Liverpool v Wolves: Premier League – live

15 min Robertson misjudges the path of a ball down the line and Sarabia has it, but his pace in behind is poor and Van Dijk tidies up.

13 min On which point, where do we rank Salah in the Premier League pantheon?

12 min Salah has been quiet so far, and I wonder if that’ll be more frequently the case than was – as he ages, he might lose a bit of dynamism, but his timing and finishing have years left.

10 min Luis Diaz could do with a big game today, his left-wing birth usurped by Gakpo. He can, though, make himself undroppable and beat Joto to the central-striking berth … but in the meantime, Liverpool have a second corner, Wolves getting first contact and Sa then claiming.

9 min Again, Wolves attack down the left, Cunha spreading to Ait-Nouri, and his cross is cleared, the marauding Toti unable to do anything with the loose ball.

8 min Liverpool move it from left to right, patiently working the opportunity, then Alexander-Arnold comes inside on his left foot, curling to the back post, but Doherty does well to head to the edge and from there, Jota shins wide.

7 min Szboszlai finds space down the left of the box, then digs out a cross, but Toti is there to head clear.

5 min The corner comes to nothing, but we can see how Wolves plan to hurt Liverpool – I’d expect to see versions of that pass hit all day, and if Ait-Nouri had gambled, setting off before it was dispatched, he might just’ve caught up with it.

4 min There it is: Sarabia swings a pass inside Alexander-Arnolds and out to the right, seeking Ait-Nouri. He can’t catch up with it, but a poor backpass has Alisson sliding … and he still can’t prevent the corner.

3 min Liverpool have started at pace. But when Wolves find Cunha wide and on halfway, he shows composure in possession to find Ait-Nouri, the ball goes backwards then out for a throw, and the visitors, back on the ball, will feel they’re in the game.

1 min Clever from Liverpool, the corner taken short by Robertson and moved across the box by Mac Allister, only for Alexander-Arnold to miscue a shot wide.

1 min Immediately, Liverpool get it forward, and a Slaha cross is blocked behind into the Kop, so the hosts have a corner after 10 seconds.

1 min Away we go!

“I’m not totally convinced by Liverpool either,” emails Karen Asad. “They’re just filling the void left by City’s fall in; a look at their players and all the contract talks show the future is rockier than it may seem. Champions League isn’t what it used to be either, so the real test there is yet to come. You know when they face Real Madrid!”

Madrid might not progress any further, but at the same time, City might be at their best when we get down to the biggest games. I don’t think that his season, Big Ears will be lifted by a side that’ll go down in history as one of the best, nor by a side we’re certain are Europe’s best; it’ll be whichever hits form at the right time, which is why this blip might suit Liverpool.

Our teams are tunnelled … and here they come!

From Wolverhampton near Molineux, Peter Higginson gets in touch: “Had the remains of a pork balti for lunch in anticipation of our win today at Anfield. Predict 2-1 win with both goals by Cunha. If I’m wrong I’m going to have another pork balti for tea as a punishment!”

Remains? Do you not like eating? Shame on you!

What would you do if you were Alexander-Arnold (for avoidance of doubt, I know you’re not):

1. Stop at Liverpool and be an eternal legend at your hometown club while winning trophies along the way.

2. Sign for Real Madrid, be a Real Madrid player, experience something new, make mega-money, and play with various of the generation’s greatest players.

On the one hand, it’s not easy; on the other, you can’t lose.

On telly, they’re talking about Emmanuel Agbadou, signed by Wolves from Rennes in January, and he looks a good player with all the attributes you’d want in a centre-back. Early days, and this’ll be a very different test for him; I’m looking forward to seeing how he handles it.

Vitor Pereira says his team have come to Anfield to compete and enjoy each minute of the game. Liverpool are very strong, but he wants his team to feel proud at the end of the game.

Email! “To misquote a certain football-loving French philosopher (according to Monty Python anyway),” writes Ian Copestake, “I wholly disagree with what you say about a blip in your context (and Spurs)-free preamble but will contend to the death for your right to say it.”

I may have addressed that apparent absence below.

