Liverpool 2-1 Wolves: Florian Wirths picked the perfect moment to score his first Premier League goal as Arne Slott’s side beat hapless Wolves at Anfield.
Almost five months and well over 20 games into his Liverpool career, it was time for him to make an appearance. It’s time for him to prove he’s worth £16m, never mind the £116m it will ultimately cost Liverpool, against as unlucky boys as the Premier League has seen for a long time.
Without Mohamed Salah’s sideshow, it’s time for Florian Wirtz to blossom. Fixed. The word is wrong. In a surprising interview at Elland Road that day, Salah ensured he would always remain the center of attention, but not necessarily for the right reasons.
But now he’s out of sight, if not out of mind, and it’s time for others to take center stage. In particular, it’s time for Wirtz to show why he’s considered a generational German talent.
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It wasn’t a performance that fully justified the hype and price tag, but it at least suggested the diminutive 22-year-old was adapting to the pace and physicality of the Premier League.
It’s true that his formative Liverpool career has slowly flared up. He made his first assist in the Premier League on December 20th, and his first goal in the Premier League on December 27th. His first goal of 17 Premier League games came in mid-August. He stalled and hit the ground.
But apart from coming against a side who arrived at Anfield with two points from 17 games, it was perhaps Wirtz’s most complete performance since his move from Bayer Leverkusen. Coincidentally, fellow summer signing Jeremy Frimpong may have played a more important role in this home win. After a truly frightening first half, his inspiration sparked in the second half, when Ryan Gravenbirch’s superb finish helped Liverpool break through.
But from Liverpool and Arne Slott’s point of view, the moment of the match came shortly after a bit of vision from Hugo Ekitike cleared Wirtz, and some fine control and a stabbing finish signaled he would earn the badge.
From there – unfairly leading by a few points at half-time – it should have been a formality for the team in the slot, but Santiago Bueno was on hand to give Wolves a lifeline when Alisson blocked Tolu Alokodare’s header from a corner kick early in the second half.
Rob Edwards’ team failed to grasp it and there is little question that the Premier League now has no lifeline. But again, they showed a little bit of spirit, they showed a little bit of offensive sharpness, they showed desire. They deserved the appreciation they received from the fans after the game.
Wolves are certainly not great, but they might not be as bad as some points and isolation at the bottom of the table suggest. And they could have turned those two points into three if substitute Connor Bradley hadn’t made a dramatic defensive intervention late on.
Instead, Liverpool picked up their 10th win of the Premier League season, but the appearance of that victory did not suggest that the champions were about to mount any formidable attack. But at least Wirtz’s contributions suggested he was getting the hang of things, even if his performance slowed in the final quarter of the contest.
And when Slott decided to waste a little time midway through the five-minute period, there was a very nice ovation when Wirtz was replaced by Trey Nyoni.
But the loudest, most emotional and most heart-breaking applause of the day went to Diogo Jota’s family as sons Dinis and Duarte held Virgil van Dijk’s hand and their father led the team to such an accomplishment. No more words are needed.
Remember, you always need a bit of perspective, other than saying if Liverpool’s title defense fails or if Wolverhampton Wanderers are relegated to the Championship.
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