Just 89 seconds separated Liverpool‘s two goals in their win over Wolves – but the difference in noise inside the stadium after each was clear.
Just moments after Ryan Gravenberch’s opener, Florian Wirtz slotted past Jose Sa to put the Reds 2-0 up.
As the German midfielder wheeled away to celebrate his first Liverpool goal, Anfield did not just celebrate – it roared.
Finally, Wirtz had broken his duck.
It is 190 days since he joined Liverpool in a deal worth £116m, but this felt a real moment of arrival. The roar was one of both relief and joy for a player who is finally settling into life on Merseyside.
His assist for Alexander Isak at Tottenham last week did wonders for his confidence and, at Anfield on Saturday, his goal came towards the end of a half where Wirtz was a class above the rest. The creativity on display was clear.
“The best player [Wirtz] on the pitch by a country mile – the most inventive and the one who is willing to take risks,” said ex-Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock on Final Score.
Former England forward Ellen White added: “There’s no doubting the quality that Florian Wirtz has. The centre of gravity, the way he can assist, he can use both feet.
“He just needed a bit more time.”
The seven dribbles he completed out of nine against Wolves were a testament to that. Only Iliman Ndiaye (nine) and Jeremy Doku (eight) have completed more in a Premier League game this season.
Liverpool were struggling to break through the visitors, but, in those tight spaces, Wirtz was gliding past Wolves players like they were not there.
Early on, he played a ball to Hugo Ekitike from the halfway line that took out four Wolves players and it would have been a contender for assist of the season if the French striker’s effort went in instead of hitting the post.
Ekitike then turned provider as he found Wirtz for his goal, and the manner in which two of Liverpool‘s big summer signings linked up was a huge positive on a day where they struggled past bottom side Wolves.
In the absence of Isak, who is facing eight weeks out with a fractured leg, that is a connection we will be seeing plenty more of in the coming months.
“The quality that he [Ekitike] gave me with the pass – not everyone will see this pass, but I am thankful he did, and he gave me the opportunity,” said Wirtz.
Manager Arne Slot has spoken about Wirtz and Ekitike bulking up to thrive in the Premier League, with the German undertaking a weight-gain programme and focusing on building muscle, improving durability and recovery.
The effects of that are starting to be seen, though there is still work to be done, as both Wirtz and his captain, Virgil van Dijk, insisted.
“He’s getting more used to the intensity and the way we play. He’s very important on the ball, and obviously, there’s no debate about his qualities,” said Van Dijk.
“We are very pleased for him, and he should be very pleased with the goal as well. But I think after 60 minutes or something, he was quite tired, so that’s something he and I have to work on as well to do that every three days for 90 minutes.”
Speaking to Final Score, Wirtz added: “I know it’s the hardest league in the world, and I just have to get used to the physicality and the players around me on the pitch in the midfield.
“Every game I feel a bit better, and I want to continue feeling like that.”
For Liverpool fans, that will be music to their ears and a belated Christmas gift. They have waited until December to see him get on the scoresheet – with his 21st shot in the Premier League – but Wirtz is only getting started.
“The team has already seen what he brings us, through creating chances and getting close to scoring. Everyone in the world of football knows what’s said about him, even if he doesn’t know it himself,” Slot told Sky Sports.
“He will continue to score many more goals than just this one. I think Florian delivered more than just the goal today,” he added.
Now the onus is on the 22-year-old to produce plenty more roars at Anfield – and judging by how he played on Saturday, there will be.
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