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Arne Slot began the week by saying that he found most Premier League games no longer a joy to watch.

The Liverpool boss certainly won’t have changed his mind after his side’s performance in their 2-1 defeat at bottom club Wolves.

As Rob Edwards raced down the touchline in Jose Mourinho-esque fashion to celebrate Andre’s 94th-minute winner, Liverpool felt very different emotions. The sight of the away end at Molineux emptying before the final whistle summed it up.

Yet again this season, just when it seemed as if Liverpool were making progress, they suffered a brutal defeat.

Liverpool have nine league games left and right now, the possibility of missing out on next season’s Champions League is a genuine concern.

The financial impact of that cannot be underestimated. Slot will know his side simply cannot afford to miss out.

On Tuesday, Liverpool failed to create enough and were punished defensively. And again, they conceded an injury-time winner.

For Slot, the concerns are only growing, even if he attempted to defend his side by saying that Wolves have hit form.

“How do I sum this up? Same old story,” said Slot after the game.

“My expectations have changed throughout the season because I expected more from us and what we are fighting for now. But it’s another setback and we didn’t help ourselves with this result, not at all.

“That [dropping points] is a concern because it is not the first time we have dropped points against teams that are in these positions.

“But we are not the first team to drop points here, last week it was [Aston] Villa, the week before Arsenal. So they are having a good momentum.”

For a team historically known for scoring late winners, it has been a different story for Liverpool this season.

They have lost five Premier League games thanks to injury-time goals – the most ever by any team in a single campaign.

Molineux has seen as many Premier League wins in the past five days as it had in the previous 10 months. But through its history, it can’t have seen many more dramatic than this.

Make no mistake, Wolves were well worth the three points here. At 1-1, they pushed for a winner and got their reward, albeit with a slice of luck with the deflection off Joe Gomez.

“This is Liverpool Football Club – never mind this position you’re in, any time you beat them, you’ve got to enjoy the moment,” said Edwards.

“They’re an amazing football club with an amazing manager and loads of great players. So it was a big, big night for us.”

The Wolves head coach joked afterwards that he had injured himself when sprinting down the touchline after his team’s late winner.

“What we’re trying to do is improve,” he added. “We’re trying to build some momentum. We know the position we’re in. I know I’ve lost myself in that moment there. People might think we’re bottom of the league but you saw the energy around this place. You have to enjoy it. We’re trying to turn things around.

“There is a belief that we are going in the right direction. Whatever happens until the end of that 38th game, we’ll just keep fighting.”

With victories against Aston Villa and Liverpool in their past two Premier League games, Wolves are the first bottom-placed side to beat two teams in the top five in a single season since West Brom in 2017-18, and the first to ever do so in consecutive matches.

While Liverpool are fighting for Champions League football, Wolves are fighting against the impossible and sit 11 points from safety with eight games remaining.

This result, in all likelihood, will ultimately have no impact on their future in the Premier League, but Rodrigo Gomes, the scorer of their first goal on Tuesday, is keeping the faith.

“We know we are in a tough position,” he told BBC Sport. “It’s very difficult but we need to keep believing. If it is possible, we need to keep believing.

“Now we need to work, game by game and not think ‘if we win this game or this game, we avoid relegation’. Game by game, working like this every week then maybe – we will see.”

As one Wolves fan told BBC Sport on his way out of Molineux: “It’s crazy how we are where we are in the table.”

For a side and fanbase who have endured plenty this season, this was a night they will not forget in a hurry.

Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt hopes her England team can create their own “Euros moment” at the home T20 World Cup this summer.

England have won all four World Cups they have hosted – one T20 version and three in the 50-over format – including in 2017.

Since then, women’s sport in this country has ignited, thanks partly to the Red Roses winning the Rugby World Cup last year on home soil and the Lionesses similarly taking the European Championship at home in 2022 before retaining this summer in Switzerland.

