Hans Memling
“Liverpool scrambled their way to a much-needed 2-0 win over Wolves as the pressure lifted from the club. But it was never going to be simple against an organised Wolves side, with the points only being secured after the Midlanders were reduced to ten men when defender Stephen Ward was sent-off. Even that was a bizarre decision, with referee Andre Marriner at first getting the wrong man, booking Christophe Berra before his error was pointed out by a pack of Liverpool players who made sure that Ward was punished for a second bookable offence.” (ESPN)

Steven Gerrard takes his chance but Liverpool look less than masterful
“Liverpool were insulted by having to face a full-strength Wolves team, but the deepest grievance at Anfield belonged to Mick McCarthy. His team were intensifying Rafael Benítez’s problems before an agitated home crowd when, after a touch of theatrics, a case of mistaken identity and various influences in the dug-out, they were fatally reduced to 10 men. ‘They needed a break and they got it,’ said McCarthy. Liverpool had been reprieved.” (Guardian)

Gerrard finds his form to feast on Wolves
“Liverpool had to wait until Wolves were down to 10 men before they could convert their dominance into a lead but it will take small steps like this to get their season back on track. The final score is all that matters but it should not mask just how hard Liverpool found it to break down their opponents, who were reduced to 10 men just after the restart when Stephen Ward was eventually given a second caution. Referee Andre Marriner originally wrongly showed Christophe Berra a yellow card.” (Independent)

Liverpool 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0: match report
“When you have endured a start to the campaign like Liverpool’s, even this will do. Wins are wins, particularly if you have recorded just four in your previous 17 matches, but Rafael Benítez’s side had to wait until Wolverhampton Wanderers were reduced to 10 men for the goals to flow. Steven Gerrard’s performance was symptomatic of the team that he captains. Hardly back to his best, Gerrard struggled for the first hour before Stephen Ward was sent off, after referee Andre Marriner initially cautioned the wrong player, and the England midfielder scored his first goal since Nov 9, before Yossi Benayoun added a second.” (Telegraph)

“The English football season started off with Steve Bruce wondering what the hell Twitter was when a media storm broke following Darren Bent’s expression of frustration on his then-stalled move to Sunderland from Spurs in the summer. ‘Someone says Darren has been Twittering,’ Bruce told the Sunderland Echo. ‘I don’t even know what that is, but I have seen a few things in the papers about it.’” (Pitch Invasion)

“While most people will be keeping an eye on the QPR of the north, some of us are wondering whether two of the Championship’s in-form strikers can extend their spicy scoring streak over the next three days. Peter Whittingham, Michael Chopra and Matty Fryatt all started the season like it was their last and still figure at the head of the charts, but a quick look at results and scorers from recent weeks suggests that there’s some real competition for the Pichichi.” (thetwounfortunates)