Gooooood evening! Well I hope everyone is in the Christmas spirit for this one as we are treated to a cracker of a Friday night fixture -
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Liverpool at Molineux!
Both of these sides go into this game in fine form and have earned plaudits for their playing styles this season, so this really should be a good contest under the lights tonight.
We will have a close look at both teams a little later, but let's start by checking out the team news...
WOLVES STARTING XI: Patricio; Bennett, Coady, Boly; Doherty, Neves, Saiss, Jonny; Moutinho; Jimenez, Traore
WOLVES SUB: Ruddy, Cavaleiro, Costa, Gibbs-White, Vinagre, Dendoncker, Bonatini
LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Alisson; Milner, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Keita; Salah, Firmino, Mane
LIVERPOOL SUBS: Mignolet, Clyne, Wijnaldum, Sturridge, Lallana, Shaqiri, Origi
Interesting selections from both teams there, but we'll start with a look at the visitors seeing as they are the league leaders coming into this match.
The first things to note from Jurgen Klopp's XI is that there is once again no room for Xherdan Shaqiri, who came off the bench and scored twice in a match-winning cameo against Manchester United on Sunday.
The stocky Swiss star will no doubt feel aggrieved not to have earned a place in the team, but Klopp appears to have gone for a 4-3-3 formation tonight.
There is a return to the side for captain Jordan Henderson, who has been a victim of some stiff competition in the middle of the park for Liverpool in recent games.
Fabinho and Naby Keita both keep their places from the win over United - the former of whom has a monstrous game against Liverpool's most bitter rivals - so Georginio Wijnaldum is the man to make way for Henderson in that trio.
At the back, Trent Alexander-Arnold remains sidelined as expected, but James Milner does return after a hamstring issue and fils in as a makeshift right-back in an otherwise unchanged defensive line.
Nathaniel Clyne impressed during his first appearance of the season in that position last weekend, but Milner was always expected to come back into the team if he had recovered from his minor muscle strain.
Milner and Henderson in for Clyne and Wijnaldum are the only two changes to the team which beat United, which means that the front three of Salah, Mane and Firmino all start once again.
Mane got the opening goal against United, but it is Salah who has proven to be the main difference in these types of games during his Liverpool career so far. The Egyptian has been directly involved in 10 goals from eight Premier League games against newly-promoted teams for the Reds, scoring five and creating five more.
Wolves are not your standard newly-promoted side, though, and while they will no doubt have a plan for dealing with Salah and co, they are the type of team who will always focus more on what they can do to the opposition.
The hosts have plenty of danger men at their disposal, and interestingly tonight they have opted for the searing pace of Adama Traore to lead the line alongside Raul Jimenez.
Jimenez has been Wolves' main goal-getter this season with five in the Premier League, finding the back of the net in both of his last two starts for the club.
Diogo Jota started alongside him last weekend but picked up a hamstring injury which rules him out for this game and opens the door for the mercurial Traore to test this Liverpool defence.
Ivan Cavaleiro and Helder Costa both have to make do with a place on the bench once again, but there is a change in midfield as Romain Saiss replaces Gibbs-White, who is also among the subs.
The official team sheet suggests that it will be Joao Moutinho playing in the number 10 role behind the two strikers tonight, with compatriot Neves and Saiss in slightly deeper midfield positions.
Like Liverpool, Wolves have only made those two changes with Traore and Saiss replacing Jota and Gibbs-White as Nuno sticks with the same backline.
That means three in defence once again, although the attacking full-backs Jonny and Matt Doherty will need to keep an eye on Salah and Mane on the flanks tonight and make sure they don't go too gung-ho in attack. The inclusion of Traore suggests that they are planning for counter-attacks, though.
Wolves will go into this match confident that they can come away with something, despite Liverpool's lofty league position, and that is largely down to the quality of their own performances so far this season.
There was a poor spell where Nuno's side only managed one point from six games - including back-to-back defeats to Cardiff and Huddersfield - but an unexpected victory over Chelsea has really changed things round for them and they now welcome Liverpool on a three-match winning streak.
Victories over Newcastle and Bournemouth followed the Chelsea triumph, leaving Wolves looking tonight for four straight top-flight wins for the first time since January 1972.
