‘A relief!’ Liverpool restore their seven-point lead after Wolves victory | OneFootball

Arne Slot admitted his ‘relief’ as Liverpool made hard work of defeating Wolves at Anfield to restore their seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

First-half goals from Luis Díaz and Mohamed Salah proved enough for Arne Slot’s side, despite a nervy second half after Matheus Cunha had pulled one back for the visitors.The Reds started brightly and took the lead in the 15th minute when Díaz latched onto a loose ball inside the box and fired past José Sá. They doubled their advantage in the 37th minute, with Salah converting from the penalty spot after a VAR review confirmed a foul on Darwin Núñez. It was the Egyptian’s 42nd penalty for Liverpool, making him the club’s joint-top scorer from the spot in Premier League history, alongside Steven Gerrard.Liverpool looked to extend their lead but were denied by VAR, before Wolves capitalised on a shift in momentum, pulling a goal back through Cunha in the 67th minute to set up a tense finale.With crucial fixtures looming for Liverpool this week with trips to Villa Park and the Etihad, Ibrahima Konate was substituted after being on a yellow card in the first half and Slot confirmed he withdrew Konate at half-time because he was fearful that the Liverpool defender would be sent off.“Yes, I took him off because of that [that he could get a second yellow card]. I saw him getting his first yellow – that for me was a soft yellow,” Slot said. “If he had gotten his second one for a shoulder push, that would have again been a soft yellow so he would have been sent off for two soft yellows.“I think the referee felt the same, that’s why he didn’t (book him again). But I’ve watched football so many times in my life and I know that a player and the referee is then under pressure.”

Anxiety crept in at Anfield, especially after Liverpool had been denied a crucial victory at Everton on Wednesday, but Slot’s side held on to secure a crucial three points.

Reflecting on the result, Slot admitted the team felt the pressure after their recent setback.

“Yeah, it was relief at the end. Especially after what happened on Wednesday, he admitted.

“That can have an impact on the games coming up, and you saw that today. It was in our heads a bit.”

Despite the late scare, the Liverpool boss insisted his players managed the situation well.

“I don’t think the nerves were too much. It also had to do with how Wolves came out,” he added.

“We thought we scored a third, we thought we had a penalty—completely correct decisions. Then it was 2-1, and mentally, that’s not easy.“I said this win is maybe a bigger accomplishment than beating Tottenham 4-0. Not in the quality of the football, but in the mentality.”