Liverpool insider brands performance ‘shambolic’ after Wolves defeat
Liverpool’s painful 2-1 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers has sparked strong criticism, with The Athletic journalist James Pearce describing the Reds’ display as “shambolic” after another damaging late collapse.
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Arne Slot’s side dominated long periods of the match at Molineux but still left empty-handed after Andre’s deflected strike deep into stoppage time sealed victory for the bottom club in the Premier League.
The result leaves Liverpool fifth in the table with 48 points from 29 matches, meaning the battle to secure Champions League qualification has become significantly more complicated.
Mo Salah had earlier cancelled out Rodrigo Gomes’ opener, ending a lengthy Premier League scoring drought in the process, but the late winner once again exposed familiar problems.
Liverpool criticised after another late collapse
So many of the worrying traits of this season on display.
Allowed first 45mins to drift and created so little with build up far too slow.
Failed to make spell of dominance count after the break.
Concede from Wolves' first shot in 78th min.
Concede again at the death. So brittle— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) March 3, 2026
Writing on X after the final whistle, Pearce delivered a blunt verdict on Liverpool’s performance and the pattern of issues that continue to appear this season.
He wrote: “Huge blow to Liverpool’s hopes of CL qualification as they’re beaten by the bottom club at Molineux. Such a ragged performance.
“Conceded another shambolic stoppage-time winner for their collection through Andre. Salah had cancelled out Rodrigo Gomes opener.
“So many of the worrying traits of this season on display. Allowed first 45mins to drift and created so little with build up far too slow.
“Failed to make spell of dominance count after the break. Concede from Wolves’ first shot in 78th min. Concede again at the death. So brittle.”
The defeat continued a worrying trend for Liverpool this season, with the team repeatedly struggling to convert long spells of control into decisive results.
Familiar Liverpool problems highlighted again
Liverpool enjoyed the majority of possession throughout the match and pushed forward aggressively after the break, but the attack struggled to turn pressure into goals.
The late stages became particularly chaotic as Curtis Jones was pushed to right-back while Arne Slot searched for a winner, highlighting the lack of attacking depth currently available from the bench.
Teenager Rio Ngumoha was introduced as the Reds chased the game, while experienced full-backs Joe Gomez and Andy Robertson were also used as attacking options late on.
Criticism has also been directed at Liverpool’s defending for the opening goal, with Steven Gerrard suggesting Virgil van Dijk and Ibou Konate should have handled the physical duel more strongly.
Pearce himself had earlier reacted to Andre’s stoppage-time winner by simply posting “What a mess of a goal”, underlining how chaotic the decisive moment proved to be.
Liverpool still remain firmly in the race for a Champions League place, but the defeat at Wolves has intensified scrutiny around Slot as the season moves into its decisive weeks.
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