Liverpool could face a difficult test at Anfield on Sunday against Wolverhampton Wanderers and will have to show improvements from last time out, Reds expert David Lynch has argued.
Arne Slot's Merseysiders were held to a frustrating 2-2 draw by Everton on Wednesday night, conceding a 98th-minute equaliser and squandering the opportunity to move nine points ahead of second-placed Arsenal.
The Reds come into Sunday's clash against Wolves only four points ahead of the Gunners after their 2-1 victory against Leicester City on Saturday, making a win at Anfield imperative if they are to avoid giving Mikel Arteta's side hope in the title race.
However, Lynch expressed his belief to Sports Mole that Sunday's match will be much more difficult than it looks on paper, and he cited the hangover from the draining Merseyside derby as a reason why, saying: "This comes straight off the back of [the Everton game], and Wolves [got] a rest. [Liverpool have] got to get that freshness somewhere.
"Wolves come into [the game in] a bit of form - they've got players who are really dangerous as well. I thought that the game earlier this season was a bit of a nightmare for Liverpool, although [Liverpool] won it. Arne Slot was really complimentary about the way that Gary O'Neil set his team up. They do have a lot of quality in the team."
Vitor Pereira has since taken charge of Wolves and while his team are in 17th place - just two points above the relegation zone - they have won their last two games in all competitions.
Can Liverpool improve on Sunday?
Liverpool were arguably fortunate to have taken a point against Everton given the Toffees produced more xG and more shots, while looking much more likely to find a second before Mohamed Salah put the Reds in front in the 73rd minute.
Against Wolves at Molineux during their 2-1 win on September 28, the Merseysiders only achieved victory thanks to goals from Ibrahima Konate and Salah, which came from a corner and penalty respectively.
Lynch did highlight the importance of the Anfield crowd on Sunday but also insisted that refreshing the lineup could make a significant difference to Liverpool's fortunes, telling Sports Mole: "It'll be nice for Liverpool to be at home. That doesn't feel like that's happened very much recently - the Anfield factor is always massively helpful.
"If Liverpool do their job and play as well as they can in that game, then it should be straightforward for them, but it depends on [how much] the derby took out of them and whether the manager has to make a couple of changes and start to rotate his way through.
"Maybe this is the game to do it rather than any of the away trips that happened this month. So it could be tricky, but with the way Liverpool are playing at home, you would really back them to get the result."
Curtis Jones will not be available for selection due to the red card he received after the full-time whistle against Everton, so while Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai are likely to start in midfield, perhaps Wataru Endo could come into the team at some point to provide fresh legs.
The significance of a win on the Premier League title race
Liverpool face a difficult period of fixtures in the Premier League, with their clash against Wolves followed by consecutive games against Aston Villa, Manchester City and Newcastle United.
Slot's side will be able to drop points between now and the end of the season and still win the Premier League, but with 14 games to go, Lynch believes the Reds cannot afford to drop points at home on Sunday to a relegation-threatened team.
Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch said: "You've got to get the points on the board. You should have to put less into getting the results in your home games because the crowd gives you that extra 5%. Every inch of the pitch, it all massively helps. When you are in that tough run, you don't know how many wins you're going to pick up away from home.
"You know how difficult Everton was, Villa [will be]. We don't know what version of Man City might turn up. If you can get the guaranteed points on the board at home, then that will be helpful in terms of lifting a bit of pressure around the away games.
"This is it. Wolves at home, you don't want to take it for granted and be arrogant about it, but it really has to be in this one that Liverpool get three points from."
Should Liverpool win on Sunday, they will have the opportunity to move 10 points ahead of Arsenal before the Gunners play their next Premier League match as the Reds take on Aston Villa on February 19. body check tags ::
