Ugly

The Reds limp over the line against the hungry (sorry) Wolves

Paul Tomkins, Andrew Beasley, Daniel Rhodes and other TTT regulars will give their thoughts on the match for 24 hours after the game, so the article received via email is unlikely to be the final version. There's statistics from the match and videos too.

Post-Match Thoughts

Paul Tomkins

That was about as tired, leggy and ugly as I’ve seen Liverpool in a long time, but it felt like a must-win game, and won it was.

On the back of the brutal, dodgy derby where Everton were allowed to foul to let the game flow (with it being treated like it was 1973 suddenly okay, out of the blue), the Reds ran out of steam. I also think there was some hesitancy in tackling given that they were penalised 20 times at Goodison, surreally so, and where it wasn’t 1973 for them.

And in the last six months the Reds have had as many foul penalties overturned by VAR as they have been given in six years.

Let that sink in. Two penalties given to Liverpool by VARs for fouls in six years. One every three years. Two taken away since Chelsea at home in October.

Blatant ones are ignored, yet they like to overturn them when they think it’s soft. You don’t need contact for a penalty, and both Wolves’ fouls in the box were from rash actions. The Wolves’ defender even injured himself throwing himself at Diogo Jota, who took evasive action; and yes, went down easily, but equally, what was the defender doing?! When Liverpool players were fouled at Goodison, they didn’t go down, and got nothing as a result.

By all means overturn them if you must, but when it’s Alexis Mac Allister being kicked in the chest by Doku or other clear ones (two players fouling Mo Salah at Forest), the VAR shits his pants, and that’s that. Where are the calls to the monitor when Liverpool need them? Nowhere, that’s where they are. Two foul penalties since 2019 from VAR!

That, along with the lovely Mo Salah goal ruled out for a marginal offside (but presumably the correct call), took the wind out of what was an already jaded Liverpool, and a weirdly complacent (or nervous) crowd.

Without pushing men forward, by the end, Liverpool were hanging on against a Wolves team full of surprisingly excellent players, fresh after a week off, who should not be down near the bottom.

And yet again, the opposition were awarded more free-kicks, as if refs can’t help themselves. At least today you can’t say that it was when Liverpool were dominant, unlike the vast majority of times.

The Warped, Unfair Foul Balances Liverpool Suffer Is PROVABLE, and Slot Surely Knows It

Still, as I will go on to explain, it’s about getting through this next week, then it all changes.

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