Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O’Neil admitted Liverpool will challenge for the Premier League title this season after his side were defeated 3-1 at the Molineux yesterday (September 16).
Despite dominating the first half and taking a deserved seventh-minute lead via Hwang Hee-chan, O’Neil could only watch as the Reds completed a convincing second-half comeback through Cody Gakpo, Andy Robertson, and a Hugo Bueno own goal.
Gary O’Neil gave his verdict on the game (via ECHO):
“We can take a positive in that Liverpool are going to be a top side this year, they are going to be right up at the top of the league without a doubt. These aren’t the kind of games we are judged on.”
He added:
“You look at the two sides and the gap in quality between us and Liverpool, it takes a big effort to close that and we did for a very long time. The organisation, structure and quality of players helped us to bridge that gap. You know you’re not going to be the best side against Liverpool for the whole game. When we were on top we probably could have taken one or two of our situations.”
He also praised the Reds’ substitutions for being able to cause chaos which led to the second goal:
“Then we lost a bit of energy, they got control and they can bring on (Darwin) Nunez and (Luis) Diaz and you know you have to dig in. And we were and at 1-1 (Jose) Sa hasn’t had loads of saves to make. Then we make a strange decision, create a bit of chaos and concede a second goal. As soon as you create chaos against Liverpool they are very good at it.”
The Reds are now unbeaten in their last 16 top-flight appearances.
Can Liverpool challenge for the Premier League title?
The Reds are currently third in the standings with 13 points after five games. They were held to a 1-1 draw against Chelsea, before winning four in a row against Bournemouth, Newcastle, Aston Villa, and Wolves.
Jurgen Klopp and Co. had a poor 2022-23 season, finishing fifth. Despite bolstering their midfield, most fans believed the best they could manage was a top-four finish this season.
But as it stands, the Merseysiders are just two points behind league leaders Manchester City and could challenge for the title if they stay consistent.