Wolves have scored fewer goals than anyone else in England’s top seven divisions, so nothing but three points will do for Liverpool at Anfield.
Too often this season have we been writing about how Liverpool have been in historically bad form.
While the Reds aren’t out of the woods yet, it does make a change to be talking about the opposition with as much pessimism as Liverpool fans have felt over the last few months.
With Wolves‘ incredibly poor form, though, comes pressure for Liverpool as dropped points would be a significant failure.
2 points from 17 matches
Wolves are bottom of the table, having mustered two points from 17 games. They have lost their last 10 league games in a row.
Those points have come in 1-1 draws at Tottenham in September and at home to Brighton. It is almost 12 weeks since that draw with Brighton. Their goal in that match was an own goal from the Seagulls ‘keeper Bart Verbruggen.
Their two victories this season have come in the League Cup. They beat West Ham 3-2 and Everton 2-0, both at Molineux.
Wolves have the joint-lowest points tally ever in the Premier League era at Christmas, along with Sheffield United, who from 14 matches in 2020/21 also only picked up two points.
Wolves (this season) and Sheffield United in 2020/21 are two of only three teams ever to have amassed only two points from their opening 17 games of a league season. Newport County, in the fourth division in 1970-71 were the other.
Their nine league goals this season have come from 9 different players, including an own goal from Verbuggen of Brighton.
They have scored fewer goals than any team in the top seven divisions of English football.
Their tally of 37 goals conceded is the most of any Premier League team this season.
They have two players away at the Africa Cup of Nations: Tawanda Chirewa with Zimbabwe and Côte d’Ivoire’s Emmanuel Agbadou.
Liverpool enjoy the festive season
Liverpool have scored 16 first-half goals in 26 games this season in all competitions. At the same stage last season, they had scored 24 before half-time.
They have not conceded a first-half goal in any of the last 6 games in league and cup since the sixth minute of their Champions League defeat to PSV last month.
Of Liverpool’s last 54 league games played during the month of December, they have lost just once – 1-0 at Leicester in 2021.
Of the other 53, they have won 39 and drawn 14.
Liverpool are unbeaten in the last nine games played on December 27, winning six and drawing three. One of those victories came against Wolves in 1977, with Phil Neal’s retaken penalty securing maximum points.
Their last defeat on December 27 came in 1971, going down 1-0 at West Brom.
This is only the third time since 1986 that the Reds have played on this date. In 2016, they beat Stoke 4-1 and four years later were held 1-1 by West Brom, both matches taking place at Anfield.
This season’s scorers (inc. Community Shield)
Liverpool: Ekitike 11, Gakpo 5, Salah 5, Szoboszlai 5, Gravenberch 3, Isak 3, Chiesa 2, Van Dijk 2, Frimpong 1, Kerkez 1, Konate 1, Mac Allister 1, Ngumoha 1, Robertson 1, own goals 1
Wolves: Strand Larsen 3, Arokodare 2, Moller Wolfe 2, Munetsi 2, Rodrigo Gomes 2, Arokodare 1, Bellegarde 1, Hwang Hee-chan 1, Krejci 1, S. Bueno 1, own goals 1
* Stats courtesy of LFC statistician Ged Rea (@ged0407).
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