Arne Slot says he isn't sure yet whether or not Dutch forward Cody Gakpo will be fit to face Aston Villa on Wednesday. The Liverpool winger missed today's game against Wolves with the knock that forced him off against Everton in the Merseyside derby.

"Cody didn't have a yellow card or whatever!" Slot said during his press conference. "He got a knock in the Everton game. A few of us got a knock but he got an injury from that. Under debate [whether he will be fit for midweek]. It's fast, Wednesday already, so let's wait and see. It wasn't a soft knock then!"

In Gakpo's absence, Luis Diaz excelled back in his best position on the left wing. Diogo Jota was deployed through the center of the Liverpool attack with the Portugal forward making his first league start in almost four months.

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While Jota played well enough and would have been glad of the minutes, it was Diaz who took center stage. The Colombian scored and won a penalty, which was scored by Mohamed Salah, putting Liverpool two goals up at half-time.

Wolves were allowed to come back into things in the second half with Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch both sloppy. But Liverpool held on for a big win even after Matheus Cunha had cut the deficit in half.

"These wins are even more important than when you play Tottenham and win 4-0," Slot said during his post-match press conference. "It's so difficult to win a game of football every three days. This win is an important one going into a tough week. We hope we can show the same mentality but more quality."

The Liverpool boss also picked out Jarell Quansah and Wataru Endo for praise. "Again, today you saw how vital players like Jarell – and Wata [Wataru Endo] also – are for this team," Slot said.

"If you want to achieve something, of course you need the goals from Mo or from Lucho or from all the others. But you also need these players that if you depend on them that they bring up performances like this."

Liverpool.com says: Gakpo being out was never going to be good news for the Reds but Diaz was very good as soon as he returned to his best position, which makes perfect sense. If Slot can get back to a position where he is picking one or the other off the left and either Jota or Darwin Nunez as his number nine, that will offer much more in terms of consistency.

Earlier in the season, the minutes were being shared by the two left wingers. Diaz started well through the middle when it was a new thing but teams seem to have worked it out a little. There might be odd times when it works nicely but generally speaking, having him wide should be a priority.