Matt Doherty says the second half at Anfield must be the benchmark for Wolves for the rest of the season.
The Irishman felt Wolves showed league leaders Liverpool too much respect in the opening 45 minutes, and were two goals down as a result of that, but they rallied well after the break.
Matheus Cunha’s fine strike ensured the Old Gold pushed the contest to the limit, and while an equaliser failed to materialise, Doherty left Anfield with plenty of positives come Sunday evening.
On a real battle at Anfield
“Obviously, we weren't happy with our first half performance. We got told at half-time that we had to play with a lot courage. We showed too much respect and I think we did that in the second half. We pressed well, and we felt like we had them on the ropes for parts of the second half. We're a little disappointed not to nick something towards the end.
“We defended well for the majority of the game. We were obviously very disappointed with the goals that we gave away. We got into a lot of dangerous positions in the second half, around the edges of the box, and just that final bit was missing. We are disappointed that we didn't somehow manage to get one over the line towards the end.”
On taking positives from the performance
“That's what the manager just said. The second half performance there, that's the benchmark, because that's what he wants to see every week, not the kind of timid performance that we rolled out in the first half. He wants to see us press hard like that. We almost risked losing four or five in the second half, that's how hard we were going after.
“We would have pressed harder [in the first half]. There were times that they had the ball and they were they were passing and we weren't pressing. We were dropping too deep and letting them knock it around. This league is pretty ruthless, and if you show too much respect, you're going to get punished.”
On another Cunha strike
“It’s not just the goal that he got today, but the danger that he kind of gives opponents. When he's on the ball, people will drop off, which creates room for others. We obviously know how good a player he is, and we were obviously very happy to keep him in January. He’s going to be crucial to us.”
On a tighter league table
“We know that we're good enough. We know that we have the talent for the squad. We're not in a position that that we shouldn't be, but it is a slippery slope, you have to keep winning games, keep rolling out results and performances like the second half, and we feel like we'll get the job done.”