Speaking at Edgbaston to mark 100 days until the opening day of the World Cup, Sciver-Brunt told BBC Sport: “To experience the things they experienced, winning their tournaments is just amazing.

“As a women’s sport fan, putting myself in their shoes at that time was really special. To have the chance to do that this summer, it’s almost unthinkable where you can go with it.

“Women’s cricket can go wherever it wants to after this tournament. I’m hoping we get a Euros moment, almost.”

The World Cup, expanded to 12 teams for the first time, begins on 12 June with he 33 matches taking place across seven venues, culminating in the final at Lord’s on 5 July.

From the two semi-finals at The Oval, India know they will play in the tie taking place on 30 June if they qualify for the last four. The first semi-final has been scheduled to begin at 14:30 BST to suit the Indian TV audience.

This follows a recent pattern in global tournaments, particularly for men, when India’s route through a competition has been predetermined. The arrangements raise questions over sporting integrity.

T20 World Cup tournament director Beth Barrett-Wild, said it was “always” a challenge to balance fairness with commercial opportunities.

“We’re comfortable with that balance,” said Barrett-Wild.

“Both of those semi-finals are at the same venue, so the same conditions for all teams. From a global game perspective, if India do reach the semi-finals, it gives us that reach for India to tune in and watch that fixture.”

Barrett-Wild said the tournament will take a “watching brief” on any disruption that could be caused by the US-Israel war with Iran.

That conflict has already caused an England training camp in Abu Dhabi, due to begin this week, to be cancelled.

England have not played since losing in the semi-finals of the 50-over World Cup in October and the Abu Dhabi trip was due to be the third of three winter camps designed to inform selection for the summer.

“It’s obviously a bit of a scary time in the world,” said Sciver-Brunt. “As cricketers, we’re quite flexible and adaptable. We are looking at alternate venues so we can get outside, and take part in some of that programme we were going to be doing.”

England’s light winter schedule has contributed to Lauren Filer’s lack of competitive action – the pace bowler has not played since summer.

The 25-year-old said she has used the downtime to remodel her run-up in a bid avoid injuries and potentially add extra pace to her bowling.

Already one of the most fearsome bowlers in the women’s game, Filer rates herself and Australian Tayla Vlaeminck as the two fastest in the world.

A speed of 80mph is seen as a benchmark for extreme pace in the women’s game. Filer has only just begun to bowl off her full run, so is yet to learn if the new approach will have her at that speed on a regular basis.

Barcelona to step up efforts for Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven, Bruno Fernandes future at Manchester United depends on Champions League qualification and Aston Villa keen on Fulham‘s Harry Wilson.

Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven, 24, is wanted by Barcelona, who are set to intensify their efforts to sign the Netherlands international in the summer. (Sport – in Spanish)

Manchester United are prepared to offer Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes an improved deal worth up to £400,000 a week – but the 31-year-old will base a decision on his Old Trafford future on whether the club qualify for the Champions League. (Mirror)

England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo’s long-term future at Manchester United is still up in the air as talks over a new contract for the 20-year-old drag on. (Mail – subscription required)

Arsenal have been told by Inter Milan that 20-year-old Italian forward Pio Esposito is not for sale at any price. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian)

Juventus are set to revive their interest in Paris St-Germain’s French forward Randal Kolo Muani, 27, who is currently on loan at Tottenham. (Calciomercato – in Italian)

Aston Villa are one of the clubs interested in 28-year-old Wales attacking midfielder Harry Wilson, whose contract at Fulham runs out in the summer. (Fabrizio Romano)

Brentford are set to offload up to five players in the summer, including 23-year-old Portugal midfielder Fabio Carvalho. (The I – subscription required)

Manchester United have no intention of selling English midfielder Mason Mount, 27, in the summer despite interest from Aston Villa and Fulham. (Football Insider)

Juventus appear to have made progress in extending the contract of 26-year-old Serbia striker Dusan Vlahovic, whose deal runs out in the summer. (Tuttosport – in Italian)