That particular streak ended with a goalless draw against Liverpool and Molineux and, while a repeat tonight would not be a bad result against the league leaders, Wolves are not the type of team that will settle for a draw too often.
The visit of the league leaders will not daunt Wolves either; they have already faced the other five from the established top six this season, and Spurs are the only team to have beaten them in that time.
Even then Wolves almost recovered from 3-0 down before eventually losing 3-2, and aside from that they have beaten Chelsea and drawn against both Manchester clubs and Arsenal. Nuno's side seem to raise their game when they take on the league's biggest clubs, and he will be hoping that is the case again tonight.
All of that has helped to leave Wolves seventh in the Premier League table after 17 games, and a victory tonight would lift them above Manchester United into sixth until at least tomorrow.
Such was Wolves' level of performance last season and spending in the summer than relegation was never really considered for them before the campaign began, and so it has proved with Nuno's men sitting closer to the top four than they are to the bottom three.
Indeed, Wolves have already matched their 25-point tally from their most recent Premier League campaign in 2011-12, which of course ended in relegation by quite a comfortable distance.
Fast forward to today and only four newly-promoted teams have ever made better starts to a Premier League season than this current Wolves crop - Watford in 2015-16, Birmingham in 2009-10, Hull in 2008-09 and Reading in 2006-07.
Wolves come into this match off the back of a 2-0 win over Bournemouth last weekend, with Jimenez opening the scoring after 12 minutes before Cavaleiro finally made the points certain with a second deep into stoppage time.
That made it back-to-back home wins for Wolves after a run of three defeats in a row too, and they could now win three matches on the bounce at Molineux for the first time in more than a year - and the first time in more than 38 years in the top flight.
Tonight will be the 10th time that Wolves have played a Premier League game against a team starting it top of the table, and they have won two of those - including their most recent such match.
On that occasion their victory also ended the longest unbeaten streak in the league at that time - against Manchester United in 2010-11 - so Liverpool will be hoping that that is not a bad omen for them this evening.
It is without a doubt a tricky assignment for Liverpool tonight, but they still go into the game as favourites to come away with all three points having transformed themselves into genuine title contenders this term.
The signing in particular over the last 12 months - particularly Van Dijk and Alisson - have given Liverpool exactly what they need to close what was a huge gap between themselves and Man City, to the point where they come into match number 18 of their season sitting top of the Premier League table.
Liverpool come into this match off the back of a five-game winning streak across all competitions and a six-game winning run in the Premier League alone. Another win tonight would see them make it seven on the bounce inside a single season for the first time since an 11-game streak which took them to he brink of the title in 2013-14.
The Reds are also unbeaten in 18 league games - a club record in the Premier League, having last enjoyed a longer spell in 1990 when they went 23 matches without defeat.
Another win tonight would also guarantee Liverpool top spot at Christmas, and that has generally been a good omen for future title winners in the Premier League.
The last four teams to be top at Christmas - and eight of the last nine - have gone on to lift the trophy. However, the catch is that Liverpool are the only exception in that run, having failed to do so in 2013-14.
Manchester City will be expected to win at home to Crystal Palace tomorrow, so any dropped points tonight could mean that they are knocked off top spot for Christmas Day.
Even if they do not spend Christmas at the top of the tree, this Liverpool side deserve immense credit for their performances so far, having made their best-ever start to a top-flight season with 45 points from their opening 17 games.
Of course, that will not mean much if they fail to go on and win silverware - as 18 different Liverpool teams have done so before then in the top flight - but so far it has been very encouraging for the fans, who have had to wait so long for a 19th title.
Liverpool also boast the joint-best defensive record at this stage of a top-flight season in English football history, having conceded just seven times in 17 games so far this term.
Their attack - which was so deadly last term - seems to be gathering steam again now too, and only Man City have scored more than Liverpool this season. Indeed, the Reds have netted three or more goals in four of their last five Premier League games, having done so just three times in their opening 12.
It has been a special season all round so far, then, and Liverpool come into this match off the back of the best week of it.
A nail-biting 1-0 win over Napoli last Tuesday night ensured their progress into the last 16 of the Champions League - at the Italians' expense - before they put in a dominant display to beat Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday - a result which saw Jose Mourinho sacked two days later.
