Liverpool successfully avenged last season’s 3-0 mauling at the hands of Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux with an emphatic 3-1 triumph on Saturday afternoon.
Jurgen Klopp’s side headed into September’s international break on a three-game winning streak in the Premier League, bookended by a 3-0 thumping of Aston Villa at Anfield.
That victory saw the German manager celebrate his 300th game in charge of the Reds in style, but it was also their last dramatic win at the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
Before putting Unai Emery’s side to the sword, Liverpool survived two nerve-shredding contests against Bournemouth and Newcastle United, having been reduced to ten men on both occasions.
While a 3-1 demolition of the Cherries on home soil in round two was barely a surprise, even though they fell behind just three minutes into the game, what they did at St James’ Park was nothing short of astonishing.
Klopp’s men were already a goal down when Virgil van Dijk received a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Alexander Isak as the last man, but Darwin Nunez scored twice off the bench to inspire Liverpool to a 2-1 win.
Given Wolves’ dreadful start to life under Gary O’Neil, the Reds hoped for a less stressful contest in the Midlands, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Hwang Hee-chan broke the deadlock in the seventh minute to put O’Neil’s team in front, with Wolves delivering arguably their best performance of the season in the first half.
Clear-cut chances were at a premium for Liverpool before half-time, and it seemed like Klopp’s side could be on the verge of relinquishing a near-perfect Premier League start.
But the visitors came flying out of traps in the second half, with Cody Gakpo initiating another comeback in the 55th minute, tapping home from point-blank range to restore parity.
Liverpool had to wait until the 85th minute to complete the turnaround through an unlikely source. Andy Robertson smashed the ball past Jose Sa after receiving a delightful pass from Mohamed Salah.
Second-half substitute Harvey Elliott put the icing on the cake with a phenomenal finish from outside the box in the first minute of stoppage time, though his shot took a deflection of Hugo Bueno’s foot.
Conceding first doesn’t bother Liverpool much this term, as three of their four league triumphs have seen them fight from behind to pick up three points.