By Sam Coles
Fulham 3-2 Liverpool: Match Report & Player Ratings
Liverpool fans went into the game against Fulham expecting to come away 14 points clear of title rivals Arsenal after the Gunners dropped points away at Everton but were left disappointed when they found themselves leaving Craven Cottage empty-handed.
The Reds took the lead through a beautiful Alexis Mac Allister shot 15 minutes in that gave ex-Gunner Bernd Leno no chance but found themselves at square one just nine minutes later when Ryan Sessegnon equalised after a defensive disaster at the back for Liverpool. A Timothy Castagne cross ricocheted off makeshift right-back Curtis Jones’ thigh and straight into the path of Sessegnon.
The league leaders began to fall apart, conceding two quick-fire goals to ex-toffee Alex Iwobi and in-form Rodrigo Muniz. Fulham’s second came from a poor pass from Andy Robertson, gifting the ball to Iwobi just outside the Liverpool box. The Nigerian still had a lot of work to do after his blocked shot found its way back to his feet but was assisted by deflections off both Konate and Robertson to deceive Caoimhin Kelleher.
Yet another defensive mistake from Liverpool led to Fulham’s third as Van Dijk was budged aside, allowing Muniz to effortlessly control the ball and finish neatly through Kelleher’s legs.
The Reds left it too late and put Fulham under pressure, finding an equaliser through Luis Diaz in the 72nd minute. Conor Bradley received the ball centrally and carried it towards the Fulham defenders before finding Diaz who neatly slotted the ball past Leno.
With the ever-looming news that Trent Alexander-Arnold will likely be leaving for the Spanish capital, Liverpool fans will be reassured by the injection of energy and the influence that Bradley had upon his return to the pitch after recovering from a hamstring injury.
It was a quiet day for top goalscorer Mohamed Salah who for only the second time in the Premier League season failed to register a shot on target; the first game was against Fulham at home.
With that said, here are your Reds match ratings…
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Caoimhin Kelleher – 5
The Reds’ keeper registered a couple of decent saves but by no means was it a ‘decent’ performance. Kelleher, though not to blame for Muniz’s goal, could have done much better with the effort that crept through his legs in a display that could only be described as ‘unconvincing’.
Curtis Jones – 4
Known for his creativity in the middle of the park, Jones tried to replicate those performances from right-back with Conor Bradley not quite fit enough to start. The midfielder played an inverted role, drifting into areas of the pitch that he is more used to with slightly more defensive responsibility. Due to his positioning, Fulham frequently began their attacks with Alex Iwobi on the right flank which dragged Ryan Gravenberch out of position. The scouser was also responsible for Fulham’s equaliser, failing to deal with Timothy Castagne’s cross and gifting an easy finish to Ryan Sessegnon.
Ibrahima Konaté – 4
Ibou is known for his aggression, his speed and his assurance on the ball but looked lost in the Liverpool defence against Fulham. The French centre-back failed to get a touch on Timothy Castagne’s cross which unsettled Curtis Jones and led to Fulham finding an equaliser. He failed to deal with Alex Iwobi for Fulham’s second and was just another cog in Liverpool’s poor defensive display.
Virgil van Dijk – 5
The Liverpool captain certainly didn’t put in a performance that we know he can and certainly could have done better to follow Ryan Sessegnon for Fulham’s first but most likely wasn’t expecting Curtis Jones to knock the ball back into the six-yard box. The skipper was outclassed by Rodrigo Muniz for Fulham’s third, being shoved out of the way and allowing the Brazilian to show a touch of flair, flicking the ball over Virgil’s leg and placing the ball between Kelleher’s legs.
Andy Robertson – 4
The Scotland skipper has looked a shadow of his former self this season with some Reds calling for him to be replaced with Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez. The Scotland captain completely misplaced a pass to Curtis Jones for Fulham’s second goal and in an attempt to recover, saw the ball deflect off his chest and past Caoimhin Kelleher.
Ryan Gravenberch – 5
Gravenberch started the game well, assisting Mac Allister for Liverpool’s first goal but didn’t do anything notable for the rest of the game. A below-par performance from the Dutch midfielder.
Alexis Mac Allister – 6.5
The Argentine, as mentioned, scored Liverpool’s opener with a beauty of a strike but was lacklustre for the rest of the game. His work-rate was good but his performance was nothing to write home about aside from the goal.
Dominik Szoboszlai – 5
Szoboszlai didn’t offer much to the game aside from his work-rate, he ran but his passing, presence and attacking threat were lacking, leading to him being replaced by Harvey Elliot.
Mohamed Salah – 5
The Egyptian King put in the performance of courtier, failing to register a shot on target or have much influence on the game. At times, he played some good balls, leading to decent chances but was far from the form we’ve seen from him this season.
Diogo Jota – 4
Jota failed to finish the chance provided by Salah and was part of a disconnected and uncreative attack. There’s not much more to say than that on his performance.
Cody Gakpo – 4
You couldn’t be blamed for forgetting Cody Gakpo featured against Fulham. Virtually no involvement, an extremely quiet and uncharacteristic performance from Gakpo.
Subs
Harvey Elliot – 6
The youngster injected pace and energy into the game when he replaced a lacklustre Dominik Szoboszlai and almost grabbed a goal for the Reds, cannoning his effort off the crossbar.
Darwin Nunez – 5
Not much to say about Darwin’s performance, offered something a little different up top.
Conor Bradley – 7
Bradley picked up where he left off before his injury; his direct play and powerful runs provided Luis Diaz with the chance for Liverpool’s second. Aside from his assist, the Northern Irish right-back reminded Liverpool that they have nothing to worry about should Trent Alexander-Arnold leave for Madrid.
Luis Diaz – 6.5
The Colombian scored Liverpool’s second after a fantastic run from Conor Bradley and had much more of a presence than Cody Gakpo as soon as he replaced him.
Federico Chiesa – 5
The Italian has had a torrid time in Merseyside so far with his Liverpool career consisting of injuries and reports of his potential return to Italy. Fede showed promise with a goal against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final and had the chance to equalise against Fulham but his effort was too close to Leno and lacked conviction. He looked promising, however, and I would like to see more of him in the future.
Overall Team Performance – 5
I think all Reds will agree that we were far from our best against Fulham. Defensively, a shambles. Attacking, uninventive and boring. The substitutions clearly helped but it was too little too late and ultimately we didn’t deserve anything from the game.