So where is the game? I’m certain that Wolves, like every team facing Liverpool, will target the space in and around around and behind Alexander-Arnold who, for all his glorious passing and crossing, lack defensive nous and recovery pace. There could scarcely be a duo better-placed to exploit that than Ait-Nouri and Cunha while, on the other side, Semedo and Sarabia will also feel they can do something against the flagging Andy Robertson, especially on the counter.

Liverpool, meanwhile, will expect to outnumber Wolves in midfield, therefore dominating the ball, targeting the space behind the wing-backs with Jota scavenging in the box. And if all else fails, they can just give it Salah.

On Sky, Jamie Carragher has just referred to Liverpool’s performance in the second leg of League Cup semi as one of their best this season, which I guess unwittingly echoes the preamble. Spurs’ performance that night was one of the most spineless, supine subsidences it’s every been my amusement to watch, and as such, it’s difficult to say too much about Liverpool’s effort; they were allowed to do what they wanted by opposition apparently terrified by the simple fact of their existence.

Wolves, meanwhile, make one change to the side that won at Villa in their last league game: Joao Gomes was suspended for that one but returned to score at Blackburn in the Cup, and he replaces Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.

Back to Slot’s XI, It’s pretty solid. I do wonder if Bradley would’ve been a better option to combat Cunha than Alexander-Arnold, but I guess at home in particular, Slot wants the opposition to worry about him. Otherwise, I don’t suppose Nunez will be gratified to see Jota preferred to him – real talk, both are great subs but less good from the start – but it’s pretty hard for anyone to complain about anything the Liverpool manager does, given where they are.

But let’s wait a second because here’s Arne Slot, who says next time he hopes he’s a bit calmer when things don’t work out well and takes his time before talking the ref. However he also hopes his team take the anger and aggression he felt then and they’re feeling now into today; Wolves are also fighting for something, he adds, and the league is such that every you need a reaction in every game.

It’s been a while since Jota has started and they’ve brought him along slowly, but he’s an important player – though he also has Nunez, so has options. And though Vitor Pereira has said Wolves will attack, Slot says his team are ready to face man-to-man pressing all over the pitch, or a low block.

Two changes for Liverpool: Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota come in, with Conor Bradley dropping to the bench; Cody Gakpo, in such great form, is injured.

Already under way:

I’ll write these down, then we’ll ponder what they might mean.

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Jota, Diaz. Subs: Kelleher, Endo, Nunez, Chiesa, Elliott, Tsimikas, McConnell, Quansah, Bradley.

Wolverhampton Wanderers (3-4-2-1): Sa; Doherty, Agbadou, Toti; Semedo, J.Gomes, Andre, Ait-Nouri; Sarabia, Cunha; Guedes. Subs: Bentley, Bueno, Munetsi, Traore, Doyle, Forbs, Bellegarde, Djiga, Lima.

Referee: Simon Hoooper and not Michael Oliver (Swindon)

Defeat at PSV, defeat at Plymouth, a draw at Everton; Liverpool might just be enduring a blip that felt inevitable. But given Arne Slot’s men are in the last 16 of the Champions League, in the final of the League Cup, and sat four points clear at the top of the league with a game in hand, does it even matter?

Er, yes – but not in the way we might think. It feels fair to say that this is not, perhaps yet, a vintage Liverpool side: they are vulnerable down the sides, could use a centre-back to play next to Virgil van Dijk, and the midfield is good but not great. They may also be over-reliant on Mohamed Salah … except that’s unavoidable when you have a great player and irrelevant when he’s impervious to injury.

So with no domestic rival likely to make the title race into a serious contest, and no European rival even remotely convincing, a wobble now is to be welcomed. Though James Tarkowski’s midweek equaliser will have stung for reasons that have nothing to do with trophy accumulation, Liverpool have time and scope to ride out a slip in form, before rediscovering something better in time for the Premier League run-in and Champions League knockouts. They are set.

However there’s always a however so, however: Wolves are dangerous visitors. Matheus Cunha is in the middle of a superb season, a ridiculosity of power, imagination and execution able to seize matches nominally contested by 21 others and make them solely about him. He’ll fancy the occasion, he’ll really fancy the right side of Liverpool’s defence, and if his side return home with a result, maybe, just maybe, a blip could intensify into something altogether more arresting.

Kick-off: 2pm GMT