Both of those successes came at Anfield, but Liverpool have actually picked up more points on their travels than they have in front of their own fans so far this season - albeit from one more game.
This is the Reds' final away game of 2018, though, and their next one could be pivotal as they face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium to kick off 2019. Newcastle United and Arsenal await at Anfield before that.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Molineux now, which means that it is time for a prediction!
It is hard to back against Liverpool in their current form, but this will be one of their tougher away games. Wolves have a good record against the top clubs and have the quality to spring a surprise, but we're still going for an away win - if only a narrow one.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Wolves 1-2 Liverpool
Wolves have beaten Liverpool in two of their last five meetings across all competitions, including their most recent clash at Anfield in the FA Cup fourth round last year.
Indeed, both of those two wins have come at Anfield, and you have to go back to August 1981 for Wolves' last win over Liverpool at Molineux - a 1-0 triumph in a game which saw Liverpool - then reigning European champions - hand debuts to future club legends Bruce Grobbelaar and Mark Lawrenson.
Should Wolves win again tonight then it would be the first time that they have won back-to-back competitive matches against Liverpool since November 1980, but in the Premier League they have won just one of their last either meetings - a 1-0 triumph under Mick McCarthy eight years ago.
The most recent league clash between the two sides came in January 2012, when goals from Andy Carroll, Craig Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt saw Liverpool cruise to a 3-0 win here at Molineux.
Indeed, Liverpool have won their last four Premier League games at this stadium - stretching back to a 1-1 draw in 2004 - while they have keep clean sheets in each of their last three visits.
This is a very different Wolves proposition to the one which Liverpool have come up against within the past few decades, though, so they will not be paying too much notice to those statistics.
Right, the players are out and we're almost ready to get going here! A reminder of the team news before we do get started...
WOLVES STARTING XI: Patricio; Bennett, Coady, Boly; Doherty, Neves, Saiss, Jonny; Moutinho; Jimenez, Traore
LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Alisson; Milner, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Keita; Salah, Firmino, Mane
KICKOFF: Here we go, then! Liverpool get us underway at Molineux!
The rain is pouring down in the Midlands tonight. Testing conditions for these payers - particularly the two goalkeepers.
Firmino collects the ball on the edge of the area and shows lovely footwork to create a yard, but his eventual shot is well blocked.
CHANCE! An early chance is gifted to Wolves as Fabinho sees a sloppy pass cut out and the ball falls to Traore. The Wolves man has Van Dijk in front of him and goes for goal rather than trying to take him on, firing his effort wide. Fabinho got away with one there!
Here is that early chance for Wolves, which Traore could not sneak in at the near post...
Keita is left in a heap on the floor after being bundled into by Coady just outside the area. The referee says no foul, though, and play continues.
SHOT! Here is the Wolves counter they are looking for! Jimenez takes the ball down well and plays the ball into the path of Traore, who again only had Van Dijk ahead of him. Once more, though, Van Dijk defends it well and Traore can only fire the ball wide of the far post.
Liverpool have enjoyed 68% of possession in these opening exchanges, but that will be part of Wolves' game plan - to draw them in and then use that pace of Traore on the break.
Milner's corner makes it all the way through to Van Dijk, who takes a touch in the box, feints a shot to beat one defender but then sees his real effort blocked.
CHANCE! More good play from Wolves as they spread the ball to the right flank for Doherty and he in turn slips inside to Saiss. The midfielder gets his shot away, and Alisson spills it back out into a dangerous area. Fortunately, Fabinho is there to clear the danger.
You'd have to say that Wolves' game plan is working so far tonight. Liverpool have seen the lion's share of possession but all of the shooting chances so far have fallen to the hosts.
Keita has been in the wars tonight, and this is another painful one as Doherty catches him on the ankle with a poor challenge.
GOAL! WOLVES 0-1 LIVERPOOL (MOHAMED SALAH)
GOAL! First blood to Liverpool as
Mohamed Salah breaks the deadlock in impudent fashion - a finish so good that he even celebrates this time!
Salah's initial free kick was poor, but Liverpool kept hold of the ball and Salah ran into the area. Fabinho exchanges passes with Mane down the right before pulling the ball back into the middle, and Salah just touches it home with the outside of his boot. Lovely goal.
