Liverpool slump continues in sloppy 3-0 defeat to Wolves

Liverpool suffered a 3-0 away defeat to Wolves on Saturday as their disappointing Premier League season continued.

Jurgen Klopp's side endured a dismal start to the game, going two goals down inside 12 minutes thanks to a Joel Matip own goal followed a debut headed goal from defender Craig Dawson.

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Wolves added a third through Ruben Neves who provided a tidy slotted finish on 71 minutes.

Saturday's result means Jurgen Klopp's side remain in 10th place in the Premier League after being comfortably beaten for a third straight away game following previous defeats to Brentford and Brighton.

"The start to the game was horrible. We caused the misery with the first 12 minutes... How can I not be concerned?" a downcast Klopp told reporters after the game.

"You can criticise, you can judge us, you can say whatever you like, and you are probably right, because these 12 minutes are not allowed. That's really hard to take, I have to say."

Wolves cut through Liverpool's shaky defence from the off, missing two good chances before a striker Hwang Hee-Chan cutback went in off the heel of Matip for a fifth-minute own goal.

Minutes later, Wolves debutant Dawson lashed in the second unmarked from close range after the ball bounced off Cody Gakpo in another spell of sloppy defending by the visitors.

A fired-up Liverpool started the second half strongly, but Neves effectively ended the contest in the 71st minute, controlling then prodding the ball in at the end of a scintillating counter-attack from the home side.

Defeat left Liverpool 10th on 29 points after a terrible start to 2023 in which they have won just one of seven matches -- against Wolves in the FA Cup -- in all competitions.

After coming close to a historic quadruple last season, where they won two domestic cups and were runners-up in both the Champions League and Premier League, Klopp's injury-hit and confidence-shorn team are a shadow of their former selves.

The result was the first time in a decade that Liverpool have lost three consecutive Premier League away games. They have conceded more goals in the Premier League this season - 28 in 21 games -- than they did in the whole of last season.

"The team is not full of confidence, you can see that," Klopp added. "We caused the problems ourselves. I cannot always cover things... I don't lose confidence in the boys, but I see where we have to improve. For today, it was not good enough what I did."

Victory eased Wolves' fears of a drop to the second-tier Championship, lifting them to 15th position on 20 points, two ahead of the bottom three, and left their ecstatic fans serenading every touch in the final minutes as Liverpool's player hung their heads.

"We love super Lopetegui," the Molineux crowd sang to their Spanish manager Julen Lopetegui.

Liverpool's miserable-looking German manager Klopp, meanwhile, had to endure what for him is an unaccustomed taunt: "You're getting sacked in the morning."

Wolves' boss was thrilled with the performance but cautioned his team still had plenty of work to ensure safety.

"Of course we are happy," Lopetegui said.

"But this is only three points. We have to continue working hard. We need a lot of points more to achieve our aim. It is going to be a very long and hard race."