The spell is broken: Florian Wirtz finally scored his first goal in his 23rd appearance for Liverpool FC. However, the Reds had to tremble for a long time against bottom team Wolverhampton before they secured a 2-1 (2-0) win.
The pressure on Wirtz was immense. The exorbitant transfer fee of 140 million euros that Liverpool paid to Leverkusen in the summer was brought up again and again among the English public. But in his 22 competitive games so far since his move he had had enough assists (three in the Champions League, two in the Premier League, one in the English Super Cup), but Wirtz waited in vain for a goal – until December 27, 2025 at 4:14 p.m.
Ekitiké presents – Wirtz keeps his nerve
In the 1,585th competitive minute of the Reds’ jersey, the time had finally come: Ex-Frankfurt player Hugo Ekitiké gave him the perfect assist in the 42nd minute, Wirtz stood free in front of Wolves keeper José Sá, kept his nerve and made it 2-0.
How great the relief was for the ex-Leverkusen player was shown by his jubilation and the encouragement of many teammates, who immediately ran to him and demonstratively celebrated him. The Liverpool fans also accompanied Wirtz into the half-time break with long, special applause.
Guided tour through Gravenberch to Frimpong Pass
The mood at Anfield Road was good at this point: just a few seconds before Wirtz’s goal, Ryan Gravenberch had scored the well-deserved 1-0. The former Bayern player was also prepared by a player with Bundesliga experience: Jeremy Frimpong, who came from Leverkusen together with Wirtz, performed a brilliant solo on the right wing and returned the ball perfectly to Gravenberch at the penalty spot.
After that it almost became embarrassing for the reigning champions. Against the team who are by far bottom of the league, who only have two points to their name and are already 16 points behind a non-relegation zone, the host scored the 1-2 goal in the 51st minute through Santiago Bueno.
Almost got the equalizer
Afterwards, an open exchange of blows developed and Wolverhampton was on the verge of scoring their third point of the season several times. Mateus Mané and Toluwalasé Arokodare in particular appeared dangerous in front of Alisson Becker on several occasions, but were unable to overcome the Reds goalkeeper.
On the other hand, Wirtz almost initiated the preliminary decision. In the 67th minute, the German international dribbled his way to the baseline and passed back to Gravenberch, who this time narrowly missed the goal. In the end, however, it was still enough for a shock victory, with Liverpool climbing to fourth place and thus well back in the race for the Champions League places.