After a shocking loss to Crystal Palace in the Premier League and then getting knocked out by a superb Atalanta (3-1 on aggregate) in the Europa League, meant that the pressure was on. Not for Fulham but for Liverpool especially with the Reds chasing after a trophy in their final months with Jurgen Klopp as their manager. But against a tough Fulham side, many expected the game to be level pegging.
That was exactly the way the first half went with a sensational free-kick from Trent Alexander-Arnold giving the Reds the lead before Timothy Castagne scored a well deserved equaliser. The second half was more of the same but Fulham struggled to take their chances while Liverpool scored two well-taken goals to ensure that they take home all three points.
Even then, it wasn’t a solid showing from the Reds but they did send Manchester City into third place although Pep Guardiola’s side do have a game in hand over the two teams above them.
Fulham Player Ratings
Bernd Leno: 5
Did his best to stop the Liverpool charge but couldn’t do too much about the first or third goal and could have done better for Jota’s one-v-one.
Timothy Castagne: 7
Spent most of the game on the back-foot but took his chance superbly and whenever offered, charged forward in an attempt to create a chance or two.
Tosin Adarabioyo: 6
The better of the two Fulham center-backs, Tosin did his best against a troublesome Jota and Gakpo but simply couldn’t deal with the constant pressure in the end.
Calvin Bassey: 4
Not his best performance in a Fulham shirt and struggled to keep up with Diogo Jota in the end.
Antonee Robinson: 5
Not quite at his best tonight, Robinson did marshal Luis Diaz well but didn’t offer too much going forward.
Joao Palhinha: 6
Walked into the game was one of the defensive midfielders in the world and showed just why in the first half before fading fast in the second. Looked off the pace as Liverpool ran more than a few circles around him before Marco Silva replaced him.
Sasa Lukic: 5
Not a game to remember for Lukic as he was shackled by Wataru Endo and co but more concerning is the fact that he struggled to offer too much in midfield tonight.
Alex Iwobi: 6
Was a buzzing force around the field for most of the game but was shackled well whenever he entered the final third by the Liverpool defense and was at fault for the second goal. Eventually replaced by Adama Traore.
Andreas Pereria: 6
Walked into the game in good form but struggled to do too much against a Liverpool side that seem to have recovered well after a horrible week.
Bobby De-Cordova Reid: 5
A constant runner as per usual, De-Cordova Reid didn’t threaten the Liverpool back-line too much and was eventually replaced by Harry Wilson.
Rodrigo Muniz: 5
Arguably one of the in-form players in the Premier League in 2024, Muniz didn’t quite have the best time against Liverpool. The forward was often alone and marshalled well enough by Van Dijk and Quansah, who gave him little chance to offer a threat.
Substitutes:
Harry Wilson: 5
Was brought on to replace De-Cordova Reid but didn’t really impact the game.
Tom Cairney: 5
As consistent as he has always been but Cairney couldn’t quite rally his side to a comeback.
Adama Traore: NA
Liverpool Player Ratings
Alisson: 6
Made a few good saves to keep his side in the contest and was a dominating presence inside his own area as he continues his return to form.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: 8
Back in the starting 11 again, Alexander-Arnold showed his quality with a sensational free-kick to give his side the lead even if he struggled defensively in the first half. That did change in the second half a bit even if the Englishman is still on his way back to form.
Virgil van Dijk: 6
Didn’t have too much to do but alongside Quansah did well to marshal Rodrigo Muniz.
Jarell Quansah: 6
Could have done a lot better with Castagne’s goal but outside that, was a decent presence even if he lacked the consistency in the second half.
Andrew Robertson: 7
A marauding full-back as per usual, Robertson was a consistent option for his side down the left even if his final pass could have been a lot better at times.
Harvey Elliot: 6
A buzzing presence in midfield but was far more careful with his passing than many expected even if he did get himself an assist and added a touch of creativity in the second half.
Wataru Endo: 6
Struggled to keep the ball at times but produced a much improved a second half showing, shielding the Liverpool back-line well.
Ryan Gravenberch: 6
Tried to find pockets of space consistently in the first half and while Fulham marshalled him well, the Dutch international eventually found his space and curled his first Premier League goal home. Did offer Jurgen Klopp a few things to think about before he was replaced by Mac Allister.
Luis Diaz: 6
Did his best to cause Antonee Robinson down the right but things didn’t quite go Diaz’s way in the end with the forward struggling to cause too many problems. Hasn’t been on the right side of the form chart lately and was replaced by Salah with 15 minutes left.
Diogo Jota: 7
A constant threat in his first start in a while, Jota caused all sorts of problems for Tosin and Bassey with the Portuguese playing down the middle for once. It eventually lead to his 100th goal in English football which put his side 3-1 up and handed them the game before being replaced.
Cody Gakpo: 7
Offered plenty of purpose and drive on the left and forced Bernd Leno into his fair share of saves even if his presence in the final third could do with a lot more improvement.
Substitutes:
Alexis Mac Allister: 6
Replaced Gravenberch and added more control to the Liverpool midfield.
Mohamed Salah: 6
Rested possibly with the Merseyside derby on the horizon but did offer a threat after he replaced Luis Diaz even if he lacked his usual “Salah-ness” off the bench.
Darwin Nunez: 6
Did typical Darwin Nunez things with a few shots on goal, a few offside calls and a few frustrating moments.
Joe Gomez: NA
Dominik Szoboszlai: NA
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