Liverpool’s performance against Wolves was far from perfect, but there was still much to admire, not least the contribution of substitutes.
The Reds ground out a 2-1 win at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, thanks to Luis Diaz‘s chested opener and Mohamed Salah‘s penalty.
A poor performance in the second half allowed Wolves to get back into the game, however, and Liverpool ended up clinging on.
Here, Henry Jackson (@HenryJackson87) is joined by Dan Clubbe (@dan_clubbe) to discuss an up-and-down afternoon for the Reds and pick their starting XI to face Aston Villa on Wednesday.
The good…
DAN: Lucho ending his drought was a big positive.
Albeit largely played out of his ideal position, the mounting evidence of a lack of goal contributions was starting to stack up, so a goal and the winning of the penalty couldn’t have been more timely.
Alisson was outstanding, too, proving once again why he’s the best there is, especially one-on-one.
Some had the temerity to question his form recently – this was proof of his continued brilliance.
Often it’s the attacking impetus added by the bench that gets all the plaudits, but in this instance, it was the defensive interventions of Endo and Quansah that made all the difference.
Two huge cameos for two rather forgotten members of the squad, with Bradley also standing up to a tough examination late on.
HENRY: I totally agree with Dan about the subs, especially Endo.
He wasn’t perfect, but his experience was so important and he has that priceless knack of being able to win fouls and relieve the pressure.
After one shaky moment early on, Quansah also really well – how important could that late intervention be come May?
I agree that Diaz was good, too, and those goal contributions were badly needed, and I thought Ali and Virg also shone.
More than anything, the three points were huge, and dropped points would have felt genuinely concerning.
The bad…
DAN: That second half!
Having been so in control we just completely blew up, shooting ourselves in the foot on more than one occasion defensively.
We still had moments where we could’ve put it to bed sooner, but any semblance of control deserted us and there were a few too many concerning performances for my liking.
Diogo’s dive – that’s just not it, Diogo! It was a golden opportunity to put the game to bed and Jota, normally so decisive and clinical in those situations, got this one badly wrong.
HENRY: Yeah, that wasn’t great from Jota, was it?
And the second half was frankly awful, as Dan rightly points out. Not a single shot!
Both full-backs were poor, in my opinion, with Trent so wasteful on the ball.
I’m trying to be careful with him when it comes to saying he’s lost focus with all the Real Madrid links, but sometimes it does feel that way.
As for Robbo, he continues to be a shadow of the player he once was, with so many errors and panicky moments creeping in these days.
I love him for everything he’s done for Liverpool, but an upgrade is a must this summer.
What’s your starting XI for Villa?
DAN: While the second half was alarming, and dare I say a few looked a little leggy, that side to face Wolves was more or less full strength.
It seems unlikely that Gakpo will be back in time for Villa, so I would go with this…
Alisson; Trent, Konate, VVD, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Jones; Salah, Diaz, Jota.
HENRY: There were definite signs of fatigue in the second half, which was only natural after such an intense game at Everton.
I think Liverpool just have to suck it up in these next two matches, though, and be about as strong as possible.
My team would be similar to Dan’s, expect I would bring Tsimikas in for Robbo and retain Szoboszlai in midfield.
Kostas has his faults, without question, but Robbo cannot play three games in a week now.
My XI: Alisson; Trent, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Diaz, Jota.
