After the European elimination and the puncture on the previous day, Liverpool visited Craven Cottage with the obligation to win so as not to lose in the wake of Arsenal, who did their homework on Saturday, and put pressure on Manchester City with a game less. The Reds did not fail against Fulham, thanks to goals from Alexander Arnold, Gravenberch and Jota, and are second, tied on points with the Gunners, leaders on goal difference.
Klopp’s men entered the pitch with the concentration that the match deserved. With the pressure high, Liverpool came close to opening the scoring before ten minutes in a dangerous cross from Alexander Arnold and in an action by Luis Díaz that Bassey missed.
But the reds’ good staging lacked finesse in attack. Everything vanished when the ball reached the vicinity of the rival area, perhaps due to the absence of Mohamed Salah in the starting eleven. Núñez didn’t start either. Lacking offensive lucidity, Liverpool managed to unlock the match with a set piece with a genius from Alexander Arnold.
In a foul on the front, slightly tilted to the left, the full-back connected a perfect parabola half an hour into the game that easily surpassed the leafy barrier and slipped into the goalkeeper’s right corner. Leno only stretched to get in the photo, it was impossible for the German to reach that ball, positioned and powerful.
With the score in their favor, Liverpool were satisfied or, at least, were unable to control the threat of the local reaction. Fulham went in search of a draw with Rodrigo Muniz as the main argument. Alisson repelled a first shot, from a poor angle, from the Brazilian. The striker, five minutes later, on the edge of half-time, saw Quansah block a header that was going towards the goal, but Castagne took advantage of the rebound to tie the game. A jug of cold water for those from Merseyside before the intermission.
However, it was not difficult for Liverpool to recover from the blow in the second half. He came out without hesitation after the restart, with Fulham unable to leave their field. And again, with intensity as a unblocker, the reds achieved the goal prize. Elliott stole the ball and Gravenberch, from outside the area, drew a perfect shot with a thread that hit the post before lodging in the net.
The Londoners, in a comfortable situation in the table but without great aspirations in the final stretch of the season, once again advanced lines in search of a draw. On this occasion, Liverpool punished that audacity by attacking the spaces left by Marco Silva’s team. Díaz came close to scoring on a free ball, which Bassey deflected in extremis, but Diogo Jota did not forgive with 20 minutes remaining.
Gakpo broke lines too easily and threw the pass into space for the Portuguese. Jota, who narrowly avoided being offside, beat Leno with a cross shot, who even touched the ball. Two goals behind, Fulham went ahead without many weapons to dismantle an organized Liverpool. Only Rodrigo Muniz came close to livening up the game, first with a bicycle kick blocked by his teammate Aradabioyo and then with a very angled shot that hit the post. The goal of hope did not come for Fulham and Liverpool managed, without stress, to stay on the Premier train in which they travel with Arsenal and Manchester City. There are only five stops left to reach the last station: the title.
