14 December 2024
Liverpool 2 Fulham 2
Liverpool welcomed Fulham to Anfield with everything smelling of roses. They were top of the league, Arne Slot was the November manager of the month and Mohamed Salah was the player of the month also. The visitors’ record at this ground was dreadful. Fantasy league managers all over the country were loading their sides with players from The Reds.
With their game postponed last weekend, Slot’s side had seen their lead at the top of the table slashed. They knew they needed to make a statement to let their rivals know they are not likely to give many chances to them. Marco Silva’s side had to weather an early storm. It was a cauldron of noise and the hosts were playing with a high tempo.
On probably their first meaningful attack of the game, Iwobi fed it to Robinson out wide. His cross into the back post was met on the volley by Periera. His effort deflected off Robertson and beat Alisson on the line. The Cottagers had silenced Anfield in only the eleventh minute of the game. This was not in the script whatsoever.
Things then went from bad to worse for Liverpool. Robertson seemed to have a ball over the top covered. However, his poor control let Wilson steal it off him. He clipped the former Liverpool player and the referee allowed play to continue. Jimenez chipped it over the keeper but van Dijk was there to clear it off the line.
At that moment, the referee brought it back for the foul. Everyone had to wait an age then for VAR to check the incident. They take so long sometimes you wonder whether they have been tasked with creating the moving picture before they can do this. Either way, they stuck with the onfield decision and the Liverpool defender was given his marching orders. Deciding there was not an offside in the build-up.
The visitors really had control of the game at this stage. They looked dangerous on the attack and there were big gaps in this Liverpool defence. You wondered how they could even come back in this one. Slot shuffled his pack but this game was now just end to end stuff. It was anyone’s guess what the final score would be.
Despite creating more chances, Fulham went in with just a single goal to show for their endeavours. The Reds had still continued to create chances, Diaz spurning the best of them. Playing through the middle as a striker, he had a header four yards out but somehow put it over the bar. Leno seemingly breathed a sigh of relief as it headed into the stands.
Many people said that this team, despite being top of the league, had not been tested at all. Well, let’s pander to that insane statement, this was going to be a stern test of their title credentials. If the visitors could keep them out at one end, they looked like scoring every time they came forward at the other. The game was in the palm of their hands.
After the interval, Salah put a sublime inswinging ball into the box. Gakpo met it with a diving header at the back post and drew his side level. Anfield erupted, suddenly the crowd were their eleventh man. Now it was The Cottagers who looked worried. As the Dutch forward grabbed the ball out of the net, you knew they were not going to settle for a draw.
The hosts started to pile on the pressure now. After all, they were not a man light in attack. Moments later, Szoboszlai burst through the middle after nutmegging a player. He laid it out wide to the goalscorer, who cut onto his favoured right foot to take aim again. This time Leno got down well to save his effort at the near post.
After they weathered the storm, the visitors started venturing forward once again. They forced a corner but when the move broke down, Liverpool countered with pace. It ended up with a shot from Salah in the box but he dragged it wide of the target. The home faithful were sure that another goal was imminent in this match.
They weren’t wrong either. Robinson got down the left wing and drilled a cross low into the box. Muniz met it at the near post as he seemed to try and flick it goalwards. It ended up in the far corner of the goal and the away end at Anfield awoke from their slumber. With just under fifteen minutes remaining, Fulham were on course for only their second league win here.
When you see the replay, the last touch seemed to come off Gomez, everyone looked rattled in red after they had worked so hard to get back into this game but it had been taken away from them. Slot had his last roll of the dice as he made more changes. He threw all his attacking players on, trying to get something from this game.
Elliott came close soon after coming on. He checked onto his left foot in the box and looked to bend one in the far corner. It had the keeper at full-stretch but missed the target by the narrowest of margins. Even the player was turning away to celebrate. It summed up how the day was going for The Reds’ fans, that is for sure.
With just four minutes remaining, Nunez played it into Jota and he sold the defender the wrong way. He seemed to wrongfoot Leno in the Fulham goal also. As calm as you like, the Portuguese forward passed it into the back of the net. Suddenly, the impossible seemed viable again. With added time, either side could still find a winner.
Van Dijk and Diaz had efforts blocked. An off-balance Jota ended up putting his shot narrowly over the crossbar. Traore almost broke hearts at the other end but Alisson made a good save to deny him. The points were shared, but somehow it seemed like a point gained for Arne Slot’s side. It was a brilliant performance from Marco Silva’s team on the road.
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