A 2-1 victory at Wolves took Liverpool to the top of the Premier League after round 6.


Against a home team that was in a terrible slump, Liverpool entered the game with confidence. However, their attacking moves were not really clear.

It was not until the end of the first half that the Reds created their first clear chance. Unfortunately, Szoboszlai’s close-range tap-in failed to defeat goalkeeper Johnstone.

Konate headed the opening goal - Photo: LFC
Konate headed the opening goal – Photo: LFC

When the striker fell silent, Liverpool found a way to break the deadlock from a centre-back. Konate jumped high to head in Jota’s cross from the left wing, opening the scoring.

In the second half, Wolves played more confidently. The home fans were delighted after Larsen’s hard-fought fight with Konate, and Ait Nouri jumped in to seize the opportunity to score a close-range goal into Liverpool’s net.

Salah scored from the penalty spot - Photo: LFC
Salah scored from the penalty spot – Photo: LFC

However, the “wolves” continued to show their attacking and defensive side. Semedo pulled Jota down in the penalty area and the referee immediately pointed to the penalty spot. At 11m, Salah easily raised the score to 2-1.

In the final moments of the match, Wolves were forced to push up their formation to find an equalizer. Liverpool had a few more chances from counter-attacks but Curtis Jones and Jota failed to finish.

In any case, with a 2-1 victory, Liverpool surpassed both Arsenal and Man City to climb to the top of the table with 15 points.

Liverpool vs Wolves starting lineup

Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Salah, Diaz, Diogo Jota.

Liverpool
Liverpool – Photo: Premier League

Wolves: Johnstone, Semedo, Bueno, Toti, Ait-Nouri, Lemina, Gomes, Andre, Bellegarde, Larsen, Cunha.

Wolves
Wolves – Photo: Premier League

FULL TIME

Liverpool got 3 points away - Photo: Premier League
Liverpool got 3 points away – Photo: Premier League

90+4′:

Matheus Cunha (Wolves) tries to shoot from the front of the goal, but the opposition defence clears the danger.

90+1′:

Carlos Forbs (Wolves) makes a good high cross into the box, but the opposition defence is alert and a defender clears the ball away.

83′:

Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool) escapes a challenge, but fails to make a low pass towards his teammate.

82′:

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) passes the ball low with the outside of his foot into the box, but the opposition gets the ball and clears it up. The referee points to the corner flag, Liverpool will take a corner kick.

78′:

Curtis Jones (Liverpool) misses a good chance. He has plenty of space around him and fires a great shot from the edge of the box into the bottom right corner, but the goalkeeper makes a great save to deny it! A corner kick as the ball goes out of play. Liverpool can continue their attack.

72′:

Carlos Forbs (Wolves) creates space for himself after performing a number of technical moves, but his decisive shot is promptly blocked by a defender. Wolves have a chance to score from the corner kick.

68′:

Matheus Cunha (Wolves) brilliantly beats two defenders and shoots from the edge of the box. The ball goes just wide of the left post. The ball has gone out of play and Liverpool will have a goal kick.

65′:

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) controls the ball neatly on the edge of the box after a pass from a teammate and shoots towards the top of the net. However, the winner is still the goalkeeper with an excellent save!

61′:

GOAL! 2-1 for Liverpool. It was a perfect penalty kick from Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) to the right of the goal, leaving no chance for goalkeeper Sam Johnstone to save!

60′:

The penalty decision was upheld after reviewing the video! There will be a penalty!

60′:

Wait a minute! It is not certain that there will be a penalty for Liverpool. The referee wants to review the situation via VAR. Hopefully the final decision will be made soon.

59′:

Nelson Semedo (Wolves) hugs his opponent as if she were his girlfriend. The referee saw the whole situation and did not hesitate to blow the penalty. Penalty! This will be a great scoring opportunity for Liverpool.

57′:

GOAL! Wolves equalize 1-1. Rayan Ait-Nouri (Wolves) takes the rebound in the box after Carlos Forbs’ shot and puts it in the net.

55′:

Matheus Cunha (Wolves) tries to get into the box. He plays a short low pass, but the ball is blocked and cleared. The ball is out of play and there will be a goal kick for Liverpool.

52′:

Joao Gomes (Wolves) tries to get the ball but also kicks the opponent’s leg. Anthony Taylor blows the whistle for a foul. A free kick for Liverpool.

50′:

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) takes a powerful shot from the edge of the box and the ball goes wide of the left post. The ball is out of play and there will be a goal kick for Wolves.

49′:

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (Wolves) crosses the ball but he cannot find any of his teammates in the box. A poor cross. The ball has gone out of play and Liverpool will have a goal kick.

46′:

Second half begins

First half ends

45+2′:

GOAL! 1-0 Liverpool. Diogo Jota lobs a neat ball into the box for Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), who wins an aerial duel with the defender before heading into the bottom right corner from close range.

40′:

Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool) meets a high cross in the box and fires a low shot into the centre of the goal. However, his promising shot is not cleared by goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, who makes a great save! Liverpool have a corner. They are moving players into the box.

32′:

Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) receives the ball from the free kick and fires a shot that would have gone low into the centre of the goal – if not for a brilliant save from goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

28′:

The cross from the corner, taken by Liverpool players, is too strong and the ball goes out of the field.

28′:

Luis Diaz (Liverpool) overcomes the challenges, but an opponent player plays well to clear the ball away. That will be a corner kick for Liverpool.

26′:

Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) takes the corner kick and puts the ball in the middle of a forest of players in the penalty area, but an opponent defender clears the ball safely.

22′:

A beautiful pass brings the ball to Matheus Cunha (Wolves) on the edge of the penalty area, and he shoots like a drill towards the left side of the goal. Goalkeeper Alisson almost has to pay for his carelessness, but at the decisive moment, he makes an excellent save.

