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Liverpool 0 Wolves 1

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Stephen Ward may never score a more important goal after bagging the winner for a completely deserved win for super Wolves at Anfield.

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Stephen Ward may never score a more important goal after bagging the winner for a completely deserved win for super Wolves at Anfield.

Makeshift striker Ward struck his first in 130 games after boyhood Liverpool fan and man of the match Sylvan Ebanks-Blake split the Reds' defence in the 56th minute.

It was apt for the Irishman, who left Anfield under a cloud on Boxing Day last year after he was sent off in the corresponding fixture of 2009/10.

And Wolves held on without much trouble as goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey made just one save all game, from Raul Meireles in the seventh minute.

The win ended a run of seven straight away defeats for Mick McCarthy's battling side to give them a first success on the road since March 23 at West Ham.

Victory also moved them off the bottom and to within a point of safety – setting it all up nicely for their trip to the Hammers on New Year's Day.

The national headlines will no doubt be all about Roy Hodgson's future as Liverpool manager.

But that shouldn't detract from an overwhelmingly deserved win for Wolves – their first at Anfield since 1984.

And there were giant performances all round as they kept only their second clean sheet of the season.

Manager Mick McCarthy made one change from the side beaten 2-1 by Wigan on Boxing Day with the return of Matt Jarvis for David Edwards, who dropped to the bench.

After Nenad Milijas blazed high and wide from 25 yards, Liverpool went desperately close to taking a seventh minute lead.

A superb quickly-taken free kick from Fernando Torres allowed Meireles to get goal-side of a static George Elokobi, needing the swift intervention of Wayne Hennessey to parry his first effort before Richard Stearman headed away the loose ball.

Wolves kept their composure to win two corners in quick succession and from the second, Stephen Hunt lobbed inches over.

It was the visitors who then had a prolonged period of possession as Roy Hodgson's side struggled to keep the ball and were often hassled out of their stride by eager Wolves.

Indeed, Wolves continued to make a mockery of their position at the bottom of the table by frustrating a lacklustre Liverpool.

The visitors were more than holding their own and had silenced the Kop.

But they had to be thankful for a block by Christophe Berra to ensure their hard work wasn't undone, when he got to David Ngog's curling effort which appeared to be heading for the top corner of the net after the striker turned Stearman.

Nevertheless, Wolves more than held their own going into the break, so much so that the Reds were booed off at the break.

Liverpool started with renewed purpose at the start of the second half – but Wolves had a shock in store for them.

The Reds forced two chances through Ngog.

First his header was held under the bar by Hennessey after he outjumped Elokobi, then he fired wide from the edge of the six-yard box after Glen Johnson beat Elokobi to cross.

Wolves almost got a look-in when a poor kick went straight to Ebanks-Blake, but the busy striker couldn't get the ball under control quick enough to cause the Spaniard any more embarrassment.

And the visitors were by no means finished.

Ronald Zubar, who struggled so much against Wigan, suddenly turned up on the left wing and remained further forward moments later as he almost turned home Ebanks-Blake's cross, forcing goalkeeper Pepe Reina into a diving save.

The away side continued to press and a cross from Elokobi was diverted wide by Ebanks-Blake.

But the goal Wolves had been threatening duly came in the 56th minute, when Ward poked home through Reina's legs after Ebanks-Blake put him through following a poor clearing header from Sotirios Kyrgiakos.

Ward's effort stunned the Kop and there were more anxious moments for Liverpool,as some chaotic defending allowed Kevin Foley to dance through only for his goalbound shot to be deflected wide with only Reina to beat.