Liverpool’s creative problems were laid bare against Wolves as their new-found set-piece prowess failed to bail them out.
Liverpool find themselves in with a chance of qualifying for the Champions League, not because of their own successes, but because of their rivals’ weaknesses.
The losses suffered in October were turned into draws, and those draws have slowly started to become wins.
Before Tuesday’s defeat against Wolves, Arne Slot‘s side had actually won six of their last seven matches. However, the Liverpool we saw at Molineux wasn’t a team building momentum.
Instead, it was a side incapable of maintaining any sort of pressure, a team that only showed any urgency when they went a goal behind in the 78th minute.
Rodrigo Gomes’ opener was actually Wolves‘ first shot of the evening. This was the second-latest, since 2006/07, that a team has scored their first shot of a Premier League match, according to Opta’s Michael Reid.
The Reds responded quickly, Mo Salah scoring for the first time in the league since November 1, having gone 10 Premier League matches without a goal.
As we have painfully become accustomed to this season, Liverpool came undone late on as they conceded a goal that “wasn’t even a chance,” said Slot, as Andre scored his first for Wolves thanks to a massive deflection off Joe Gomez.
This was the fifth time Liverpool have conceded in injury time to lose in the league this season – a record for a single season in the Premier League era.
Andre’s strike also meant this was the first occasion in the Premier League era that a team in the relegation zone has scored a 90th-minute winner against the reigning champions.
Set-pieces covering up Liverpool’s creative problems
Liverpool had 66 percent of the ball against Wolves but created just 0.19 xG more than the opposition from open play, FotMob tells us.
It was a similar story against West Ham. Despite the Reds winning 5-2, they managed just 1.22 xG from open play compared to West Ham‘s 1.16 xG.
In Liverpool’s late 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest, Vitor Pereira’s side actually created more from open play than Slot’s side.
The key difference that led to the Reds losing against Wolves but winning against West Ham and Forest? They didn’t score from a dead-ball situation.
The key difference from these three matches to the previous win over Sunderland, when they produced 1.74 xG from open play? Florian Wirtz.
Liverpool’s Set-Piece Turnaround: A quick look
Period Goals Conceded Goals Scored
First 18 Games (Aug – Dec 2025) 12 3
Last 11 Games (Jan – Mar 2026) 2 9
*Premier League non-penalty set-pieces.
Liverpool have vastly improved at set-pieces in both boxes since the New Year – and that is something to praise.
However, the reliance on goals from corners has been papering over cracks. Even Slot thinks this is the case:
“Recently, we are picking up points because we scored many times from set-pieces, but what did not change in the last five, six, seven games was that we struggle and find it very hard to score from the open-play chances that we do create.
“Not as much (open-play chances) that I would like from all the ball possession we have, but enough and far more than the other team.
“But, end result, we score one and they score two.”
The Reds ended up creating four ‘big chances’ against Wolves, according to FotMob, but if you ask supporters, they will tell you the Reds looked blunt.
Salah’s goal was well-taken and Curtis Jones would have scored from a corner if Cody Gakpo hadn’t inadvertently cleared for Wolves.
The only other notable opportunity came in the final 10 minutes, when Salah failed to time his pass to Dominik Szoboszlai who would have been in on the goalkeeper.
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - Tuesday, March 3, 2026: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah reacts to conceding their side's second goal during the FA Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and Liverpool FC at Molineux Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
These two open-play chances came only when the game had opened up in the closing stages.
Liverpool were again non-existent as a threat in the first half, extending their poor run to have scored just five goals in the first 30 minutes of league matches this season.
Without Wirtz’s creativity and set-pieces to bail them out, this was a return to the Liverpool of November and December, when it was difficult to see where the next goal was coming from.
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