**Liverpool’s pursuit of a Champions League spot took a significant dent at Molineux on Tuesday night, as a toothless performance saw the defending Premier League champions fall 2-1 to basement-dwellers Wolves.**
While the defeat snapped a promising three-game winning streak, the manner of the loss has sparked a post-mortem into Arne Slot’s recruitment and the fading spark of his key attackers. The result leaves the Reds trailing fifth-placed Aston Villa by three points, with Unai Emery’s side still holding a game in hand.
For many watching, including former Reds midfielder Danny Murphy, the struggles at the back and a lack of clinical edge up front are becoming impossible to ignore.
Central to Murphy’s criticism were summer signings Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez. Frimpong, whose £29.5million move from Bayer Leverkusen has been stuttering due to fitness issues, failed to provide the attacking outlet Liverpool have become accustomed to on the right flank.
Opposite him, Kerkez a £40m arrival from Bournemouth endured a night to forget, struggling with the electric pace of Mateus Mane and missing a gilt-edged tap-in from point-blank range that would have altered the complexion of the game.
Speaking on [talkSPORT](https://talksport.com/football/3956634/danny-murphy-liverpool-transfer-window/), Murphy was blunt about the drop-off in quality from the previous era:
> “The new signings apart from Ekitike, Wirtz, I know he is out injured, he has had a pickle, but full-back areas, problem. Frimpong not as good as Trent, Kerkez can’t do what Robertson could do.”
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> It isn’t just the defensive reinforcements under the microscope. While Mohamed Salah managed to find the net at Molineux, his overall influence on games is waning, and Cody Gakpo’s output has become a major talking point.
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> Despite 23 starts this term, Gakpo has managed just six league goals a far cry from the talismanic performances he delivered during the title-winning campaign. With [Florian Wirtz](https://readliverpoolfc.com/2026/03/02/florian-wirtz-injury-update-arne-slot-liverpool-wolves-return-date) and Alexander Isak sidelined, the burden has fallen on Gakpo, but the Dutchman currently looks a shadow of his former self.
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> Murphy noted the alarming dip in intensity and threat from Liverpool’s front line:
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> “Salah is struggling. I know he scored for the first time in a good while last night, but he’s struggling all-round game. Gakpo has fallen off the cliff compared to his form last season, and obviously Diaz was a blow, losing him, Isak has not been fit, but creativity and firepower ain’t there. They don’t look like scoring from open play very often.”
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> Liverpool’s inability to break down a Wolves side destined for the Championship suggests a deeper tactical malaise. The transition from the high-octane days of old to Slot’s more measured approach is hitting a roadblock, particularly when the individual brilliance of the full-backs is removed from the equation.
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> Without the creative engine room of the injured Florian Wirtz, Liverpool look pedestrian. If Slot is to salvage a top-four finish from this season, he must find a way to reignite Gakpo and solve a full-back identity crisis that is currently costing the Reds dearly.