Arne Slot sees Wirtz's quality not from goal for Liverpool

Florian Wirtz scored the first goal for Liverpool when he knocked down Wolves (doc. Liverpool FC).

JAKARTA - Florian Wirtz just scored his first goal for Liverpool in a 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, December 27, 2025.

The Reds' manager, Arne Slot, described Wirtz's performance in Liverpool's victory as special. He admitted that the midfielder looked relieved after scoring his first goal for the club.

Wirtz has faced criticism for his lack of attacking contribution since joining Liverpool in a £100m transfer from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.

However, the 22-year-old doubled the Reds' lead against Wolves after Ryan Gravenberch opened the scoring, with the hosts claiming a fourth straight win in all competitions despite Santiago Bueno's second-half header for the visitors.

However, Arne Slot emphasized that Wirtz's quality was not seen just from the goal.

"I'm pretty sure it was a relief for him. I could see his reaction when he scored. The same was felt by his teammates, they were very happy for him."

"In football, maybe it's true, we are mainly judged on results and individuals, judged on goals and assists. However, sometimes we forget what else can be done during the match."

"I think he's played some good games for us. I also think he's getting better with every game he plays for us."

"He is getting fitter and closer to his first goal. It's no surprise that he scored (against Wolves). He will be the first to understand that one goal is not enough."

"So, hopefully he scores more goals for us than just this one. However, I also liked his performance during most of the game against Wolves. I think he was special in many moments," Arne Slot said of Wirtz scoring his first goal.

Liverpool's victory over Wolves brought them up to fourth place in the English League table. However, Arne Slot admitted that his team still needs to improve a lot if they want to continue to rise in the rankings.

"Of course, if you are 2-0 up at half-time, you expect a different second half than we had to deal with."

"However, in football, a goal can change momentum and that's what you saw against Wolves. That's not to say that after 2-1, we no longer controlled the ball."

"It's just that the game is much more balanced and you're going to be afraid every time they attack, but I think we didn't concede many big chances."

"The rest, I saw a team fighting to win, not with the best football game, but there was a real fight," said the Dutch coach.

Furthermore, Liverpool will host Leeds United on Friday, January 2, 2026, early morning WIB, to again close the gap to the top three of the standings.

Currently, the Reds are seven points behind Aston Villa who are in third place in the standings. Liverpool must continue to maximize every match if they still want to be in the hunt for the English League title.

The reason is that the point gap with the leader, Arsenal, is quite far, namely 13 points.