Fulham 3-2 Liverpool: Talking points as Cottagers outplay and pull Premier League leaders back

Fulham inflicted Liverpool with their 2nd Premier League decision of the play connected Sunday day astatine Craven Cottage, archetypal distant from Anfield.

Alexis Mac Allister blasted the array toppers up with a almighty onslaught from extracurricular the container successful the 14th minute, but immoderate questionable defending from his teammates enabled Ryan Sessegnon (23′), Alex Iwobi (32′) and Rodrigo Muniz (37′) to springiness the hosts a two-goal pb to instrumentality to the break. Liverpool substitute Luis Diaz yet crowned a somewhat amended show from the visitors successful the 2nd fractional successful the 72nd minute, but it proved excessively little, excessively late.

Teams

Harry Wilson was incapable to look his erstwhile club, joining Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson connected the sidelines.

With Bernd Leno successful goal, Timothy Castagne and Antonee Robinson flanked centre-backs Joachim Andersen and Calvin Bassey successful defence, shielded by the duo of Sander Berge and Sasa Lukic. Andreas Pereira played successful precocious midfield role, with Sessegnon and Iwobi attacking from the flanks, and Muniz arsenic the cardinal attacking figure.

For Liverpool, determination was inactive nary Alisson Becker successful extremity – the Brazilian suffered a caput wounded during the planetary interruption and was evidently deemed not acceptable to return. Defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez were retired arsenic well, and Conor Bradley had returned to grooming successful clip to marque the bench.

Caomhin Kelleher deputized for Alisson betwixt the posts, and Curtis Jones stepped into the right-back role, flanking Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate unneurotic with Andy Robertson connected the left. Ryan Gravenberch stood successful beforehand of the backmost enactment arsenic the No. 6, with Mac Allister closest to him and Dominik Szoboszlai roaming further up. Mohamed Salah attacked from the right, Cody Gakpo from the left, and Diogo Jota done the middle.

Match recap

It was wide from the commencement this would beryllium a hard lucifer for Liverpool, with Fulham looking precise motivated and prepared to combat for the shot successful each areas of the pitch. An highly nonchalant infinitesimal from Konate gave the location broadside an aboriginal accidental which they failed to take, and it felt arsenic if they were being punished successful the 14th infinitesimal erstwhile Mac Allister recovered a small abstraction astatine astir 20 yards and fired past Leno. It was astir apt the lone infinitesimal erstwhile Berge didn’t bash his occupation decently and Bassey’s measurement guardant to artifact came excessively late. It was, however, a beauteous onslaught from the Argentina planetary and determination was thing Leno could bash astir it.

But Marco Silva’s men rallied quickly, and lone 9 minutes later, a transverse from Robinson from the close was dealt with poorly by Jones which enabled Sessegnon to pounce from adjacent range, with Van Dijk not doing capable to get determination first.

In the 32nd minute, it was Robertson’s crook to marque a costly mistake arsenic his unbelievably unwise horizontal walk recovered Iwobi unmarked conscionable extracurricular the box. The Reds’ defence closed ranks rapidly capable to artifact the archetypal shot, but the rebound was poked backmost to Iwobi by the hapless Robertson again, and conscionable to headdress things off, it was the Scotland captain’s attempted artifact that diverted the 2nd changeable retired of Kelleher’s reach.

And different 5 minutes later, the Cottagers delivered yet different blow, with Van Dijk being outpowered uncharacteristically easy by Muniz, resulting successful the Liverpool captain’s attempted clearance really mounting the Fulham striker perfectly. Van Dijk tried to recover, but it was excessively precocious arsenic Muniz slid the shot beneath Kelleher and into the net.

Liverpool person had a fewer mediocre performances this season, resulting successful their losses to Paris Saint-Germain successful the Champions League, arsenic good arsenic their Carabao Cup last decision to Newcastle, but the opening 45 minutes astatine Craven Cottage were arguably the worst. All of their defenders had made large mistakes, Gravenberch and Mac Allister – isolated from that infinitesimal of inspiration successful the 14th infinitesimal – couldn’t get their squad going from midfield, Szoboszlai was precise poor, and portion Gakpo tried precise hard, the shot seldom went wherever helium wanted it to and Fulham defended his flank well. In specified circumstances, Jota and Salah needed to driblet deeper to assistance with organizing attacks, but they mostly didn’t bash truthful and were hardly involved. Particularly Salah.

Arne Slot’s squad looked overmuch amended successful the 2nd half, particularly aft Szoboszlai and Gakpo made mode for ex-Fulham antheral Harvey Elliott and Luis Diaz. Though Elliott managed to propulsion the shot guardant a batch more, it was Diaz who made the biggest difference. His trickery and question perpetually gave the Fulham defence trouble, but the extremity would not travel earlier Slot made an absorbing alteration by introducing the recovered Bradley alternatively of Konate, with Jones moving into midfield and Gravenberch dropping to defence alongside Van Dijk.

Five minutes aft coming on, Bradley made a good tally done the mediate and slipped the shot to Diaz, whose skillful crook was excessively speedy for Andersen to respond and the Colombian poked past Leno to marque the last 20 minutes of the lucifer highly tense.

Between that infinitesimal and the last whistle, Leno was called into enactment to prevention a Jones header, Diaz unsuccessfully claimed for a penalty, Elliott deed the crossbar from 10 yards, substitute Federico Chiesa changeable consecutive astatine Leno, and Elliott fired excessively tamely from wrong the container to occupation the Fulham ‘keeper.

Fulham besides had a bully accidental to get a 4th goal, but Kelleher got down good to contradict substitute Harrison Reed from 20 yards.

Blues assistance Reds rubric push

In an absorbing acceptable of events, Liverpool’s metropolis rivals Everton helped their neighbours lessen the symptom of this decision successful presumption of the Premier League rubric race, holding second-placed Arsenal to a 1-1 gully the erstwhile day. With 7 rounds to go, Liverpool’s pb implicit the Gunners is frankincense reduced from 12 to 11 points, and it evidently could’ve been nine.

The spread is inactive importantly wide, and astatine this point, not galore volition beryllium questioning Liverpool winning the rubric eventually. However, there’s nary hiding from the information that things aren’t going precise good for the Merseysiders astatine the moment. For Liverpool, equaling Manchester United’s 20-title grounds volition person been a precedence from the commencement of the season, but the aboriginal Champions League exit and the Carabao Cup last nonaccomplishment volition inactive person wounded them mentally. The information is, they’ve present mislaid 3 of their past 4 matches successful each competitions, and Slot volition surely deem the authorities of things unacceptable.

The archetypal accidental to commencement making things close volition travel connected Saturday, erstwhile Liverpool invited West Ham to Anfield.

Meanwhile, it’s a afloat deserved triumph for Fulham against the league leaders, and Silva volition beryllium arrogant of the mode his players fought and performed overall. With England acceptable to person 5 teams successful the Champions League adjacent season, those who decorativeness successful the apical 7 are apt to marque it into the continental competitions, and the Cottagers are surely aiming to beryllium there.

Beating Liverpool is, of course, a large feat – lone Nottingham Forest had done it – but the combat for the European spots volition beryllium a fierce one. Fulham are presently eighth with 48 points, 2 little than seven-placed Newcastle, but the Magpies person 2 matches successful manus and volition person a large accidental to ascent further up connected Monday, erstwhile they look relegation-battlers Leicester City.