19′:

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (Wolves) has a solo run, but an opponent player steals the ball before he has a chance to shoot.

16′:

Sam Johnstone (Wolves) passes the ball but cannot get it to any teammate.

12′:

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) goes down after a tackle in the penalty area, but the referee waves his arm and refuses to call a penalty.

11′:

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) with a difficult cross into the penalty area, but Sam Johnstone blocks the ball.

10′:

Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool) makes a long pass, but it does not have enough power to reach his teammate and loses the ball to an opponent’s foot.

9′:

Anthony Taylor blows a penalty. Diogo Jota (Liverpool) was fouled when he was too aggressive in the challenge.

6′:

The referee shows Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) a yellow card. An unsurprising consequence after his foul.

5′:

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (Wolves) tests goalkeeper Alisson with a shot from just outside the box, but his effort is blocked.

2′:

Wolves seem to have adapted to the tempo of the game and they are increasing the amount of possession. The players are waiting for the right moment to create new attacking opportunities.

1′:

First half begins

Premier League table

[prostandings path=”/a/50/league/england-premier-league/standings”]

Mbappé Scores Again but Raises Concerns After Requesting Substitution in Real Madrid’s Win Over Alavés

Kylian Mbappé continued his impressive form by scoring his fifth goal in five matches for Real Madrid in their 3-2 victory against Alavés on Tuesday. However, the French star had to be substituted with 10 minutes left, just five days ahead of the crucial Madrid derby against Atlético.

Real Madrid
Real Madrid

What Prompted Mbappé to Request a Substitution Against Alavés?
After being replaced in the 80th minute by manager Carlo Ancelotti, Mbappé was spotted holding his left hamstring as he took his seat on the bench, raising alarm bells. Although the France captain didn’t appear to be limping and wasn’t given any immediate treatment like ice packs, the gesture caused concern.

Following the game, Ancelotti explained that it was Mbappé who requested the substitution, feeling tightness in his muscles after a busy schedule. “He felt some tightness and asked to come off to avoid any problems,” the Italian coach said, downplaying fears of a serious injury.

Mbappé
Mbappé

The Timing Is Far from Ideal


With the Madrid derby approaching on Sunday, the timing of Mbappé’s muscle tightness isn’t ideal for Real Madrid. The forward has had a hectic run of games for both club and country. After helping France reach the semifinals of Euro 2024, Mbappé had little rest before joining up with Real Madrid, missing out on preseason preparations. Since his debut against Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup on August 14, he’s hardly had a break.

Mbappé has started in all nine of Real Madrid’s competitive fixtures this season. While his inclusion in the lineup against Alavés surprised many—especially after Vinícius Jr. was rested in the previous match against Espanyol—it wasn’t initially expected that Mbappé would play midweek. Ancelotti had hinted that young Brazilian Endrick would get a start, but instead, Mbappé was in the lineup once again.

Will Mbappé Be Ready for the Derby?
Real Madrid is hopeful that Mbappé will be fit in time for Sunday’s clash against Atlético at the Metropolitano, a venue where they suffered their only league defeat last season. However, concerns linger about his physical condition, with a packed schedule of games in multiple competitions coming up.

Of the 810 minutes of competitive play Real Madrid has had so far this season, Mbappé has been on the pitch for 783 of them. Given his heavy workload, it’s no surprise that he’s experiencing some muscle tightness. On Wednesday, the club will run tests to confirm whether there’s any serious issue or if it’s simply fatigue. Meanwhile, the rest of the first team will enjoy a day off.

Player Ratings

Real Madrid: Courtois 6, Vasquez 7. Rudiger 7, Militao 7, Tchouameni 7, Bellingham 8, Valverde 7, Rodrygo 8, Vinicius Jr 7, Mbappe 8.

Subs: Vallejo 6, Modric 6, Endrick 7, Guler 6, Garcia 6.

Deportivo Alaves: Sivera 5, Mourino 5, Novoa , Diarra 5, Sachez 5, Conechny 6, Romero 5, Benavidez 7, Blanco 5, Villalibre 7,

Subs: Pica 6, Guridi 6, Rebbach 6, Guevara 6, Garcia 7.

Match Highlights

1’ GOAL! REAL MADRID (VASQUEZ) 1-0 DEPORTIVO ALAVES
What a start! Just 57 seconds in, Vini Jr. makes his first touch, driving to the byline and slipping a pass to Lucas Vasquez, who puts Los Blancos ahead early.

22’ GOAL DISALLOWED (MBAPPE)
A brilliant move from Bellingham sets up Mbappe, who finds the net with ease, but it’s ruled offside.

40’ GOAL! REAL MADRID (MBAPPE) 2-0 DEPORTIVO ALAVES
Mbappe delivers a slick pass to Bellingham, who takes a moment before sliding it back to the Frenchman for a cool finish.

48’ GOAL! REAL MADRID (RODRYGO) 3-0 DEPORTIVO ALAVES
Just like in the first half, Alaves push high, leaving Rodrygo with plenty of space. He exploits it, driving the ball through Sivera’s legs.

85’ GOAL! DEPORTIVO ALAVES (PROTESONI) 1-3 REAL MADRID
A misplayed pass from Vasquez allows Protesoni to combine with a teammate before firing a stunning shot from outside the box, catching Courtois off guard.

87’ GOAL! DEPORTIVO ALAVES (GARCIA) 2-3 REAL MADRID
In a quick response, Kike Garcia scores with a left-footed shot after a beautifully lifted chip into the box, bringing Alaves back within striking distance.

Premier League table

[prostandings path=”/a/50/league/england-premier-league/standings”]