Liverpool Beat Wolves 2-1, But Set Piece Numbers Tell a More Alarming Story
With nearly half of goals conceded coming from dead balls, old problems continue to shape Liverpool's Premier League matches
Liverpool closed out their final home match of 2025 with a 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, a result that looks reassuring enough on the Premier League table but felt far less comfortable in the moment. The afternoon had its sentimental edge. Diogo Jota’s children walked out as mascots, and Jota himself found the rare experience of facing both his former clubs at once. It was warm, personal, and oddly fitting for a game that never quite settled.
Results continue to fall Liverpool’s way, but performances remain stubbornly uneven. Against a Wolves side drifting towards a historically low points tally, Liverpool struggled to impose themselves across the full 90 minutes. There were spells of control and flashes of quality, but little sense of inevitability. For a team with Champions League ambitions, that remains a concern.
Match statistics and underlying numbers
Disclaimer: The difference between shots and true shots is that shots belonging to the same attacking sequence were removed. For example, Gravenberch’s blocked effort would not have occurred without Ekitiké’s initial shot leading to a corner. Similarly, the first header before Bueno’s goal was discounted to avoid duplication. The shot maps later in the article include all shots taken.
The statistical picture offers little comfort. Liverpool edged the scoreboard but not the chance quality battle. Expected goals were almost level, with Wolves generating marginally higher quality chances despite having far fewer touches in the penalty area. Liverpool recorded four times as many box touches and two and a half times as many deep completed passes, yet that territorial dominance did not translate into a clear xG advantage.
Absences matter, of course. Szoboszlai, Salah and Isak were unavailable, while Gakpo began on the bench. Still, Liverpool had a full week to prepare for the league’s weakest side. A truly dominant performance would have shown itself in an xG swing of at least one goal. That never came.
Liverpool’s expected threat data reveals a clear attacking pattern. Most danger emerged from the left half space and the right flank, driven largely by two former Bayer Leverkusen players. Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong were central to everything Liverpool did well in possession.
