Julen Lopetegui was forced to admit that Liverpool deserved victory after his Wolves team visited Anfield tonight and succumbed to a 2-0 defeat.
While perhaps not a classic Reds performance at times, the effectiveness of what the Spaniard described as his opponents’ ‘aggressive’ press paid off over the course of the 90 minutes.
“Maybe we could have interrupted his rhythm. We couldn’t do much damage in space. We put Adama [Traore] but they didn’t find the moment, they were aggressive with the press,” the 56-year-old told Premier League Productions (via BBC Sport).
“In the first half we surpassed some moments in this press, in the second half we didn’t.
“When you have these types of games, you have to have the ball and be calm. In the first half we did this, we matched them, but in the second we didn’t have those chances”.
There was an important milestone for goalscorer Mo Salah as he registered 20 goals in a season for the sixth consecutive campaign, although it would be unfair to give the Egyptian all the limelight.
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The midfield, likewise, impressed on the night, however it was the back line that would rightfully receive much of the applause for the win.
Kostas Tsimikas, in particular, shone when he replaced a beleaguered Andy Robertson at left-back, displaying excellent defensive work-rate to help keep the scoring level before turning things around in second-half action with some daring runs. the flank
With Manchester United visiting at the weekend, we will need to demonstrate a similar, if not higher, level of intensity when it comes to asserting ourselves on the pitch and making life difficult for the Carabao Cup winners.
That’s a tough question against a team clearly at the top in Erik ten Hag, though it would represent the most genuine turning point yet in the midst of our ongoing search for the top four.
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