Wirtz scores at last as Liverpool edges Wolves
Liverpool beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 to climb into the top four in the table and condemn Wolverhampton Wanderers to an unwanted record for the longest winless start in Premier League history with 18 games.
Ruthless strikes from Ryan Gravenberch and Florian Wirtz a minute apart in the first half secured victory for the defending champion to leave it on 32 points after 18 matches, 10 behind current leader Arsenal.
Wolves' nightmare season continued with just two points gained, a staggering 16 points from safety.
Wolves did well to frustrate Anfield fans before Gravenberch finally struck in the 41st minute. Jeremie Frimpong worked his way around two Wolves defenders before cutting it back to the Dutch midfielder who fired into the bottom corner.
Reds fans were still celebrating when Wirtz scored his first goal in Liverpool colours a minute later, latching on to Hugo Ekitike's through ball before poking past goalkeeper Jose Sa.
"I was confident that I would score one day," the Germany midfielder, who was signed from Bayer Leverkusen in June, said. "I just know that it will come and I try to keep going like that.
"We played a brilliant first half," he added. "We want to be there and be on top of the table. It's not been an easy start for us but we're doing better and getting the points."
Wolves pulled one back in the 51st when Tolu Arokodare's header was saved by Alisson Becker, but Santiago Bueno was there to finish the rebound.
Liverpool seemed rattled after the visitors' goal, but Wolves could not find an equaliser in a loss that saw them break Sheffield United's record of longest winless Premier League start set in 2020-2021.
The all-time English record for a top-flight winless start is held by Bolton Wanderers, which failed to win any of its first 22 games in 1902-1903. Unsurprisingly, it finished last and was relegated from the First Division.
Wolves' second half will give Rob Edwards' struggling side some confidence as the teams were level on four shots on target each.
The Reds squandered several chances to pad their lead in the second half. Curtis Jones had a shot from distance that Sa dove to save. Moments later, Wirtz cut the ball back for Gravenberch but he sliced his shot wide. And Cody Gakpo lashed a shot just over the net in stoppage-time.
Liverpool has now won three successive Premier League games and is seven games unbeaten in all competitions.
"Happy because in football it's about results," Liverpool boss Arne Slot said.
"So many times this season, our performances have been good without the results. Today a large part of the game I liked, but there were definitely also parts of the game I didn’t like. The end product of it all, a win, is what I like."
Liverpool was missing talisman Mohamed Salah, who is playing for Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations, and record British signing Alexander Isak, who is expected to miss two months after undergoing surgery for a broken leg.
The game was the first meeting between the two teams since the July death of Diogo Jota, who played for Wolverhampton before joining Liverpool, and two of the late player's children walked out of the tunnel with Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk as matchday mascots.
Gravenberch celebrated his goal with Jota's shark celebration.
