Liverpool reignite title challenge with win at Fulham
Fulham 1 Liverpool 3
LIVERPOOL recovered their poise and reignited their Premier League title ambitions with a clinical victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Following their midweek European exit and a surprise home defeat by Crystal Palace, Jurgen Klopp will be reassured that his remaining month at Anfield will not now fade away in a blur of meaningless fixtures.
Goals by Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ryan Gravenberch and Diogo Jota sent Liverpool back up to second place, level on points with Arsenal.
Klopp’s team selection, leaving Mohamed Salah, Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Nunez on the bench, was justified by the industrious nature of the performance their understudies served up.
Apart from a fourth-minute Luis Diaz header which glanced just wide of the far post, the early part of the game lacked much of the intensity that often characterises matches at Craven Cottage.
That was in part because of Fulham’s withdrawn formation, unwilling to expose their central defenders to Liverpool’s ability to find their midfield runners.
As a consequence, Liverpool searched for diagonal passes to release Luis Diaz on the right wing. A sound tactic, but one which kept the contest at arm’s length.
It was noticeable how much Harvey Elliott, Fulham’s youngest-ever first-team player when he made his debut as a 15-year-old in September 2018, was booed mercilessly by the Fulham faithful for his decision to leave Craven Cottage for Anfield the following summer.
When Joao Palhinha was decreed to have bundled over Cody Gakpo in the 27th minute, it did at least give Elliott the opportunity to serve up a sweet response to the jeers.
Instead, he did little more than dribble his left-foot effort into the bottom of the Fulham wall and heap even
Read on irishexaminer.com
