Diogo Jota was always going to be the man of the moment at Molineux on Monday evening. But isn’t it great when the players in the spotlight actually deliver?

For long spells in the first half it seemed like Liverpool’s trip to the West Midlands was going to be another damaging one. The early part of their performance was dotted with moments of shakey defending, while the profligacy that had seen them convert just 3% of their last 70 shots was apparent once again as Sadio Mane spurned two good chances before the break.

But this time they actually found a breakthrough, and it came in style. Rui Patricio had plenty to answer for with his role, but the build-up was Liverpool at their best, sweeping across from the right with each of the front three involved.

Naturally, it was Jota who got the killer touch, taking advantage of the space vacated by Mane’s inverted run to score for the first time since getting injured in December.

Who did he pick that injury up against? Wolves. The narrative thickens.

Roberto Firmino’s injury, which has sidelined the out-of-form Brazilian for three games now, has been a blow to Liverpool. But his absence has dovetailed perfectly with Jota’s return to prominence.

Just as he did after his arrival in the summer, the Portuguese has slotted seamlessly into the forward line, injecting it with an energy and dexterity that it otherwise lacks.

On Monday he was notably flexible with his position, leading the line for the most part but switching places with Mohamed Salah and Mane on the regular. That left the Wolves back three snatching at thin air, with Roman Saiss in particular unsure who to mark for the best.

We should be under no illusions that it was not a vintage performance from anyone in a red shirt. The goal was one of a handful of moments of real quality in a pretty poor game, but it was nonetheless a relief for Jurgen Klopp to see his team grind out a result at one of the more menacing venues in the Premier League.

With the international break on the horizon, it was a satisfying way for Liverpool to put a full stop on three months of abject misery.

The fact that it came through the returning Jota, in such a poetic manner at his old haunt, makes it just a little bit sweeter.

Jose Mourinho has accused some of his Tottenham players of ‘hiding’ during their 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in the north London derby on Sunday.

Strikes from Martin Odegaard and Alexandre Lacazette ensured the Gunners took all three points from the clash at the Emirates Stadium after Erik Lamela’s unbelievable rabona had opened the scoring.

Despite taking the lead against their fierce rivals, Mourinho blasted his side’s first-half display, claiming they didn’t deserve to head into the break on level terms and accused some of his senior players of failing to rise to the occasion.

“I think we played really bad in the first half,” Mourinho told Sky Sports (via the Evening Standard). “The 1-1 was not a fair reflection of the first half. We were poor.

“Defending bad, no intensity, no pressing, even in terms of creating attacking football, some important players hiding. First half, really bad.”

When asked to expand on his comment, Mourinho replied: “I am not even going in the direction of individuals because the team is a team, I belong to the team. I am guilty of that first half as [much as] the players. The good thing in that we really improved in the second half. Even before the changes.”

Arsenal’s winning goal on the afternoon came via the penalty spot after Davinson Sanchez was penalised for a challenge on Lacazette and the Frenchman dusted himself to convert the resulting spot kick.

Mourinho was clearly unhappy with the awarding of the penalty which ultimately cost Spurs a point, though he was pleased with the reaction of his team following their poor first-half showing.

“In the second half we had space to improve, which we did,” he added. “And then it is a question, but an impossible question because they do not speak, for Michael [Oliver, the referee] to answer.

“Probably Paul Tierney too, because he was the VAR. According to Kevin Friend [the fourth official], the referee said he had a clear vision and the VAR did not want to go against him.

“In the second half, we recovered control of the game, made changes to try to win, and then the penalty. And then a second yellow card for Lamela. But in the last 20-25 minutes, the team tried to get a different result.”