Mohamed Salah continued his hot scoring streak as a nervy Liverpool dispatched Wolves to move seven points clear at the top of the Premier League.

The Egypt forward converted from the penalty spot to make it five goals in four league games with boss Arne Slot watching on from the bench.

Reds boss Slot was given a red card in the aftermath of Liverpool's Merseyside derby draw with Everton but the Dutchman has until Wednesday to respond to a Football Association charge.

Putting Everton's 98th-minute mid-week equaliser behind them, the Reds started well at Anfield and opened the scoring after 15 minutes thanks to the determination of Luis Diaz.

The Colombia forward ended a run of 10 games without a goal as he bundled the ball over the line after Salah's pass was deflected in the box by Wolves defender Toti Gomes.

Twenty two minutes later, referee Simon Hooper pointed to the spot as Diaz was felled in the box by Wolves keeper Jose Sa and Salah slotted down the middle for his 23rd league goal of the campaign.

The game looked set to be a routine Liverpool win at the break but Wolves striker Matheus Cunha made it anything but as he beautifully curled home his 12th league goal of the season in the 67th minute - meaning Slot's side are without a home clean sheet since 1 December.

On the hour mark, Liverpool were initially awarded another spot-kick after Emmanuel Agbadou was adjudged to have fouled Diogo Jota, but the decision was overturned after a video assistant referee review showed there was no contact on the Portugal forward.

Vitor Pereira's side missed huge chances in the second half with debutant Marshall Munetsi drawing an excellent one-on-one save out of Alisson before Joao Gomes worked space brilliantly but fired his attempt over the top.

There was a nervousness around Anfield as Wolves pushed for an equaliser late on but Liverpool held on to reinstate their seven-point lead at the summit.

After the unsavoury events of Wednesday's Merseyside derby, there were thoughts that Everton's 98th-minute equaliser might have rattled Liverpool in their hunt for a 20th league title.

However, that did not prove to be the case initially with the hosts looking as determined as ever as they powered into a 1-0 lead within the opening 15 minutes through Diaz's determination.

With Salah doubling the lead from the penalty spot before half-time, the Reds could start to look towards a daunting week coming up.

Liverpool held on at times during the second half after a brilliant Wolves display but three points is all that matters to Slot's men at this stage of the season.

A Premier League trip to Villa Park awaits Liverpool on Wednesday night, with the fixture brought forward as a result of the Reds reaching the Carabao Cup final.

Four days after taking on Unai Emery's Champions League-chasing Villa, Liverpool must take on old foes Manchester City at Etihad Stadium in the league.

Despite the up-and-down form of defending champions City this season, they are still more than capable of putting in a performance worthy of beating any side in Europe.

If the Reds were to come through this next week with maximum points, then it would be huge boost to their title credentials.

Despite leaving Anfield with no points to aid them in their relegation scrap, Wolves boss Pereira can be pleased with the performance his side put in against the league leaders.

Wolves were unfortunate that a deflection fell kindly for Diaz - leading to the opening goal - before the Colombian was fouled for a penalty.

Pereira's side battled hard in the second half and had the better of it for large periods after forcing Alisson into a great save to keep out Muneti before Gomes fired over in space.

Cunha, fresh off signing a new deal at Molineux, dummied to go on his right foot before using his left to whip a curling effort in at Alisson's far post to stun the Anfield crowd.

Wolves may feel disappointed to not be leaving Merseyside with a point but they pushed Slot's side harder than many sides have this campaign.

Although they sit just two points above Ipswich Town in 18th place, Wolves can take plenty of positives heading into their next league match at Bournemouth.