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Liverpool missed a chance to reach the top of the Premier League despite recovering from a woeful first half against Fulham to salvage a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage.
A draw for Premier League leaders Tottenham at Crystal Palace early Sunday had opened the door for Liverpool, but Scott Parker’s team surprised them, who were yelled at by their 2,000 returning fans and deservedly led through the explosion of Bobby Decordova-Reid in 25 minutes. .
In form again Alisson kept Liverpool in the same during a miserable first half for the visitors and Jurgen Klopp’s side struggled after the break, with Mohamed Salah forcing a penalty in the 79th minute.
Despite having nearly 79 percent possession in that second half, Liverpool couldn’t find a second and have now been without a win away from home in five Premier League games.
They will have another chance to top the table when they face Tottenham at Anfield in a delicious clash on Wednesday. Fulham, for their part, can draw positive aspects from their performance and, although they remain in 17th place, they are two points above the relegation zone, before Burnley’s game on Sunday night against Arsenal at the Emirates .
How Fulham kept the defending champs …
Fulham supporters returned to Craven Cottage for the first time since February, when they beat Preston in the Championship, and saw their team make a fast start, with Mario Lemina firing a left-handed shot wide before Ivan Cavaleiro made two saves. good. by Fit-Again Alisson.
The spirited Cavaleiro then forced Fabinho into a risky tackle into his own box, leading to a three-minute VAR check for a penalty before referee Andre Marriner finally fulfilled his original decision that there was no foul, after checking the court monitor.
The decision seemed difficult for the hosts, as Fabinho appeared to go through Cavaleiro’s boot to make contact with the ball, but did not stop Fulham’s momentum.
Ademola Lookman fired another shot on goal, which Alisson parried off the post, and in the resulting corner Decordova-Reid picked up the ball on the edge of the area and fired into the back of the net.
Antonee Robinson shoved Salah from behind in preparation, but the VAR deemed there was no fault, a decision Klopp later contested.
The goal ended Fabinho’s 970-minute streak without conceding a goal on open play at Liverpool center-back, but that kind of stat was far from Jurgen Klopp’s mind as he yelled at his players from the touchline, hitting the chest and clearly furious at his team’s slow start.
However, Klopp’s outburst did not have the desired effect and Fulham should have had the ball in the net again in the 30th minute when Tosin Adarabioyo missed a close-range shot to Alisson from a free kick and the goalkeeper pushed the ball. towards Andre-Frank Anguissa’s head before seeing it spin over the bar, but an offside flag saved their blush.
It took Liverpool, in the absence of the injured Diogo Jota, until four minutes before halftime to carve out their first real chance and Sadio Mane headed wildly from a Curtis Jones cross. Salah then turned and fired wide from inside the box just before the end of a dismal first half for Liverpool.
Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson (left) and Fulham’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek fight for the ball
A back problem led to Joel Matip being replaced by Takumi Minamino at halftime, with Jordan Henderson falling to central defender, and Liverpool’s defense was immediately exposed when the game began, with Andy Robertson delaying his punt in his own box. six yards. and allowing Cavaleiro to shoot Alisson point-blank.
However, that would be a rare opening for Fulham in the second half, with Liverpool trailing them from then on. Salah shot Alphonse Areola straight from distance, Jones tried his luck shortly after, and Henderson was parried by a brilliant save from the goalkeeper in the 62nd minute.
Adarabioyo headed from a corner during a rare Fulham attack. It was a better chance than Liverpool were getting at the other end, but then in the 78th minute, Fulham substitute Aboubakar Kamara gave them a way back into the game when he turned his back and raised his arms in the defensive wall and Gini Wijnaldum broke free. -Kick hit him in the right arm.
Mohamed Salah celebrates with Jordan Henderson after scoring the tie
Salah drove the penalty past Areola, who may have felt he could have kept it out after laying a hand on him, and grabbed the ball before running back to the midline in search of a winner.
Jones almost found one with superb flair as he charged down midfield before seeing his low shot saved by Areola.
But there was no second breakthrough for Klopp’s team, with Fulham clinging to a deserved point.
What the managers said …
Scott Parker, Fulham boss: “I guess they’re a bit disappointed, but like I told the guys, it shows how far we’ve come. The last three games, Leicester away, we got a result, Man City, it’s okay, and today against a team – we all know their quality, I thought in the first half we were excellent. Everything we worked on, for a man, the players executed. We were the best, the best.
“You probably need another one to get in for real. The second half will always change a bit with the quality of the player you face. There is no denying that we had to swallow a bit in the second half. But we seemed solid.”
Asked about Fabinho’s entry to Cavaleiro and referee Marriner’s subsequent decision not to sanction a penalty after a VAR control: “I’m amazed that we have the VAR to help the referees. If we didn’t have the VAR, I wouldn’t say a word about this . We have the VAR to help us, he went to the screen and still decided not to give a penalty. For me, this is not something we should discuss, it is not subjective, it is just a clear penalty. It is what it is, and I don’t want detract from the performance the boys did tonight. “
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: “The first 30 minutes weren’t good. We could have lost the game in that period. We didn’t because the next 60 were really good. These things can happen. They shouldn’t, but they can.
“When you look at the results, all the teams that played the Champions League or Europa League during the week had a bad time this weekend. It’s crazy. So right now, after all the games, maybe that was the end of week where we all feel it a little bit. But then you have to fight that and that’s what the guys did. “
Opt for statistics
- Since Jurgen Klopp’s first game in charge in October 2015, Liverpool have recovered more points from lost positions (85) than any other Premier League team.
- Liverpool are winless in five league games away from home (D4 L1), drawing their last four in a row; It is his longest winless escape from home in the Premier League with Jürgen Klopp (also five in March 2017).
- Having won just four points from their first nine league matches this season (W1 E1 G7), Fulham has won four of their last three such matches against Leicester, Man City and Liverpool (W1 D1 G1).
- Fulham is the first newly promoted club to avoid defeat in a Premier League match against Liverpool since Newcastle United in October 2017 (also tied 1-1), ending the Reds’ 18-win streak against those. teams in the league.
- Liverpool have already scored each of their last 18 Premier League penalties, with Mohamed Salah converting 12 of them.
- Fulham’s Bobby Decordova-Reid has scored in three consecutive home league games for the first time in his professional career. Seven of his nine Premier League goals have been scored in home games.
- Mo Salah scored his fifth away goal of the season in the Premier League for Liverpool, more than he achieved in the entirety of the 2019-20 season (4).
- Mo Salah has been directly involved in 20 goals in 20 Premier League appearances against newly promoted clubs for Liverpool, scoring 12 and assisting eight others.
Whats Next?
Fulham faces Brighton at 8pm on Wednesday, while Liverpool host Tottenham on Wednesday at 8pm
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