah to score and Liverpool to win comfortably.

Sutton's prediction: 3-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

BBC Sport's Rob Schofield talks to The Football News Show presenter Sarah Mulkerrins after Liverpool boss Arne Slot's news conference, during which the Dutchman said "emotions got the better of me" when he was sent off after the dramatic draw at Everton.

Watch The Football News Show's full Premier League weekend preview

Rob Schofield
BBC Sport reporter

Friday's news conference had a very post-match feel as it was the first time we got to ask Arne Slot about Wednesday's dramatic 2-2 draw with Everton.

Neither the Liverpool head coach, nor his assistant Sipke Hulshoff, were allowed to speak to the media after being sent off at Goodison Park, but it felt like a day off had certainly helped calm the mood, with Slot returning to his familiar, reflective manner.

"Emotions got the better of me," admitted the Dutchman, who went on to say if he could go back and act differently he would do.

Slot refrained from divulging a great deal about his verbal interaction with referee Michael Oliver in respect for the "ongoing process" which will determine the extent of his punishment.

However, on midfielder Curtis Jones, who was shown a second yellow card along with Abdoulaye Doucoure for their altercation at the final whistle, he said: "There are other ways to do that for the team and fans, so I will talk with him about that."

The Reds boss always manages to get the balance right, though, and made the point that the same applies to him, adding: "It is an emotional sport. Individuals make wrong decisions out of emotion and that is what I did."

Watch a bit more of Slot's news conference below...

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Liverpool have won 15 of their past 16 Premier League meetings with Wolves, with the exception being a 3-0 loss at Molineux in February 2023.

Wolves have lost all seven of their Premier League away games against sides starting the day top of the table. Only Sheffield Wednesday (9), Bournemouth (8) and Watford (8) have visited the league leaders more times in the competition without managing to avoid defeat.

Cody Gakpo has scored in each of his past six Premier League starts at Anfield, scoring seven goals. Only three different Liverpool players have scored in seven or more successive home starts in the competition: Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez (both eight) and Mohamed Salah twice (seven and eight).

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Liverpool are the eighth team in Premier League history to have 57 points after 24 games – of the previous seven, four of them went on to win the title, while three did not.

A bit more 50-50 than you expected, Liverpool fans? It is not quite as precarious as it sounds...

Manchester United and Arsenal both had 57 points at this stage in the 2007-08 season so of course only one of those could have gone on to win the title.

The Gunners had the same number of points as Arne Slot's side at this stage two years ago too, but they had a smaller lead and were being chased by a peak – and fully-functioning – Manchester City team.

• Not a Liverpool fan? Find and follow your team here

The only team to have 57 points and a bigger lead at this stage and not win the title was Kevin Keegan's Newcastle in 1995-96.

The Magpies took 12 more points than any other side from the first 24 games but famously fell away and finished runners-up to Sir Alex Ferguson's United.

It is important to note that Newcastle were not 12 points ahead after playing 24 games as chasers Manchester United had already played, and won, their 25th game and were therefore nine points behind. However, the Magpies took 57 points from their first 24 games and chasers United and Liverpool took 45 points from theirs.

Only one team has ever had more than 57 points at this stage of a Premier League campaign and not gone on to win the title – something Liverpool fans will well know as it was Jurgen Klopp's Reds in 2018-19.

But, similar to Arsenal two years ago, they had just a five-point lead and were being hunted down by one of Pep Guardiola's greatest-ever City sides, who went on to win the title with a whopping 98 points to Liverpool's 97.

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Wolves (kick-off 14:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Slot confirmed Trent Alexander-Arnold is training with the team again after playing half an hour on Wednesday, while Joe Gomez and Tyler Morton remain out. He also said Cody Gakpo is a "doubt" after picking up a "knock" against Everton.

• Following his red card at Goodison Park, the Liverpool boss said he wants to "respect" the "ongoing process" and "can't go into detail" on what happened: "What happened was that, during the extra time that was intended to be five and went to eight, a lot happens and the emotions got the better of me. If I could do differently, I would have loved to do it differently. I hope to do it differently the next time."

• On how he feels about Curtis Jones' reaction at full-time, after the midfielder received a red card: "Happy he stands up a lot for the team. There are other ways to do that for the team and fans, so I will talk with him about that. But the same for me - I should have acted differently after the game too. But, it is an emotional sport. Individuals make wrong decisions out of emotion and that is what I did."

