Liverpool: Liverpool got their Premier League campaign back on track with a 2-1 win at Anfield over Wolves. Reds' manager Kenny Dalglish will be delighted they secured three points after two consecutive league losses away from home had threatened to overshadow a solid start to the season.
Mick McCarthy's side will feel unlucky to have lost, with the visitors unable to turn their hard work and commitment into a second goal.
Both sides headed into the game off the back of mid-week wins in the League Cup, and it was Wolves who began brighter, fashioning a few half-chances in the opening minutes.
Liverpool began to play more expansively 10 minutes in, and on 11 minutes they took the lead through an own-goal, Charlie Adam's drilled shot was going wide before a deflection off the head of Roger Johnson directed it goal-wards.
The Wolves skipper was fighting a losing battle against an in-form Andy Carroll, with the centre-back allowing him to rise unchallenged for a corner, though it was aimed harmlessly at goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.
After the initial shock of going a goal down, Wolves started to pin the host's back a little.
Yet Luis Suarez put an end to any immediate insurgence, timing a run to perfection to beat the offside trap to collect Jose Enrique's lobbed through ball 38 minutes in.
The Uruguay international dummied on his left and then right foot before turning to finish at the near post, doubling the home side's lead.
Suarez nearly added a second to his total for the afternoon in first-half stoppage time, sliding his shot just wide after evading a number tackles in the penalty area.
McCarthy brought Matt Doherty and Steven Fletcher on at half-time, and the manager's changes were immediately justified.
Wolves began at a blistering pace and after a number of whipped crosses failed to be cleared, Stephen Hunt set-up substitute Fletcher to blast into the back of the net on 49 minutes, the West Midlands club scoring their first league goal in four league games.
Liverpool nearly responded quickly, with keeper Hennessey unable to hold onto a cross from the left when challenging with Carroll, but the Welshman recovered well to save Suarez’s poached effort with lightning fast reflexes.
Minutes later Carroll powered a header against the post from an inch-perfect cross by Downing, before Dalglish’s side countered swiftly and looked certain to score when four-on-one on the edge of the 18-yard box, but Hennessey once again kept the away side in the match.
At the other end, striker Kevin Doyle should have drawn the the visitors level but stuttered when shooting and ultimately the attack came to nothing.
For the next 15 minutes it was a case of who will score next, with end-to-end football providing an exciting climax at Anfield, with Dirk Kuyt’s introduction for Jordan Henderson livening the home side further.
After 80 minutes, Steven Gerrard made his long-awaited return to Premier League football after six-months out, coming on for the reluctant to be substituted Suarez.
The Anfield icon tried a couple of long shots as the game reached its conclusion, and although Gerrard failed to find the target, the Anfield faithful will no doubt be buoyed by a return to winning ways and of their talismanic captain.
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