Alberto Aquilani was included in the Reds' starting line-up for his full debut in the English top-flight, having only appeared as a substitute previously. In the first half at Anfield, the hosts had plenty of possession, but the nearest they got was a close-range effort from Fernando Torres which was beaten away by Marcus Hahnemann and a long-range drive by Gerrard. Wolves had the best chance of the half when Kevin Doyle connected with a corner but he somehow managed to direct his header wide. Seven minutes after the restart, Stephen Ward was sent off for the visitors for pulling back Lucas. Ward was eventually penalised for a second bookable offence, referee Andre Marriner at first getting the wrong man and cautioning Christophe Berra. Liverpool players persuaded the official to check with a linesman, the error was corrected and the hosts were able to take full advantage of the situation. Soon after, Gerrard powered home a 62nd-minute header from Emiliano Insua's left-wing cross to break the visitors' resistance. And Benayoun's deflected shot in the 70th minute, which flew in off Karl Henry's knee, sealed a 2-0 win for Rafael Benitez's men. The Reds move up to seventh place in the table, five points off the top four, while Wolves are 15th, two points above the relegation zone.
