The only consolation for Liverpool in the ruins of another Anfield defeat is that their next official home game is in Hungary. On Merseyside the Premier League champions have collapsed into uncharted territory, and new depths, with a sixth successive home loss cutting Jürgen Klopp’s team further adrift from the Champions League pack and galvanising Fulham’s prospects of survival.
A solitary roar on the final whistle from Scott Parker underlined the importance of victory to the visitors. Fulham moved level on points with Brighton courtesy of a confident first-half display, a fine first goal for the club from Mario Lemina and a resilient defensive performance in a second half that Liverpool dominated.
Their determination to hold on to three points was typified by Joachim Andersen launching himself into a vital clearance with Sadio Mané poised to convert Andy Robertson’s cut-back in stoppage time. Mané did strike a post after his second-half introduction, and this was not the familiar recent story of Liverpool lacking creativity or intensity on home soil. But the champions’ confidence has disintegrated at Anfield and no amount of injuries can excuse the longest sequence of home defeats in the club’s history.
This is relegation form, and it said everything about Liverpool’s predicament that the side third from bottom of the table arrived at Anfield believing in victory. As the Fulham midfielder Harrison Reed said: “The manager breathed belief into us. He talked about coming here and winning. Not getting a point. Coming here and winning.”
This season’s Champions League has assumed greater significance for Liverpool as a result of their Premier League collapse and Klopp confirmed as much by ringing the changes before Wednesday’s “home” game against RB Leipzig in Budapest. Seven changes to the team that started Thursday’s loss to Chelsea was the most Klopp has made in the Premier League since his first season at the club.
While Liverpool still boasted pedigree and experience up front in Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota, the opposite was true of their defence where Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams formed the 20th different central defensive partnership Klopp has employed this season. The pair, boasting 10 Premier League appearances between them before kick off, were accompanied by Neco Williams at right back. Liverpool’s vulnerability against counterattacks, long balls and pace has been glaring irrespective of who has played in defence this term, however.
Opponents no longer make a secret of how they intend to exploit the champions’ weaknesses and Fulham were no exception.
The visitors were neat in possession as always but sought to release Ademola Lookman at the earliest opportunity. First-time diagonal balls invited Lookman to attack Neco Williams regularly in the first half and, with more conviction in front of goal, Fulham would have led long before Lemina’s smart finish.
Josh Maja missed his side’s first chance when he ghosted in between Phillips and Neco Williams to meet Ivan Cavaleiro’s cross only to miscue a volley wide. Lookman, released into space by Andersen’s pass out of defence, cut inside Liverpool’s right-back but dragged his shot wide of the near post. The on-loan winger had a similar effort deflected over by Neco Williams when released by Reed. Alisson saved bravely at the toes of Maja when Kenny Tete’s cross found the striker inside the six-yard area. Cavaleiro blazed over when played through on the left. Fulham cut through Liverpool’s makeshift rearguard too easily, although it was Salah at fault when the breakthrough eventually came.
Liverpool seemed to have dealt with Cavaleiro’s free-kick when Robertson headed clear to Salah on the edge of the area. Lemina was on the Egypt international in a flash, however, and dispossessed the striker before sweeping a precise, powerful shot into the far corner of Alisson’s goal.
Klopp’s team threatened sporadically in the first half. A combination of the goalkeeper Alphonse Areola and left-back Ola Aina prevented Salah capitalising on Xherdan Shaqiri’s sharp pass while Jota was unable to connect cleanly when Areola failed to cut out a cross. Fulham were otherwise comfortable. That luxury ended as soon as the second half commenced.
Liverpool dominated after the restart, controlling possession and denying Fulham further opportunity to stretch their defence, and kept the visitors on the back foot for the remainder of the contest. For once, it was not a lack of ingenuity or intensity that cost the champions in the final third at Anfield. Areola produced a superb one-handed save to keep out an immaculate volley from Jota when the Portugal international connected with Neco Williams’ cross. The keeper also flicked away the loose ball before Salah could convert. Mané, on as a second-half replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum, sent a looping header against a post from Naby Keïta’s centre. Shaqiri curled just over from 20 yards out while white shirts threw themselves in the way of a procession of shots and crosses. Fulham’s Premier League survival may ultimately depend on it.
