This season Liverpool Late Defeat has become a too-familiar plot and Tuesday night at Molineux gave the book another sad chapter. When it seemed that the side of Arne Slot was finding its momentum, the 94th-minute goal of Andre gave Wolves an award of drama in the 2-1 win and put the Liverpool dreams of winning the Champions League in serious jeopardy. It is the opposite of the story of a club that was known to bring about last-gasp winners as far back as several years ago. It was not a mere loss but it was like training the team to remember that the vulnerability still affects their performance at the most crucial point of the season.
To begin with, the performance provoked the things of concern way before the decisive time came. Liverpool were sluggish in holding on to the ball, foreseeable in their moves and sluggish in the last third. The tempo was impressive although they did not give up too many open-cut opportunities. Virgil van Dijk did not evade that fact in the future and he acknowledged the fact that the side were sloppy and guilty of making bad decisions. It was a harsh realist evaluation that summed up the aggravation within the dressing room. A squad who are struggling to secure a place in the Champions League, can ill afford to lose focus and urgency several times.
The trend is quite negative. This Liverpool Late Defeat was the fifth occasion this season of the premier league where they lost to an injury-time goal, a record that no club will be proud to be the record holder. Liverpool has been a place to construct their reputation on sensational late winners. The roles have changed the other way round. Arne Slot termed the result as the same old story, he was also aware that the expectations have changed during the course of the campaign. The season is no longer a rebuilding season, as it seems to bear an actual pressure, and nine league games are ahead and there is not much room to go wrong.
Wolves were not however mere passive benefactors. When at 1-1 they felt vulnerable and drove forward with purpose instead of contenting themselves with a point. The goal of victory came as a result of a deflection with Joe Gomez, yet the ideology behind the goal could not be doubted. The way Rob Edwards ran down the touchline to celebrate showed the relief and also the pride. He later made fun by saying that he hurt himself in the process but his intent was well understood and that is, beating Liverpool, no matter their stand in the league is important.
The recent run of wolves is an addition to the result. Beat of Aston Villa and Liverpool in two consecutive games make them the first bottom-placed team that has beaten two teams in the top-five in successive games in the history of the premier league. That fact supports their strength. Even though the team stands 11 out of safety in eight games to play, the team has not gave in on hope. Rodrigo Gomes, who made the first score in the season, stressed the importance of handling each game separately and never to lose hope, when you may feel that you cannot stay alive.
Lastly, one cannot ignore the general implications to Liverpool. One Liverpool Late Defeat might be understandable, but a entire months full of repeat late meltdowns pose a challenge to teams in terms of momentum and morale. To be denied access to the Champions League football would have a significant economic impact and change the course of the club towards the next transfer window. Slot justified elements of his side performance by stressing the recent team performance of Wolves but things are not easy given the circumstances when a game is going by.
The mood was captured by a picture of the away end emptying available till the final whistle. There has been an increase in the fans being accustomed to the super-late drama bringing happiness. Those situations have provided anxiety rather than this season. FA cups can provide a direct chance at redemption as the teams find a reunion but league form is still of the utmost importance.
To avoid any more Liverpool Late Defeat headlines, Liverpool will now have to get back to learning to find a way of staying calm in times of pressure. The English Premier League table is merciless and opponents will not ease. The qualification to the champion leagues means that there is no time to reflect. The time for response is now.
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