Stephen Warnock has pointed the finger at Curtis Jones for the defensive lapse that allowed Wolves to snatch a dramatic stoppage-time winner against Liverpool.

The 2-1 defeat at Molineux on Tuesday night has left the Reds’ Champions League ambitions hanging by a thread following a chaotic final ten minutes.

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Warnock says Curtis Jones is at fault for Wolves winner

While much of the immediate post-match discussion centered on the unfortunate deflection off Joe Gomez, former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock, who also slammed Liverpool’s first-half performance, identified a critical error from Curtis Jones in the buildup.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Warnock argued that the midfielder’s decision-making put the entire defence under unnecessary pressure just as the game looked destined for a draw.

“It was a mistake from Curtis Jones. He plays a ball into Alisson and Alisson’s never going to get any purchase on it. It puts the keeper in a terrible position.”

The botched clearance eventually fell to Wolves midfielder Andre, who had looked fatigued in the closing stages.

“Andre looked heavy in the last five or so minutes, but he takes a shot and it takes a wicked deflection to loop over Alisson”, Warnock added.

The ball struck Gomez, changing trajectory completely and leaving Alisson stranded as it sailed into the net in the 94th minute.

Blow for Liverpool in top four race

The result is a catastrophic blow for Arne Slot’s side, who had seemingly salvaged a point when Mohamed Salah ended his record-breaking goal drought just minutes earlier.

The loss leaves Liverpool in fifth place on 48 points, now trailing fourth-placed Aston Villa by three points with only nine games remaining in the season.

For Wolves, who started the day rooted to the bottom of the table, the victory is a second straight “Midlands Derby” success following their win over Villa on Friday.

While they remain in the relegation zone with 13 points, they have moved within striking distance of safety.

Liverpool, meanwhile, must regroup quickly as they prepare to face Wolves again this Friday at Molineux, this time in the FA Cup fifth round.

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Liverpool’s first-half performance against Wolves has been brutally slammed by former Reds defender Stephen Warnock, who described the display as “slow and boring” during a scathing live assessment.

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Warnock slams ‘slow and boring’ Liverpool

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live at Molineux, Warnock did not hold back as the two sides headed into the interval with the scoreline deadlocked at 0-0.

While he was quick to praise the tactical setup of Rob Edwards’ Wolves side, his criticism for Arne Slot’s men was relentless.

“I just hope the half-time pies are good because that has been difficult to watch,” Warnock said.

“That has been really good from a Wolves point of view, the organization and how to make Liverpool’s lives difficult.

“But from a Liverpool point of view, so slow, so boring to watch, and that has been a tough watch. Hopefully, it will be a big improvement in the second half.”

Zero big chances created by Liverpool in a poor first half

The statistics from the opening 45 minutes paint a grim picture for the title contenders.

Despite dominating 68% of the possession, Liverpool struggled to penetrate a disciplined Wolves backline.

The Reds went into the break having created zero big chances, managing just two speculative shots on target. Perhaps most damning was the expected goals (xG) of just 0.21.

While Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo were largely anonymous, the lack of service from a midfield missing the creative spark of the injured Florian Wirtz was evident.

Wolves, currently sitting bottom of the table have dominated possession.

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