From Ipswich to Manchester, Milan and now Wolverhampton, Arne Slot’s travel plans have been in good order.
Smooth at times when moving forward. Almost always solid at the back. Here they needed both elements and a decision in their favour for the penalty converted by Mo Salah to settle the contest.
Wolves had flickered, threatened intermittently and fought their way back onto level terms after going behind to a header by Ibrahima Konate in stoppage time at the end of the first half.
Ait-Nouri scored the equaliser as they capitalised on a rare mistake by Liverpool at the back, a mix-up between Konate and Alisson. But Salah settled the contest from the penalty spot after a foul on Diogo Jota.
It was enough to take Slot’s team back to the top of the Premier League and they will travel to Crystal Palace next after a visit from Bologna in the Champions League. Their only concern will surround Andy Robertson who limped off near the end after Carlos Forbs caught him on the heel.
Liverpool went back to the top of the Premier League by winning away at Wolves on Saturday
Wolves remain bottom of the Premier League table with just one point from a possible 18
Wolves remain bottom and winless, and their supporters filed out of Molineux grumbling about referee Anthony Taylor, who was soon back in the groove taking only six minutes to issue his first yellow card.
It went the way of Trent Alexander-Arnold for a Declan Rice style toeing away of the ball after a foul. Great cheers of irony rang around Molineux.
It was Taylor’s first game back in the middle since his record 16 yellows during the game between Bournemouth and Chelsea a fortnight ago, which attracted online abuse. There was a sheepish look as he dipped a hand into his pocket as if he could sense social media limbering up.
His second pocket dip caused more of a stir, penalising Andre who won the ball in a slide tackle but his boot rode over the ball and caught Alexis Mac Allister who made the most of it.
The Wolves fans did not hide their displeasure and there was more fuel for the home crowd after Sam Johnstone had saved the free-kick driven his way by Alexander-Arnold because Diogo Jota looked as if he might get away with a nasty challenge, raking Mario Lemina from behind.
Belatedly Taylor flashed a yellow at Jota and at a coach on each bench before football broke out and Liverpool assumed control. The visitors had resisted early pressure. Alisson, also back after a short absence, was freshly shaven and commanding and his centre-halves were strong.
Defender Ibrahima Konate scored Liverpool’s first goal before celebrating with a knee slide
Liverpool No 5 Konate found the net with a powerful header just before the half-time break
Wolves made it 1-1 against the run of play in the 56th minute when No 3 Rayan Ait-Nouri scored
Ait-Nouri was congratulated by his team-mates but the Wolves celebrations did not last long
Together they created a platform as Slot’s forward players grew into the contest and started to force Wolves into mistakes as their depleted back four played out from deep. Liverpool almost went ahead from a slick move down the left, when Robertson sped onto a pass from Virgil van Dijk and whipped over a low cross.
Dominik Szoboszlai seemed certain to score as he got on the end of it with a firm side-foot volley from close range, but goalkeeper Johnstone spread his frame and earned his good fortune, as the ball deflected wide off his left leg.
Two minutes into first-half stoppage time, however, and Johnstone was beaten. Again, the cross came from the left. This time Jota with fabulous delivery, swerving and dipping over Santiago Bueno to Konate, who towered above Toti to score for the second time in three outings.
This one was his first Premier League goal. I gave Slot’s team the control they wanted and they almost had a second early in the second half when Lemina swept a careless pass from Johnstone across his own penalty area.
Salah pounced but his first-time finish flew wide to the shock of most inside Molineux.
Wolves rallied again and levelled courtesy of a swift break down the centre of the pitch and a mistake by Konate who dithered over the ball, waiting for Alisson who never budged from his goal line.
Liverpool retook the lead just after the hour-mark when Mo Salah converted a penalty kick
Salah now has five goals in his first eight Liverpool games in all competitions this season
Arne Slot has now delivered seven wins in his first eight matches in charge of Liverpool
Jorgen Strand Larsen hooked the ball from Konate towards Carlos Forbs, whose miskick spilled square across goal to Ait-Nouri, who came charging forward and found the net. It was an untidy equaliser and followed by a long VAR check.
The celebrations did not last. Less than a minute after confirming the Wolves goal referee Taylor was awarding a penalty to Liverpool for a foul by Nelson Semedo on Jota as they jostled for a cross from the right.
Liverpool’s former Wolves forward collapsed theatrically but Semedo was the wrong side to defend and paid for his lapse in concentration. Salah thumped in the penalty and the visitors held firm for three points.