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Liverpool only have themselves to blame for losing to Wolves in such disappointing fashion, but Phil Thompson is nevertheless taking issue with the opposition’s underhanded tactics.
There were no shortage of opportunities for the Reds to make something of this game, but a Mo Salah solo goal was all the visitors could muster.
Wolves managed to negate Liverpool’s growing set-piece threat, but it was that very facet of the game where Thompson took issue.
Specifically, how Liverpool were being man-handled inside the penalty area.
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Photo by Ben Roberts – Danehouse/Getty Images Phil Thompson calls out questionable Wolves defending against Liverpool
It was just a few days ago when Liverpool scored three set-pieces against West Ham, all corners.
They found no such joy at Molineux, and Thompson criticised the lack of quality in the deliveries. That wasn’t his main gripe though.
As he explained on The Official Liverpool FC Podcast: “The corner kicks tonight. Did we get too blasé because of all the praise for what happened at the weekend, with scoring three goals and stopping the ball on the money all the time? Surely you can’t hit the front man so often. That makes you frustrated that you’re seeing the same thing. They did so well at the weekend.
“I’ve seen something happen there tonight that a guy just held on. I think it was to Joe Gomez, and he was laughing. That cannot happen in professional football. Nobody seems to say anything to the referee or captain. Nobody is going to the referee.
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“This cannot happen in the game of professional football. And their player was laughing and he was looking the other way. And I’m sure it was Joe Gomez.”
Thompson sounds a familiar point that has been made around the Premier League this season. The explosion in popularity of set-pieces has forced every team to work on that aspect of the game.
The problem is, the officiating around it hasn’t really caught up.
Arne Slot said it best in his pre-Wolves press conference, where he was lamenting the lack of excitement in many top-flight clashes this season.
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He discussed the set-piece scuffles as part of that, saying: “I watch Eredivisie still and fouls against keepers are always given. Here you can almost hit a goalkeeper in his face and it’s play on.
“My football heart doesn’t like it (the way football is going). Said many times I loved watching Barcelona 15 years ago. Most of the games in the PL are not a joy to watch but it’s always interesting as it’s so competitive.”
This ties directly into the Gomez situation. It’s not just the goalkeeper who can be pushed and thrown around. It’s every player in the box trying to push the limits of what is considered acceptable physical contact.
Liverpool’s set-piece renaissance helped them through a difficult few weeks and it’s nice to be on the scoring end rather than conceding.
But it’s not the type of football fans want to see, and the officiating around it needs major changes.
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