Liverpool travelled to Craven Cottage to clash heads with 19th placed Fulham earlier today looking to go back to the top of the Premier League table with a win. The Reds controlled the game from the get-go and grabbed the lead in the 26th minute when Sadio Mane scored from close range. However, the Cottagers defended valiantly to go into half-time trailing by just one goal.
The second half was more of the same with the Merseyside outfit dominating possession. However, Fulham capitalised on a communication breakdown between Alisson and Van Dijk to score through Ryan Babel’s tap-in in the 74th minute.
Despite such a huge setback, Jurgen Klopp’s men dug in deep and scored the winning goal courtesy of James Milner’s penalty. The match ended with the Reds walking away with a win from the Cottage by a narrow 2-1 scoreline.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the match against the Cottagers.
GK: Alisson Becker – 6/10
The Brazilian keeper made one mistake in the game when he failed to gather the ball from Van Dijk’s tame header which ultimately cost his team the clean sheet. However, to his credit, he was once again exceptional with his ball distribution.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 8/10
The English full-back was an excellent outlet for Liverpool down the right flank. He put in some outstanding crosses into the Fulham penalty area and was unfortunate that none of them resulted in a Liverpool goal.
CB: Joel Matip – 7/10
The Cameroonian centre-back mopped things up well at the back and was hardly troubled by the Cottagers attackers.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk – 7/10
Another dominant display from the Dutch defender! Except for his risky header back to Alisson which let Babel in for the Fulham goal, Van Dijk won most of his aerial duels and kept Aleksander Mitrovic relatively quiet during the contest.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 7/10
The Scottish full-back was always willing to stretch the pitch down the left touchline and linked up well with Mane and Lallana in the opposition half.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 6.5/10
The Dutch midfielder was full of energy and running in midfield and was unlucky not to score with his attempt in the second half.
CM: Fabinho – 6/10
The Brazilian midfielder was outstanding in the first half, but his effect on the game faded as the match went on in the second half.
CM: Adam Lallana – 6/10
He pressed the Fulham midfielders into making mistakes in midfield. However, Lallana failed to make a significant impact in the opposition half.
RM: Mohamed Salah – 5/10
The Egyptian winger tried his best to score, but he was once again guilty of being wasteful in the final third. Salah got a glorious chance in the second half, but his effort failed to beat Sergio Rico in the Fulham goal.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 6/10
The Brazilian forward started the game well, but he lacked sharpness in the final third.
LM: Sadio Mane – 8/10
It was another brilliant display from the Senegalese speedster! Mane just can’t stop scoring for Liverpool. He gave the Reds the all-important lead in the first half and was Klopp’s biggest weapon going forward.
Substitutes:
CM: James Milner – 7/10
His miscued clearance led to Fulham scoring. However, Milner made up for his mistake by scoring the winning penalty that sent Liverpool back to the top of the Premier League standings.
ST: Divock Origi – 7/10
The Belgian forward was very direct with his runs and ran the clock down well for his side in the dying embers of the contest.
ST: Daniel Sturridge – N/A
Not enough time to make an impact.