Salah, by the way, is now the outright leading scorer in the Premier League once again. That goal takes him on to 11, above Aubameyang.
Indeed, here is that very goal for your viewing pleasure...
Wolves will feel hard done by having fallen behind after a decent start, but they knew they would need to be clinical against this Liverpool team. The hosts have just dropped a level since that opener.
SAVE! Milner comes forward and cuts inside onto his weaker left foot, but he still gets plenty of power behind his 20-yard strike and Patrico does well to hold on in these conditions.
Traore advances down the left flank and gets his cross away against Lovren, putting it to the back post. Doherty is coming in, but his cushioned header back inside only finds the hands of the keeper.
Brilliant defending from Bennett as he somehow gets his foot to the ball from behind Salah, who looked certain to get on the end of Mane's floated pass into the box.
Wolves have struggled to create anything since going behind in this match, with the goal appearing to have both settled Liverpool down and lessened the home side's confident start.
Alert goalkeeping from Patricio as he comes charging off his line to clear a short back-pass from Coady, with Salah and Keita bearing down on him.
Less than 10 minutes remaining in this first half now and Wolves need to get back into their initial game plan. They cannot afford to sit back and rely on the counter when 1-0 down for the whole game, but there is still plenty of time for that tactic to work.
SHOT! Neves tries another special from range, but he can't keep his effort down and it flies well off target.
SAVE! This is more like it from Wolves! A ball is played into the feet of Traore and he turns it around the corner, with his pass bouncing through past Lovren. Jonny gets on the end of it, but his shot is well held by Alisson.
SAVE! Liverpool come forward this time and Robertson plays the ball down the left for Keita, who puts his cross into the box. Salah gets on the end of it but can only nudge it goalwards, and the keeper is there to make the save.
Good football by Wolves, who are enjoying a good end to the half here. Doherty exchanges passes with Moutinho on his way into the middle before finding Jimenez, but Mane does really well to get back and make the challenge.
There were claims for a penalty from Doherty after he released the ball there, having gone down under the challenge of Milner, but it looked like a coming-together rather than a foul.
SAVE! Liverpool have got away with a couple here! Keita is the man to sell his teammate short with a pass this time and Doherty nips in before getting his shot away, but once again Alisson makes the save.
There will be a minimum of two minutes added time at the end of this first half.
HALF TIME: WOLVES 0-1 LIVERPOOL
The first half comes to an end at Molineux, then, and it is Liverpool who take the lead into half time against Wolves.
The hosts have had plenty of sights of goal - more so than Liverpool - but the Reds have provided the one clinical moment of quality in the match so far and that is the difference between the two sides at this stage.
It was the usual suspect Mohamed Salah who got the only goal of the game so far, and it was a lovely finish from the Premier League's top scorer.
Salah began the move with a free kick which went wrong, but he then continued his run into the box and was there to get on the end of Fabinho's cutback. Salah still had plenty to do from that point, but he supplied a brilliant finish by flicking the ball past Patricio with the outside of his boot.
Milner and Salah have both threatened for the Reds in addition to the goal, but the bulk of the chances have come from the home side, who registered four shots on target in that opening 45 minutes - the most Liverpool have allowed in any game yet this season.
Wolves were on top at the start of the half as their counter-attacking plans proved initially successful, with Traore firing two shots off target and Saiss drawing one of those saves from Alisson.
There was a lull from the hosts after conceding the opening goal, but they ended the half strongly too and threatened an equaliser in the closing stages.
Jonny and Doherty both also drew saves from Alisson in that first half, with Liverpool putting in a pretty sloppy performances despite their lead.
KICKOFF: Wolves get us back underway for the second half! No changes for either side.
SHOT! A Liverpool corner picks out Salah on the edge of the box and he takes a touch before firing a half-volley over the crossbar. Decent strike from the goalscorer, but it was always rising.
There have been too many sloppy passes from Liverpool's midfielders today, gifting Wolves possession which enables them to spring into action. Despite their lead, it has not been a vintage performance from the visitors so far.
Almost an own goal here as Firmino dinks the ball into the box towards Salah, who is just beaten to the ball by Patricio. The keeper can only punch it against his own defender, but the loose ball is hacked away before it can bobble over the line.
