Liverpool’s Champions League hopes took a serious hit on Tuesday night as rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers delivered one of the most stunning upsets of the Premier League season. Andre’s deflected strike deep into stoppage time broke Arne Slot’s side to seal a remarkable 2-1 win at Molineux, a result that could have enormous consequences at the top of the table.
From the first whistle, Liverpool dominated the ball. The Reds had 19 shots to Wolves’ four and finished with 1.81 expected goals, yet walked away empty-handed. That dominance told only half the story. Liverpool wasted a series of corners and set pieces in a frustratingly toothless first half, with efforts from Hugo Ekitike and Dominik Szoboszlai failing to test Jose Sa in any meaningful way.
The second half told a similar story. Liverpool should have gone ahead early when Cody Gakpo flicked the ball off the chest of Curtis Jones from close range, a moment of baffling execution that summed up their evening. Slot’s side had the chances. They just couldn’t take them.
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Wolves, without a Premier League win all season until last Friday, asked very little of Liverpool for the majority of the game. Rodrigo Gomes’ 78th-minute opener was Wolves’ first shot of the entire match, a brutal reminder of just how clinical the hosts were on the counter-attack despite offering almost nothing in open play. Tolu Arokodare held up a long ball brilliantly before feeding substitute Rodrigo Gomes, who coolly lifted the finish over Alisson.
Liverpool hit back almost instantly. Mohamed Salah, who had endured a painful 10-game league goal drought, ended his run of 122 days without a Premier League goal by pouncing on a poor pass and powering beyond Sa. Molineux fell briefly silent. It seemed, for a moment, that Liverpool had done enough.
They hadn’t.
Andre’s winner was the first time ever a team in the relegation zone had scored a 90th-minute winner against the reigning Premier League champions. His speculative long-range effort in the 94th minute took a wicked deflection off the unfortunate Joe Gomez and left Alisson with absolutely no chance. Wild scenes followed on the Molineux touchline as Rob Edwards charged down to celebrate with his players.
It is now the fifth time this season that Slot’s side have conceded a winning goal in the 90th minute or later, the most ever by a team in a single Premier League campaign. That is a damning record for a side that began the season as champions.
The timing of this defeat could not be worse. Liverpool remain in fifth, three points behind both Aston Villa and Manchester United, having played a game more. A win would have lifted them level with the teams above them in the top-four race. Instead, they are now looking up at rivals with games in hand already spent.
Champions League qualification is far from guaranteed for the defending title holders. Liverpool are 16 points adrift of first-place Arsenal and the title race is long over. Their only remaining ambition in the league is to secure a top-four finish, and Tuesday night’s result makes that task significantly harder.
“We are losing far too many football games and dropping points,” a visibly frustrated Arne Slot admitted after the match.
For Wolves, this felt like something much bigger than three points. They have now beaten Aston Villa, third in the league, and Liverpool, fifth, in back-to-back games, the first bottom-placed side to beat two top-five teams in a single season since West Brom in 2017-18.
Rob Edwards’ men have lost just once in their last six matches across all competitions, and the belief inside Molineux is growing. The gap to safety remains large, 11 points adrift with eight games to play, but this team no longer looks like one ready to roll over. Their defensive organisation, ferocious work rate, and clinical edge on the break are making them a dangerous proposition for anyone.
Edwards summed it up perfectly after the final whistle: “It is Liverpool Football Club. It doesn’t matter the position we are in, whenever you beat them, you have to enjoy those moments.”
Liverpool’s pain could become someone else’s gain. On Wednesday night, Chelsea travel to Aston Villa while Manchester United face Newcastle United, two massive fixtures in the top-four race.
A Chelsea win at Villa Park would move Enzo Maresca’s side above Liverpool into fifth and pile even more pressure on Slot’s struggling outfit.
Meanwhile, a United victory at St. James’ Park would further cement their top-four ambitions and push Liverpool closer to the Europa League trapdoor.
The race for the top four is tighter and more unpredictable than anyone expected. One thing is certain; Liverpool’s latest late collapse has handed their rivals a golden opportunity, and Wednesday night could reshape the entire picture at the top of the Premier League table.
