Lacking bite, Reds fall to Wolves' late ambush

If he had any hair, he'd surely be pulling it out. A frustrated Arne Slot admitted Liverpool must solve its habit of conceding late goals to save its troubled season after Tuesday's embarrassing 2-1 defeat away to bottom of the table Wolves.

Slot's side fell behind to Rodrigo Gomes' strike with 12 minutes left at Molineux before Mohamed Salah's equalizer looked to have rescued a point for the Reds.

Liverpool's Achilles heel of surrendering goals in the final seconds came back to haunt it once again, as Andre's shot deflected over wrong-footed keeper Alisson Becker.

Liverpool has lost five games thanks to 90th minute goals in the Premier League this season, the most of any side in a single campaign in the competition's history.

Slot urged his players to solve their late-game meltdowns in time to salvage one of the most disappointing campaigns in Liverpool's illustrious history.

"We hardly conceded a chance, we didn't create much, but more than they did, yet, again, the result is a 2-1 loss," said Slot, who spent around 450 million pounds ($601 million) on new signings before this season.

"We are losing far too many games and dropping points," he said.

"Was it again in extra (added) time that we conceded? The three times we lost in the last 22 games were all in (added) time."

Liverpool was beaten for the first time in five games in all competitions, opening the door for sixth-placed Chelsea to move above it with a win against Aston Villa on Wednesday.

Out of sync for much of a difficult season, Slot bemoaned Liverpool's careless defending and poor finishing in a game that exposed its flaws at both ends of the pitch.

"Bad result. A far from good first half, better second half," Slot reflected.

"Second half, there was a bit more urgency, getting closer to scoring a goal, then conceding the first time they arrived around our box.

"We immediately struck back, first off the post, then with Mo, then we were twice close to making a winner.

"In the end, we conceded a deflected shot, which was not even a chance."

'Slow, predictable, sloppy'

Liverpool is the first reigning champion to lose to the Premier League's bottom club since Chelsea was beaten by Crystal Palace in 2017.

It is the latest chastening loss in a turbulent season for Liverpool, which sits in fifth place after a dismal defense of the title it won last term.

The Anfield outfit is far from certain to qualify for next season's Champions League and questions are mounting about Slot's future.

The Dutchman, the toast of Anfield less than a year ago, has presided over a long run of lackluster performances displaying little of the flair and excitement the club's fans expect.

Liverpool has a chance for immediate revenge over Wolves when it returns to the West Midlands for an FA Cup fifth-round tie on Friday.

"Yeah, which is a good thing and a nice thing, because we have something to prove on Friday," Slot said.

One of many Liverpool stars well below their best, Reds captain Virgil van Dijk conceded that his team only had itself to blame.

Van Dijk was caught out during the build-up to Wolves' opener, and then missed a golden opportunity to put Liverpool 2-1 up before Andre snagged the winner.

"I think it's down to ourselves," he said.

"It was slow, we were predictable, sloppy in possession and wrong with our decision-making.

"We didn't concede chances, but if you perform like that, then this is the result.

"It was disappointing."

AFP