Arne Slot says Florian Wirtz was hugely relieved to score his first Liverpool goal as they beat Wolves 2-1 on Saturday
Arne Slot was delighted Florian Wirtz got off the mark
Arne Slot was delighted Florian Wirtz got off the mark
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Arne Slot admits "special" Florian Wirtz was hugely relieved to finally score his first Liverpool goal as the Premier League champions beat Wolves 2-1 at Anfield.
After Ryan Gravenberch had opened the scoring against the rock-bottom Wolves, Wirtz doubled the advantage almost immediately when he poked home from Hugo Ekitike's through ball and the Reds held on for maximum points despite a consolation from Santiago Bueno in the second half.
The goal, despite the deflected effort in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland earlier this month, is officially recognised as Wirtz's first for the Reds since his £116m move from Bayer Leverkusen in June and the Germany international received a standing ovation for his performance as he left the pitch in the second half.
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"I think I am quite sure it was a relief for him," Slot said. "I could see with his reaction when he scored the goal and it was the same with his team-mates, they were really happy for him. "In football, rightly so maybe, we mainly get judged on results and individuals mainly get judged on goals and assists and we sometimes forget what else is there to do during a game. "And I think he has multiple good games for us but I also think he is getting better every game he plays for us. He is getting fitter and fitter and was getting closer and closer to his first goal and it is not a surprise he scores today. "He will be the first to understand that one goal is not enough. So hopefully he will score many more goals for us than just this one. But I also liked his performance during large parts of the game today, I think he was special in a lot of moments."
Liverpool return to action when they entertain Leeds United on New Year's Day.