This has been a very solid start to the second half from Liverpool - exactly what they would have wanted. They are dominating possession at the moment.
SHOT! The latest long spell of pressure comes to an end as Milner fires an effort well off target.
Liverpool have enjoyed 70% of the ball in the second half so far, and Wolves have not threatened on the counter during that time either. Much more control over the game for Liverpool now.
LIVERPOOL SUB: Liverpool are forced into a change here as Keita limps off to be replaced by Adam Lallana.
Trent Alexander-Arnold cannot be involved on the pitch tonight, but he is amongst the away fans for this one!
Wolves have the chance to break from a Liverpool corner and for a moment it looks as though Jonny might be in behind, but he has strayed offside.
WOLVES SUBS: Double change from the hosts here as Ivan Cavaleiro and Morgan Gibbs-White replace Traore and Moutinho.
Good recovery defending from Boly as he makes a crucial challenge on Salah inside the box after Mane had found him with a clever header. It looked dangerous for Wolves at one stage, but Boly got back well.
CHANCE! Brilliant from Liverpool as Firmino plays the ball through for Salah, who nips it away from one defender before spreading it for Mane. Mane helps it on to Lallana, who sees his shot well blocked behind for a corner.
GOAL! WOLVES 0-2 LIVERPOOL (VIRGIL VAN DIJK)
GOAL! Game over?
Virgil van Dijk gets his first league goal for Liverpool - calm as you like, as the song goes - with a lovely finish from Salah's exquisite cross.
Salah picks the ball up around 30 yards from goal and quickly sends a sensational delivery into the area, where Van Dijk is there to cushion his volley past Patricio.
There is a long way back for Wolves now. They have not offered much at all going forward in this second half, and may be left to rue those missed opportunities in the first half.
CHANCE! Chance for Wolves to come up with an immediate response as a cross from the left is nodded back into a dangerous area, where a mini-scramble ensures. The ball falls to Saiss, who gets a snapshot away, but it is straight at Alisson.
Salah tries to race onto a Fabinho pass and almost gets there in front of Boly, who does just enough to play the ball against the shins of the Liverpool man and send it bouncing into the arms of the keeper.
LIVERPOOL SUB: Change for Liverpool here as Firmino is replaced by Georginio Wijnaldum.
Van Dijk has put in a towering performance at the back today, once again, and here he is making the difference at the other end too...
Just 10 minutes remaining now and Wolves need a goal now if they are to give themselves late hope of getting back into this match. Liverpool are looking a lot more solid now, though.
WOLVES SUB: Third and final change from Wolves as Ruben Vinagre replaces Jonny.
CHANCE! Chance for Liverpool to add a third as Mane slides a pass through for Salah, who has the angle against him and is thwarted by Patricio.
CHANCE! The resulting corner sees Mane climb highest, but he cannot get over the ball and his header flies off target.
LIVERPOOL SUB: Final change for the visitors as Mane is replaced by Nathaniel Clyne.
CHANCE! Huge chance for Wolves to pull one back! A low ball in from the left finds no Wolves shirts and Robertson tries to let it run through. However, the ball strikes his heels and falls into the path of Gibbs-White, who can only pick out the side-netting.
There will be five minutes of added time at the end of this match.
CHANCE! Wolves cannot deal with Salah in this match. Here he skips past Boly and squeezes a shot away, but Patricio has his angles right and makes the save.
There would have been many nervous Liverpool fans ahead of this match as it was a tough one on paper, but this is a really good win for the Reds. They weren't at their best in the first half, but they have been very comfortable since the restart.
CHANCE! It should be three! Boly is caught in possession by Salah and plays the ball back to Wijnaldum, who really should score but fires it wide of the target.
FULL TIME: WOLVES 0-2 LIVERPOOL
Big, big win for Liverpool as they secure top spot on Christmas Day with an impressive 2-0 victory away to Wolves.
Wolves had their chances in the first half, but Mohamed Salah gave them the lead before creating the second after the interval for the imperious Virgil van Dijk. Liverpool looked comfortable throughout the second half and now sit four points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's Premier League clash between Wolves and Liverpool as goals from Salah and Van Dijk earn the visitors a seventh straight Premier League win. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now.
