Mohamed Salah on target again as Liverpool edge out Wolves to maintain grip on Premier League title race

Egyptian scores his 28th goal of season but table-toppers made to fight for 2-1 victory at Anfield

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Mohamed Salah scores Liverpool's second goal from the penalty spot in the 37th minute with his 28th goal of the season across all competitions. Reuters

Wolves attacker Matheus Cunha celebrates after scoring in the 67th minute. Getty Images

Matheus Cunha curls home a superb finish to pull one back for Wolves.AP

Liverpool's Luis Diaz is brought down by Wolves keeper Jose Sa to earn his side a penalty that Mohamed Salah would convert. PA

Mohamed Salah scores for Liverpool in the second half but the goal was disallowed for offside after a VAR review. AFP

Wolves attacker Matheus Cunha curls a free-kick just wide of target in the first half. PA

Ibrahima Konate is shown a yellow card by referee Simon Hooper and the Liverpool defender was lucky to avoid another later in the first half. Reuters

Wolves defenders Toti Gomes and Emmanuel Agbadou block an attempt on goal by Liverpool's Diogo Jota. Reuters

Luis Diaz, left, celebrates with Mohamed Salah after putting Liverpool in front in the 15th minute. EPA

Luis Diaz guides the ball past Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa with his stomach before putting Liverpool 1-0 up. PA

Liverpool increased their advantage at the top of the Premier League back up to seven points but were given an almighty scare on their way to a 2-1 victory over Wolves on Sunday.

Arne Slot's side were in complete control after a dominant first-half performance that saw Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah both finding the back of the net, with the Egyptian striker scoring his 28th goal of the season across all competitions.

But Wolves refused to give up without a fight in a second half that saw Brazilian attacker Matheus Cunha pull one back with a wonderful curling finish while the home side, remarkably, failed to register an attempt on goal.

The final whistle was met with delight and relief at Anfield with Liverpool once again opening up a healthy gap on second-placed Arsenal - who defeated Leicester City 2-0 on Saturday - with 13 games to go.

Liverpool had been denied all three points in a frantic Merseyside derby draw at Goodison Park on Wednesday night which ended in high drama after Everton's James Tarkowski scored in the eighth minute of stoppage time.

But there was to be no late chaos this time and captain Virgil van Dijk was pleased with the team's fighting mentality against a Wolves side who will feel frustrated not to have come away with at least a point.

"We'd love to dominate for the full 90 minutes but it is the Premier League and Wolves can punish you and create dangerous moments against you," said the Dutch defender.

"It says a lot we kept fighting and kept going and got the three points.

"Today showed at times that when we have the ball you can exploit it as well. Cunha was a danger man for them today we had to be aware of. Unfortunately he scored but we kept them to that.

"I definitely give them credit the way they went one v one most of the times and how they found the free man between the lines.

"At times we were sloppy as well and we couldn't keep the ball as well as we can at times."

Liverpool had opened the scoring after a lightening breakaway goal that had started with Van Dijk winning the ball deep in his own half before ending up with Diaz scampering down the left wing.

The Colombian then crossed into the box and when Toti Gomes could only loop Salah's pass towards his own goal, Diaz was on hand to beat onrushing Wolves keeper Jose Sa to the ball and send the ball into the net via his stomach in the 15th minute.

It was Diaz's ninth league goal of the season, already his best return in the competition for Liverpool.

Diogo Jota almost doubled their lead less than 10 minutes later only for Emmanuel Agbadou to throw himself in front of his strike to block what looked a certain goal.

Sa was being kept busy in the Wolves goal, first pushing away a low Andrew Robertson cross, with Jota then picking up the loose ball before firing in a shot that the Portuguese keeper saved with his leg.

But the second goal would not be long coming with Diaz again at the centre of it. After forcing an error out of Agbadou, Diaz then skipped past Sa before being clumsily brought down in the box.

Salah stepped up calmness personified to dink the penalty straight down the middle with Sa committed to the dive.

It was Salah's 22nd league goal of the campaign, taking him three clear of Manchester City's Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot.

It was to be an altogether different story in the second half when, apart from a Salah goal being disallowed for offside and a penalty call against Wolves being reversed by VAR, Liverpool offered little attacking threat.

Substitute Marshall Munetsi should have scored a debut goal when put through one-on-one with Allison Becker but shot too close to the Brazilian keeper who saved well.

Joao Gomes curled a glorious chance high and wide - much to the frustration of Cuhna who was free on the edge of the box with the goal at his mercy waiting for a simple pass that never came.

But Cuhna's moment did arrive in the 67th minute when he showed tremendous skill to beat Ryan Gravenberch before sending a stunning curling finish past Alisson.

Sadly for Wolves, that was to be their only goal as they fell to a defeat that leaves them two points and once place outside the relegation zone.

"It's like a mix of sensations," admitted Cunha, who now has 11 goals in the league this season. "We feel good at points today but if we start the game like we did in the second half then we leave with a better result. We need to learn."