Wolves 2-1 Liverpool: Reds stunned by hosts as André nets last-gasp winner

Andre scored a 94th-minute winner as bottom club Wolves beat the defending Premier League champions Liverpool.

Match Report

With relegation almost certain, Wolves’ devil-may-care attitude had sparked a mini-revival of late after an impressive four-point haul in their previous two home games against Arsenal and Aston Villa. Eager to avoid becoming their next high-profile scalp, Liverpool started positively, with Cody Gakpo testing the water early on with a long-range effort that was easily collected by José Sá. Liverpool pressed forward again in search of an early opener, but Jeremie Frimpong blazed his effort over the bar after a superb surging run and pass from Hugo Ekitiké. 

The hosts were understandably happy to soak up the pressure, keeping the Reds at bay with relative ease in a first half that was forgotten almost as soon as it was brought to a close. Rob Edwards’ side failed to register a solitary attempt on goal by the time the HT whistle blew, while a Liverpool team expected to dominate proceedings mustered just two first-half shots on target. 

Slot’s men had a penalty shout turned down just after the restart when Frimpong’s cross appeared to hit Ladislav Krejčí’s arm before going behind, and they went close to breaking the deadlock from the resulting corner. Ekitiké flicked on Salah's corner towards Curtis Jones, but Gakpo appeared to inadvertently clear the ball away from his team-mate before seeing the ball subsequently rebound off the bar and away to safety. Ekitiké then made another driving run down the right and delivered an early cross that was superbly intercepted by Krejčí into Sá’s grasp, with Alexis Mac Allister waiting to pounce.

But then came a stunning sucker punch which sparked an eruption of noise. Tolu Arokodare outmuscled Virgil van Dijk when latching onto a long ball forward and slipped in Rodrigo Gomes, who applied a superb dinked finish over Alisson to give Wolves a stunning 78th-minute lead. Rio Ngumoha was then within a whisker of restoring parity when Sá brilliantly parried his deflected strike onto the post.

However, a Reds equaliser did come courtesy of Mohamed Salah, who intercepted Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s cross-field pass and applied a toe-poked finish past Sá to score his first PL goal since November. Slot’s team were pushing for a winner in stoppage time, but incredibly, it was the hosts who struck deep into stoppage time, as André’s strike took a huge deflection off Joe Gomez and sealed all three points in the most dramatic of circumstances. Wolves may still be 11 points adrift of 17th place, but performances and victories like this will only keep fans dreaming of the impossible. Liverpool, meanwhile, could rue this missed opportunity to consolidate their place in the PL's top five in what is becoming a captivating battle in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification.

Match Events

0' The match is about to start!

5' Salah gets an opportunity inside the box, but a defender clears the ball away

14' Frimpong runs onto a long pass and takes a shot, but his effort flies high

22' Yellow Card! Gravenberch goes into the book for a late challenge

30' Ekitike fouls as he brings down a defender in the box

40' Szoboszlai sends his free kick into the box but Mac Allisters' header goes wide

43' Gakpo bursts past some players and shoots, but it is blocked

46' Gravenberch is replaced by Curtis Jones

49' Krejci seems to handball in the box but no penalty after VAR review

51' A scoring opportunity for Reds after a corner but it is cleared at the goal-line

65' A cross into the box from Hugo Ekitike is cleared

71' Joe Gomez replaces Jeremie Frimpong

78' GOAL! Gomes collects a pass & lifts the ball over Alisson! Wolves 1-0 Liverpool

80' Ngumoha fires, but the keeper dives perfectly and tips the ball onto the post

83' GOAL! Salah equalizes for Reds with a superb finish! Wolves 1-1 Liverpool

94' GOAL! Wolves 2-1 Liverpool (André)

Line-ups

Wolves XI: Doherty, Jose Sa, Adam Armstrong, Santiago Bueno, Angel Gomes, Ladislav Krejci, David Møller Wolfe, João Gomes, André, Jackson Tchatchoua, Mateus Mané

Subs: Sam Johnstone, Hwang Hee-Chan, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Toti Gomes, Tolu Arokodare, Hugo Bueno, Yerson Mosquera, Rodrigo Gomes, Pedro Lima

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Salah, Van Dijk, Konate, Gakpo, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Jeremie Frimpong, Hugo Ekitiké, Milos Kerkez

Subs: Robertson, Joe Gomez, Chiesa, Curtis Jones, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Calvin Ramsay, Trey Nyoni, Kieran Morrison, Rio Ngumoha