Liverpool slumped to a damaging 2-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday, with Andre’s stoppage-time strike handing the Premier League’s bottom side a dramatic victory at Molineux.
Arne Slot’s men fell behind late on when Rodrigo Gomes struck in the 78th minute, finishing clinically after being picked out by Tolu Arokodare.
Mohamed Salah ended his 11-game Premier League goal drought, stretching back to November with an 83rd-minute equaliser after capitalising on a costly mistake from Wolves midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.
But Liverpool’s defensive frailties resurfaced in stoppage time. Andre seized on a poor clearance from Alisson Becker and unleashed a powerful effort that deflected off Joe Gomez and looped into the net, sparking wild celebrations from Wolves boss Rob Edwards while Slot looked on crestfallen.
It was the first time the Premier League’s bottom club had beaten the reigning champions since Crystal Palace defeated Chelsea in 2017.
Liverpool have now conceded 14 goals in the final 15 minutes of league matches this season, a defensive weakness that continues to haunt them. Although they remain fifth, their Champions League qualification hopes have suffered a significant blow. Sixth-placed Chelsea could leapfrog them with a win over Aston Villa on Wednesday.
The defeat, Liverpool’s first in five games across all competitions is likely to intensify scrutiny over Slot’s future at Anfield.
There was a poignant moment on 18 minutes when both sets of fans applauded in tribute to Diogo Jota, who wore that shirt number during his time at Wolves before moving to Liverpool.
The emotional pause appeared to drain momentum from a scrappy first half, but the contest sprang to life late on.
After Gomes’ opener, Liverpool responded swiftly. Salah intercepted Bellegarde’s misplaced pass and drove into the box before squeezing a shot past Jose Sa, who should have done better.
However, just four minutes later, Wolves struck decisively. Andre punished Alisson’s loose clearance, his deflected effort sealing a memorable win for the hosts.
Despite the result, Wolves remain 11 points from safety with eight games left, and relegation still looks highly likely.
Elsewhere, Everton ended their poor home run with a 2-0 win over Burnley. Former Burnley defender James Tarkowski headed Everton in front before Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall sealed the victory.
Sunderland claimed a 1-0 win at Leeds United thanks to Habib Diarra’s penalty, while Bournemouth and Brentford played out a goalless draw that dented both sides’ European ambitions.
AFP
