The Liverpool loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers, the bottom-placed team in the Premier League table, was a shocking one, to say the least. Wolves beat Liverpool 2-1 at the Molineux Stadium on Tuesday, March 3.
The Liverpool loss kept them in sixth position in the league table with 48 points from 29 matches. It was the Reds’ second defeat in their last five Premier League matches and their ninth overall. The Liverpool loss means that their chances of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League next season hang in the balance.
Liverpool Loss Underlines the Frailty of Their Defence
Liverpool have kept nine clean sheets in their 29 matches in the Premier League so far. In comparison, Arsenal have kept 13 and Manchester City 12. More importantly, Arne Slot’s men have conceded 39 goals so far, which is 17 more than Arsenal have and 14 more than Manchester City’s tally.
That is a considerable difference and the Liverpool loss against Wolves, which happened because of an injury-time goal scored by the latter, pointed out the Reds’ glaring weakness once again. Virgil van Dijk, who has been a colossus in Liverpool’s defence for the last eight-nine years now, has lost some of his invincibility, and Ibrahima Konate has not been able to provide much support either.
Ryan Gravenberch has also not been able to match his brilliant standards from last season, which helped Liverpool win the Premier League title. The midfield double-pivot of Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister has been strictly okay but nothing extraordinary this season, which has further increased Liverpool’s vulnerability.
Liverpool do not have full-backs who are particularly adept at defending either. Dominik Szoboszlai has often played as a right-back, but he is no defender. Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez are essentially better at going into overlaps than defending. As a result, Liverpool have often not been able to switch to a back-three during a match, with one of their full-backs staying back to be alongside the two centre-backs.
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The Reds Should Find It Difficult To Finish Inside the Top-Four
Liverpool are trailing Manchester United, who have been resurgent under Michael Carrick, at the moment by three points. They also trail Chelsea on goal difference at the moment.
As a result, the Reds’ chances of qualifying for the Champions League hang in the balance at the moment. Unless they win the Champions League title this season, it might prove to be difficult for them to qualify for the competition next season.
The only silver lining in the Liverpool loss to Wolves was the fact that Mohamed Salah scored their only goal in the match. Salah has found the going to be tough this season and scored only eight goals in 30 matches this season so far. That number is quite low by the Egyptian’s lofty standards. However, should he be able to regain his form, it will be beneficial for the Reds.
However, so many defeats in a single season are not befitting for the defending champions. Slot will have to extract better performance from his wards for the season to yield something for them.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Action Plus
Recording Date: 03.03.2026
