Around the concourses at Anfield, those Liverpool fans who had beaten the farcical queues and new security screenings to finally get in would have seen a creative midfielder pulling the strings for his new team.
They would have seen on the big screens that, after a £34million move, Rayan Cherki is on red-hot form and was sensational as Manchester City made it eight wins in a row after a bedding-in period and fitness concerns plagued his start on these shores.
Liverpool fans, therefore, might have been wondering when their own new attacking midfielder would start to trouble the scorers with some goal involvements. In beating Wolves, £116million Florian Wirtz showed that whatever Cherki can do, he can do too.
Which is better? That’s a moot conversation at Christmas of their first season – ask again in 12 months – but one thing is certain: the Premier League has two new little wizards ready to spearhead their teams over the coming years.
Wirtz scored his first Liverpool goal at the 23rd time of asking and the German started to dictate proceedings in the fashion Liverpool’s scouts would have seen him do hundreds of times for Bayer Leverkusen.
The 22-year-old has been on a special programme to bulk up to the intensity of English football with Wirtz putting on around two kilograms. Hard shifts in the gym are finally paying dividends and, in this game, he looked two or three steps ahead of everyone else on the pitch.
Florian Wirtz finally started to show he can be the creative heart of Liverpool moving forwards
Wirtz scored his first goal for Liverpool at the 23rd attempt in their 2-1 victory over Wolves
The 22-year-old appears to be benefiting after being put on a special programme to bulk up
Shimmying past challenges, picking eye-of-the-needle passes and, at long last, proving he knows where the goal is with a clever run and tidy finish. He has all the hard-working German efficiency you may expect off the ball coupled with a Spanish-like deft touch and creative eye.
There is, of course, a big counter-weight to an argument about Wirtz or any Reds player. ‘Lads, it’s Wolves,’ one may say. Rob Edwards’s side, for all their best efforts in the second half, are a mess.
But you can only beat what is in front of you and Wirtz finally started to show he can lead the next generation of great creators in this country – and there have been plenty of great exports in that mould over the years.
At £116m, though, it will take lots more than one goal against Wolves to earn that status.
…but Reds still poor
Just like against 10 and then nine-man Tottenham last week, Liverpool grew in anxiety. ‘Come on, why not have a go?’ their actions say.
On both occasions they won 2-1 but one left with the feeling that they may have got away with one. Had Spurs not had those two red cards or had Wolves not been one of the worst teams in recent memory, either match could have ended in an embarrassing 2-2.
Most football discourse is influenced by full-time results so fans will end 2025 on a high knowing they had won a fourth straight game but one must say: this, still, was not good enough from Liverpool and Arne Slot knew it.
Twelve goals conceded from dead-balls is a league worst and must be fixed soon, especially with the lanky Leeds next up. Arsenal fans sing ‘set piece again, ole ole’ – maybe the Kop should start chanting ‘set piece again, oh no, oh no’.
Liverpool conceded again from a set piece and Arne Slot knows this must be fixed soon
Federico Chiesa made a rare league start but did not do enough to justify the clamour around him
Did Chiesa take his chance?
It was a first Premier League start in a meaningful game for Federico Chiesa – his only previous one was down at Brighton last season when the league title was already won.
Did he do enough to justify all the clamour about him? No, and maybe some of those superfans of the lesser-spotted Italian will not be quite as vocal now. But did he prove he deserves more chances to impress? Yes.
Jeremie Frimpong also impressed on the right flank.
