Liverpool 2, Wolves 1: Groundhog Day at Anfield as Reds claim another narrow win

Just when you thought Liverpool may cruise to a league victory for the first time this season, the ball deflected off Virgil van Dijk for a corner. Then we watched the inevitable happen.

It's like witnessing 11 people step on a land mine at the same time.

Set pieces and two-goal leads. Kryptonite for 25/26 Liverpool.

That's not to say there haven't been marked improvements following PSV at Anfield. In the seven games since, Liverpool is undefeated with five wins and two draws. We're on a four game win-streak.

Plus, we knew going into the matchup with bottom-dwelling Wolverhampton Wanderers that key players would be missing or unable to go 90 minutes after what unfolded at Spurs.

But the same issues keep this team from looking comfortable for entire games of football. The same issues have led to losses that should have been draws, or draws the should have been wins, or nail-biters that should have been won in second or third gear — as was the case with this game.

In fact, I'd argue we've only won four games convincingly all season: the back-to-back home wins versus Aston Villa and Real Madrid, the 1-5 Eintracht Frankfurt thrashing, and the ugly 0-2 over West Ham. The wins over Frankfurt and the Hammers had more to do with them being bad than us being good, to be honest.

Saturday's 2-1 win over Wolves was, in many ways, a carbon copy of Liverpool's several unconvincing wins this campaign. The same weaknesses were on display, but thankfully, so were moments of real quality and responsibility — enough to put the Reds firmly in fourth, three points clear of fifth-place Chelsea.

Let's get set pieces out of the way.

The blame for conceding so many goals from set pieces or related situations (second phases, long throws) should be directed, in my opinion, at the players and the staff in equal measure.

On one hand, regardless of the schemes coaches employ for set pieces, it's up to the players to attack the ball. That goes for defending and scoring. Get your opponent out of your way, show some determination, and get there first. Like rebounding in basketball. Simple enough.

On the other hand, the setup can hinder a player's ability to attack the ball effectively. Looking back at Wolves' goal, striker Tolu Arokodare, the biggest man on the pitch at six-foot-six, wasn't man-marked. He just drifted into the middle of the six, moved Alexis Mac Allister out of the way, and easily leapt over Ibou Konate and Ryan Gravenberch, whose eyes were on the ball and no particular Wolves threat.

For me, that's a byproduct of ineffective zonal marking.

Slot had brought up set piece balance in public several times already. After Wolves, when it dropped to -9, a concrete change was made.

This doesn't absolve the remaining coaches and players of anything, but hopefully a new guiding perspective and collective approach helps curb the set piece suffering.

Defending two-goal leads continues to be a problem.

If it feels like you're imagining how many two-goal leads we've thrown away or put in serious jeopardy this season, you're not. I just wrote about it after Tottenham. Before that it was Leeds. The vicious cycle goes like this: play pretty well, build up a two-goal lead, concede needlessly (usually from a set piece), then hang on (or don't) until the final whistle.

The pattern of keeping the ball, showing fluidity, creating chances, and getting a healthy lead, only to concede and risk surrendering the lead you worked so patiently to get, is wildly frustrating.

Arokodare's 77th-minute header and Strand Larsen's 86th-minute cross — expertly cut out by Conor Bradley in one of the plays of the game — were the only big-ish chances Wolves mustered. But given the standard of opposition, it should never have been so nervy in the second half.

I do think it's mental — that players see the first go in and think, "please, not again." But I also think a lack of fitness was as obvious during this game as it has been all season.

By the hour mark, Hugo Ekitike and Alexis Mac Allister looked like they couldn't run anymore. Wirtz and Jones seemed to lose a step. Chiesa and Frimpong, who haven't started many games all year, were gassed on the right. When legs go, possession tends to go, and I think this contributed to how easy we were to play through.

The obvious interruption to Liverpool's preseason, compounded by injuries and a demanding summer for internationals, could explain a fair amount of it.

How 'bout the Leverkusen boys?

Let's end with the positives.

Hats off to Jeremie Frimpong, who's gotten the "why did we buy this guy again?" treatment from Reds fans consistently over his injury-riddled start to his time at the club.

We bought the guy because he's rapid and direct. He showed his recovery pace against Wolves, but most of all, he showed his ability to get to the byline and deliver a dangerous cross. Gravenberch did well to calmly bury the opener, but Frimpong carved out the chance with his positive run and perfect pullback.

Frimpong was outshined only by Florian Wirtz, who deservedly got his first goal for the club.

His deft touches, silky turns, and moments of magic in the box were not only beautiful to watch, but effective. His through ball that led to Ekitike hitting the woodwork was Modric-esque. Same goes for his step-over that led to Gravenberch's wide effort in the second half.

The quick thinking and linkup play is second to none. Had it not been for his clever movement off the shoulder of Wolves' last defender, Ekitike's brilliant individual run would have been for nothing. Instead, he was able to pick the German out, who prodded home to make it 2-0.

The reaction from everyone in the stadium told you all you need to know about this guy. Keep his confidence high and he has the star power to carry this club when the likes of Mo, Virgil, and Alisson eventually move on.