• On the result of the Merseyside derby: "It felt immediately after the referee blew his whistle that we lost two points. But during the 98 minutes, I didn't feel constantly that we were going to win the game. It felt like an equal game and the draw would've been a fair result."

• He did see plenty of positives though: "We won a lot on Wednesday. What I mean by that is when you look at the togetherness of the fans and the players and how much we fought to get the result. We have been praised so many times this season for how well we can play, but the players showed a different side. It gives me a lot of confidence for the upcoming 14 games."

• He and his staff talk about "mentality" with players on a "daily basis": "If you want to play at a top club like this, you need to have more than quality - you need mentality as well. If players don't have this inside them, then they don't play for one of the biggest clubs in the world."

• Slot praised Wolves' improvement under Vitor Pereira and spoke about forward Matheus Cunha's impact: "If you go to the Dutch league and look at that position [of team in 17th], there is no player like that. But he has the quality to play for one of the top five teams in England. It is one of the reasons why it is more difficult to win against number 17 in England than in Holland."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Full commentary of Liverpool v Wolves on BBC Radio 5 Live from 14:00 GMT on Sunday

Newcastle United and Sweden striker Alexander Isak is very interested in a move to Liverpool. (Teamtalk), external

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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk wants his side to get over their Merseyside derby frustrations "as soon as possible" in order to focus on their title pursuits.

The Reds were pegged back at the death in Wednesday's 2-2 draw with Everton, a result which leaves them seven points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Head coach Arne Slot and assistant Sipke Hulshoff were shown red cards by referee Michael Oliver after the fixture. Slot, who has already served a one-match touchline ban for accumulating three yellow cards, must now await the match official's report to discover what, if any punishment, he will receive.

"I think conceding a goal in the last seconds of a game, or even after added time of a game, is very difficult," said Van Dijk.

"That hurt and should hurt for each one of us but it is the reality. You have two things you can do: you can dwell on it and stay angry about it or you can take it on board, start the recovery and be ready for Wolves because that will be a difficult test again and I think that's the best thing to do.

"I think it is better to just get over it as soon as possible. It is very difficult to just put it aside because it is still so fresh and you are still thinking about it a lot and what you could have done better and differently but from today we have to move on.

"We all know we could have played better but we all know this is their game of the season and we've seen it over the years.

"Overall I think we definitely could have done better but you are still playing against a team who has strength in the way they played and we have to adapt to that."

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

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Liverpool head coach Arne Slot prides himself on staying cool during matches - but even he could not maintain his calm in the hothouse that was Goodison Park on Wednesday night.

He was sent off, along with assistant Sipke Hulshoff, as were Everton's Abdoulaye Doucoure and Liverpool midfield man Curtis Jones.

They were all involved in chaotic scenes after James Tarkowski's equaliser, Liverpool's rage and frustration clear after the goal was given.

When the dust settled, and there is an awful lot of dust to settle after an explosive night at the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, Slot and Liverpool can reflect on now being seven points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Would they have settled for that at the start of the season? You bet.

Josh Sexton
Fan writer

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The final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park having four goals, four red cards and last-kick-of-the-game drama, only felt like a fitting way to say goodbye to The Old Lady.

Being honest, I'll be more than glad to see the back of the place for how it makes Everton players seem 10-feet-tall in recent derbies, and in contrast makes Liverpool's stars look a lot less than the sum of their parts.

The Reds were simply not intelligent enough in their game management and I think a 2-1 win would've flattered them, and that's what I think will rankle the most with Arne Slot.

Any refereeing decisions, luck or circumstance in moments are hardly likely to be the subject in the analysis rooms of their training centre in Kirkby, but I hope they're having an in-depth chat about how they can be smarter in creating their own luck and not leaving games so in the balance as to let circumstance decide the outcome.

Besides Alexis Mac Allister, few of those that started on the night can say they felt they gave the best version of themselves. While I have some sympathy around the extenuating circumstances that Goodison Park and Michael Oliver provided, they'll face more adversity in the coming weeks and months, and they'll need cooler heads to prevail.

They possess those characteristics and the requisite depth to take any future challenges head on, but Slot may feel there is a lot both he and his players can learn from that cauldron of emotion they left some time after the final whistle.

Strip the emotion out of it, Liverpool. Play your best game, and not the occasion, and you can beat anybody in world football right now.

Find more from Josh Sexton at The Anfield Wrap, external