"We give the image we need to be more consistent" - Wolves boss Bruno Lage delivers honest verdict after Liverpool loss
Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Bruno Lage has called for his team to be more consistent and play as they did against Liverpool on Sunday (May 22).
Wolves made the trip to Anfield for their matchday 38 commitment on Sunday afternoon. Against all odds, the visitors struck first in the title aspirants’ backyard, with Pedro Neto tapping home from close range in the third minute.
Liverpool took some time to recover, but ultimately got themselves on level terms in the 24th minute, courtesy of Sadio Mane. Mohamed Salah (84th minute) and Andy Robertson (89th minute) scored late in the second half to seal a 3-1 win for the Reds.
🗣️"If you want to win big, you have to be ready to lose big"
Jurgen Klopp reacts to Liverpool's Premier League title heartbreak. https://t.co/Ik28fwG5Rv
Lage was thoroughly impressed with the shift his team put in against Jurgen Klopp’s side and urged Wolves to be more consistent. Speaking to reporters (via Liverpool ECHO) after the match, the Portuguese tactician said:
“I'm proud of what we did today. We give the image we need to be more consistent. How we can play this way against Liverpool and Chelsea and some of the games we didn’t perform? But this is what is 10 per cent of what I have in mind when I look at the last six games.”
He acknowledged that his side did not have the quality of the Merseyside giants, claiming that the hosts' ruthlessness in the final third won them the match.
Lage added:
“We need to prepare very well and we need the squad that when these kind of problems happen, we have good solutions to solve. We cannot have a team like Liverpool, you replace (Diogo) Jota for (Mohamed) Salah, we don’t have that, but I think we can create in the market, find a good striker to bring on the pitch and increase our mentality and, when something happens, have quality.”
He continued:
“When you see the chance we create and the one Mane scored, it is similar. The only thing we can do is continue to give a lot of confidence to the players and continue to work. Today was a good example, we create good chances and didn’t score.”
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah endures double whammy on Premier League closing day
In the 84th minute, substitute Salah put his side ahead for the first time in the match. The Egypt international celebrated wildly, thinking that his goal had put the Reds ahead in the Premier League title race.
Unfortunately for him, Manchester City had overturned Aston Villa’s 2-0 lead by then, nullifying Liverpool's go-ahead goal.
🗣️'When I had it in my hand, I couldn't believe it. I dreamed of this as a kid.'
Heung-min Son reacts to sharing the Golden Boot with Mo Salah 🏆 https://t.co/KEWme8vH23
If losing out to Manchester City in the Premier League title race (by only a point) wasn’t enough, Salah also failed to emerge as the league’s undisputed top scorer.
Tottenham Hotspur star Heung-min Son scored twice in Sunday’s emphatic 5-0 win over Norwich City to take his goal tally to 23. Ending the season level on goals with Salah, the South Korean international shared the Premier League Golden Boot award with the former Roma man.
Considering Salah's blistering start to the season (16 goals in 20 Premier League games), he has every right to be disappointed with the outcome.