Wolverhampton, England, December 5 (BNA): Liverpool’s Divock Origi came off the bench to score a superb stoppage-time goal and put his side in second place in the Premier League with a 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Origi received a cross from Mohamed Salah before spinning and digging the ball into the net in the 94th minute, sending Liverpool fans into a state of euphoria and avoiding the shame of his fellow strikers usually fatal after they missed many opportunities.
“We came here to win and in the end it happened, which is why we did the hard work all week for this,” Origi said, adding that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp sent him the following instructions: “Be Divock.”
The victory put the Reds at the top of the table before Manchester City beat Watford 3-1 to take them by a point in first place. Liverpool have 34 points from 15 matches, one point behind Chelsea, who suffered a 3-2 defeat at West Ham United, Reuters reported.
Divock’s win came after an extraordinary wastage by Diogo Jota, when he returned to his old club on his 25th birthday.
The Portuguese striker and former favorite of Molino seemed certain to score after an hour of a defensive mix that left him free with the goalkeeper stranded, but Wolverhampton captain Conor Cody delivered a stunning – and painful – coincidence on the goal line.
With Liverpool controlling the ball but squandering it in the final touches, Trent Alexander-Arnold swooped in, Salah saw the ball thrust into goal and Thiago Alcantara’s double shot from close range.
“Give the ball to moor”
“We wasted huge opportunities,” Klopp said, praising his players for their handling of the cold and wind and keeping a particular endorsement of Origi, who appears mainly as a substitute given Liverpool’s offensive fortunes.
“The plan was to give the ball to Divock,” Klopp said of his late tactical substitution. “He’s a great striker. I love the player. His skills are great. He’s one of the best scorers I’ve ever seen.
“We played a lot of good things. The longer the match goes on and it’s still empty, you feel the pressure because we wanted to win so badly.”
Wolves did not relent from Liverpool’s pressure, repeatedly threatening counter-attacks and could have gone ahead before the late finish.
But Raul Jimenez hit the crossbar and Adama Traore was beaten by Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson after a superb pass.
Wolves, who have lost their last 10 Premier League matches against Liverpool, are eighth in the league with 21 points.
Origi had no complaints about his late appearance under Klopp. “I just play the game of football and I enjoy it, if it’s a secondary game or a starter. I enjoy winning matches and I try to contribute as much as I can in every way.”
Liverpool have now scored 13 crowning goals in the 90th minute or later in the league under Klopp, four more than any other team in the tournament since the German’s arrival in 2015.
Wolverhampton coach Bruno Lage said they were the best team in the world.