JOHN BRADLEY: It's time to say goodbye to a magical and memorable 2019,
with Liverpool top of the Premier League.
Today they take on the only team that has played more games than them this season,
in Wolverhampton Wanderers. Their season started practically when the last one ended.
What it is, though, is a big test for Liverpool to maintain their unbeaten run,
against a side who shocked everyone with their big, big comeback
against Manchester City less than 48 hours ago.
Let's have a look at the team news,
Jürgen Klopp resists the urge
to make wholesale changes,
of course Liverpool have had
a little longer to prepare than Wolves.
Xherdan Shaqiri would have started
had he been available,
but the only changes sees Adam Lallana
come into the midfield for Naby Keita,
who's been in fine, fine form.
It's 41 hours since Nuno Espirito Santo's side came from two down
to beat Manchester City in what was perhaps
their most memorable league game so far,
with the two late goals.
Raul Jimenez and Adama Traore,
the catalysts behind the comeback, don't start today.
There's just a second Premier League start for Max Kilman,
and the likes of Saiss and Doherty -
who scored that magical winner -
all drop down to the substitutes bench,
purely - we must say - because it is less than 41 hours since they last played.
It's unthinkable. Liverpool did it four years ago, if you recall.
That's Lallana, Alexander-Arnold!
And it's over the top by Salah.
GARY GILLESPIE: So quick in assessing the danger,
just a whipped in ball from the right by Trent Alexander-Arnold,
as soon as he gets it it's a first-time pass.
Difficult one for Salah to take, it bounces just in front of him.
And in doing so, it's a difficult one to control,
but good that he gets across the front of the near defender.
First chance goes to Liverpool, sure it won't be the last.
JOHN: That's for Salah, Vinagre in control.
He'll see that out of play. Or can he?
Salah, just sheer bloody-mindedness and persistence, wins a corner.
The corner comes quickly! And Gini Wijnaldum goes over the top.
GARY: Liverpool catch Wolves out, caught most people out, the director as well!
He has to hit it pretty quick, Wijnaldum, and he knows that if he hits it low,
it probably gets blocked, and then he's rushed to hit it so early
he gets a little bit underneath it.
JOHN: Van Dijk forward looking for Mane,
and on to Salah!
It would have been one of those special ones.
GARY: Mane does exceptionally well, looks to go short and then goes long,
and it's a great little header.
He chooses to hit it first-time, doesn't quite let it drop far enough
and can't really get the power on it because of that.
JOHN: Jordan Henderson.
Kilman's header's not the best, Henderson, Mane's spin!
And it's deflected wide in the end, it was a fine piece of defending.
GARY: Mane does exceptionally well, just lets it run across his body,
credit to Bennett because he gets a big leg out there to make the block.
Had he not done that, Mane had a free effort to try and bend it into that far post.
JOHN: The corner comes in - the header is down and wide from Firmino.
GARY: It's the main that's in a rich vein of goal-scoring form.
Comes at him quickly, dips down as well.
Think it's Jota marking him.
JOHN: Forward by Van Dijk looking for Lallana, and there's Mane!
Adam Lallana's touch, he says it was his shoulder.
Mane's goal won't count. Liverpool unhappy with Anthony Taylor.
GARY: I thought Lallana did exceptionally well,
it did look as though it came off his shoulder.
You just wonder whether he was maybe offside. That definitely looks like the shoulder.
JOHN: It's a huge call, they're actually looking at the offside for Mane.
Potentially.
That would suggest they're happy Lallana hasn't handled it.
It's a Liverpool goal scored by Sadio Mane!
And created quite brilliantly by Adam Lallana.
GARY: Well, I think from what we saw in those VAR replays,
that is the right decision. It's a lovely run by Lallana,
he makes up an awful lot of ground.
And I think when the Wolves players watch this again tonight,
they'll realise that that is OK.
JOHN: Adam Lallana said straightaway,
he knew, he said, "Go and check your TV."
And Sadio Mane is the man who is rewarded with the goal.
Lovely ball for Moutinho, taken down by Jonny Otto.
Good cross, men arriving, unmarked far post!
Lovely equaliser for Wolverhampton Wanderers,
it is a super calm finish to level things up from Pedro Neto.
GARY: Wolves getting themselves right back in it just before half-time.
Conor Coady is quick to put it back into an area where Liverpool...
..don't really have any defenders,
and then after that it was always going to be a little bit dangerous.
As far as the ball travels, the more dangerous it was gonna be.
And Neto at the far post, not the purest of strikes in the world,
but it's always bending away from Alisson Becker into the bottom corner,
and Wolves back on level terms.
JOHN: What a place to get your first Premier League goal.
They are looking at a potential offside.
That foot's in an offside position, Gary.
GARY: Well, you would think so, it's not the clearest picture, but it's...
JOHN: Not the end to the half that Nuno would have wanted,
but a good end to the half for Liverpool.
A goal given by VAR correctly, and then one chalked off for offside - correctly.
Here's Jonny Otto, and that's looking for Jota, angle was against him...
And he would have done well to score from there, the flag up anyway.
GARY: He just keeps peeling off the back of Trent,
you can see he's looking right along the line but he strays a little bit.
JOHN: Moutinho's all over Lallana,
would have been a Liverpool free kick but Liverpool have the ball.
And Salah has it, Wijnaldum, now Mane.
Salah.
Firmino, on the spin!
GARY: Liverpool can't find that final pass or the final shot on target.
The ball from Salah into Firmino is not the best,
you can see it comes up off the surface, that needed to skid along the surface,
just to give Firmino the best chance to get his shot off.
JOHN: Oh, Van Dijk's lost it, and Diogo Jota, and this could be the moment for Wolves!
Well, it could have been, but the big hands of Alisson come to the rescue for Liverpool.
GARY: This is a rarity, you don't see Virgil van Dijk take too many risks,
and then the recovery, he flounders a little and you can see he's furious with himself.
But when you do make a mistake, you rely on your teammates,
and there's none better than that man there, Alisson Becker.
JOHN: Bennett.
That's on for Raul Jimenez, lovely take!
Liverpool were left appealing for handball.
GARY: Well...
It looked for all the world like he brought this down with his hand.
Well, again...
it was a tight one.
That's a chance.
JOHN: They have had chances in this second half.
Saiss.
Here's Conor Coady.
It's long, there's a coming together, and it's Vinagre!
Well, he went for glory, and if you go for glory the least you've gotta do is hit the target.
GARY: Trent Alexander-Arnold just gets bundled off the ball and then Vinagre,
he doesn't have a great deal of options to put it across...
..into the six-yard box, because Joe Gomez gets back in a half challenge.
JOHN: And it brings an end to another Liverpool victory.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side gave it absolutely everything,
and will feel they should have taken something from it.
But there's something different about this Liverpool, something more resilient,
there's more spirit about this Liverpool.
Sadio Mane with a VAR goal from Adam Lallana's flick,
Wolves had one chalked off at the other end,
the second half there could have been goals at either end.
As it is, it's Liverpool who win again.