Florian Wirtz silenced his critics and confirmed the viability of his contract with Liverpool after playing a good game against Wolverhampton, winning 2-1 with a goal from the German player, his first since joining Arne Slot’s team from Bayer Leverkusen for €125 million this summer.
It was the most expensive signing in Liverpool’s history and in the second half of 2025 the talented German midfielder was the center of everyone’s attention. His adaptation to English football has not been a walk in the park and in recent weeks many voices have been raised against Wirtz. Some even talked about a possible departure to reunite with Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid.
The reality is that before kick-off, Wirtz had 22 games in all competitions in which he dished out four assists, two of them in the Champions League and another in the English Cup. He only had one in the Premier League and at this point in the season, the previous one, and when he was at Leverkusen he had ten goals and five assists.
An outstanding goal
That’s why a weight was lifted off his shoulders when he scored Liverpool’s second goal just before half-time. With exquisite tact, he managed to beat José Sá one-on-one with his right hand after an exceptional pass between the lines from Hugo Ekitiké.
Wirtz’s goal came exactly a minute and a half after Ryan Gravenberch’s goal, which helped break through Wolverhampton’s wall. The bottom of the Premier League, who have just two points to their name, pushed themselves into the defensive with the sole aim of resisting and trying their luck on the counterattack. Liverpool’s dominance in the first 45 minutes was absolute, even though their rivals seemed impenetrable.
It was Jeremie Frimpong who was responsible for breaking Rob Edwards’ team’s tactics. From the right he used his speed to overtake Joao Gomes and Hugo Bueno. He reached the baseline, kicked the ball back and Gravenberch finished the job. The clash began, Wolverhampton collapsed and Wirtz joined the party less than two minutes later.
But not everything was solved. Liverpool went to the dressing room happy, but a few minutes after the restart they suffered a shock that made their game unpleasant. Uruguayan Hugo Bueno’s goal from a set piece – a big deficit for the “Reds” this season – raised doubts among Slot’s team, who needed a quarter of an hour to react.
He was able to seal it with a try from Curtis Jones and another shot from Gravenberch, who failed to take advantage of a great assist from Wirtz after some exceptional play inside the box with a dribble over Matt Doherty who he left sitting with a great cut.
In the end, the blood did not reach the river at Anfield and Liverpool, who finished the game under wraps, kept the score. He raised doubts in the second half, but the “Wirtz effect” was enough and he scored three important points to stay in the tough fight and finish the season at least in the top four.
(efe, kicker/el)
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