In a year of profound change and emotional reflection for Liverpool Football Club, the Reds closed out 2025 with a performance at Anfield that was at once uplifting, nerve-wracking, and ultimately triumphant.
On an afternoon heavy with memory but crackling with the promise of new beginnings, Liverpool secured a 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, a result propelled by a moment of long-awaited personal history for their record signing and defined by a collective resilience that has so often eluded them this season.
The emotional undercurrent of the match was undeniable, marking the first meeting between the two clubs since the tragic passing of former forward Diogo Jota in July. The Portuguese striker, beloved at both Molineux and Anfield, was honored in a series of poignant tributes that unified the stadium.
In the 18th minute, the visiting Wolves supporters raised their voices in song for their former player, an act of respect met six minutes later by a standing ovation from the entire Anfield crowd as the clock ticked to 20, the number of Jota’s now-retired Liverpool shirt. The pre-match presentations featured Jota’s two young sons, Dinis and Duarte, walking out alongside Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and Wolves goalkeeper José Sá, respectively, a powerful, silent testament to the bonds football can forge and the losses it must endure.
When the football took center stage, the narrative swiftly became one of Liverpool’s burgeoning new era under Arne Slot. The manager handed a first league start of the campaign to Italian winger Federico Chiesa, while summer signing Jeremie Frimpong also returned to the lineup.
The opening half-hour followed a familiar, if frustrating, script for the home fans this season: overwhelming dominance in possession and territory, punctuated by cruel luck. The woodwork was struck not once, but twice. First, the ever-lively Florian Wirtz, the club’s marquee £100 million arrival from Bayer Leverkusen, threaded an exquisite through ball for Hugo Ekitike, who saw his deft chip rebound off the foot of the post.
Later, Alexis Mac Allister unleashed a thunderous volley that rattled the very same upright.
Just as a sense of familiar frustration began to seep into the stands, the floodgates burst open in a breathtaking 89-second spell before halftime. The breakthrough arrived in the 41st minute, a product of Slot’s new-look side.
Frimpong, a former teammate of Wirtz at Leverkusen, showcased the explosive wing-play for which he was acquired, racing onto a ball down the right channel before delivering a perfectly measured cutback into the path of the onrushing Ryan Gravenberch. The Dutch midfielder met it with a crisp, first-time finish, sparking wild celebrations that included a tribute to Jota, mimicking the late forward’s signature crocodile-snap celebration.
The dust had scarcely settled when Liverpool struck again from the restart. This time, Ekitike turned provider, showing admirable skill and strength on the left flank before sliding a precise pass into the penalty area.
There, arriving with the intelligent timing that has defined his young career, was Florian Wirtz. The German international steadied himself and, with a composure that belied his long wait, prodded the ball past José Sá to finally open his competitive account for Liverpool.
The roar that engulfed Anfield was one of pure relief and jubilation, a collective unburdening for a player whose adaptation to English football has been scrutinized every step of the way. After 16 Premier League appearances without a goal, his maiden strike was a weight lifted, and it seemingly put the game beyond a Wolves side that had yet to win a league match all season.
Football, however, is rarely so straightforward, and Liverpool’s season has been a masterclass in complicating the simple. Six minutes after the interval, the defensive frailties that have plagued Slot’s team resurfaced.
From an André corner, the towering Tolu Arokodare out-jumped Ibrahima Konaté to power a header goalward. Alisson Becker could only parry the effort, and Wolves defender Santiago Bueno, at fault moments earlier for Wirtz’s goal, was quickest to react, stabbing the rebound into the roof of the net to halve the deficit.
The goal transformed the atmosphere, injecting belief into the visitors and anxiety into the stands. As manager Arne Slot later acknowledged, the concession from a set-piece was a recurring and frustrating theme, though he took solace in his team’s newfound ability to win despite such lapses.
What followed was a tense, disjointed, and increasingly nervy battle. Liverpool had chances to kill the game; Curtis Jones was denied by a fine Sá save, Mac Allister fired just wide from distance, and Wirtz continued to shimmer with menace, notably slaloming past Matt Doherty in a move that drew gasps of appreciation from the crowd.
Yet Wolves, spearheaded by the physical presence of Arokodare and the youthful spark of 18-year-old winger Mateus Mané on his first Premier League start, grew in stature. They finished the stronger side, pushing Liverpool deeper and forcing a series of last-ditch interventions.
The most crucial came from substitute Conor Bradley, who produced a perfectly timed tackle in the dying moments to cut out a dangerous cross destined for Jhon Arias, preserving Liverpool’s slender lead. When the final whistle blew after over six minutes of added time, the relief was palpable. The victory, Liverpool’s third consecutive league win, temporarily lifted them into fourth place in the Premier League table, a position that underscores their Champions League ambitions amid a season of transition.
For Wolves, the result cemented a piece of unwanted history. Their two points from 18 matches now stands as the worst start to a season in Premier League annals, surpassing all who came before them in futility.