Liverpool turned in a turgid first half display at Molineux before coming back to win 3-1 thanks to strikes from Cody Gakpo and Andy Robertson plus a Hugo Bueno own goal
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Jurgen Klopp reviews Wolves
Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool struggled with their energy levels in their poor first half display at Wolves, with Alexis Mac Allister suffering in particular before he was substituted at half-time.
Mac Allister played for Argentina in a World Cup qualifier in Bolivia in midweek, and after the game he was pictured using an oxygen tube after playing in a match which had taken place at extremely high altitude.
The former Brighton midfielder was perhaps the most guilty Liverpool player of continually giving the ball away in the first 45 minutes, with a vibrant Wolves side taking advantage and going 1-0 up through Hwang Hee-chan.
The hosts could and should have at least doubled their lead by half-time, but after Klopp took Mac Allister off at the break and replaced him with Luis Diaz, the Reds clawed their way back into the game. Cody Gakpo scored an equaliser from close range from a Mo Salah cross, before Salah teed up Andy Robertson to make it 2-1 with five minutes remaining. Hugo Bueno then deflected Harvey Elliott’s shot into his own net for 3-1.
“The good thing about the first half was that it was that bad that I didn’t think we could play the second half like that,” Klopp saidn after the game. “Obviously we wanted to start completely differently, but for whatever reason it was not possible for the boys, you can see it.
Alexis Mac Allister struggled in the Liverpool midfield (
Image:
AP)
“Low energy level, Macca [Mac Allister], some others as well, you could just see they struggled. We couldn’t change five times at half-time, so we thought we’d change the system and one player, and give us a bit more speed up front, natural speed.
“He had some good moments in the first half but he was not disappointed to come off, more relief.”
Robertson, who was Liverpool’s captain for the day, admitted that the dressing room was a heated place at half-time given his side’s struggles, but was pleased they were able to get the job done in the end.
Klopp was delighted with his side’s win (
Image:
MI News/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock)
Asked what was said at half-time by TNT Sports, Robertson said: “I can tell you some of it, but probably not all of it. Look, we can come up with all sorts of excuses about players flying halfway around the world and then having the early kick-off but it was just a poor first half.
“They were the better team, they created the better chances and we were making too many mistakes. But in the second half, we came out and changed the formation slightly, and had people pushing higher up the pitch.”
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The win briefly took Liverpool top of the table prior to the rest of Saturday’s games, with the Reds winning four of their five matches so far following a summer rebuild.
“Yeah, it’s like a brand new start in a way,” continued Robertson. “We’ve had a lot of arrivals, and we have a new way of playing. We feel very free, and in the second half, we played with no fear. We have a strong squad, even with players missing like Trent [Alexander-Arnold] and Thiago.”
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