Righto, John Brewin’s match report is with us:
Which means that’s it from me for now. Thanks for your company and comments – do join Niall Mcveigh for the Manchester derby, soon to kick off – but otherwise, peace out.
Looking at Fulham today, they were good all over the pitch. Leno was solid; Bassey and Robinson were especially good at the back; Berge did well in midfield; in front of them, the trident of Iwobi, Pereira and Sessegnon were sharp; and up front, Muniz was excellent. He’s got a lot of ability, but must find the consistency to match it. At 23, he is no longer a prospect.
Also going on:
Balodis has seen my Daniel and raised me a Daniels.
Southampton need two more points to avoid supplanting Derby as – points-wise at least – the worst team ever to play in the Premier League.
I once saw 1986 Argentina described as ‘a one-man band with several good second fiddles’” returns David Howell. “Could this be 2024-25 Liverpool too?”
I guess that’s maybe a little harsh on Alisson, in particular, but broadly fair. I wonder if Slot – and his board – may think they’ve seen the best of Salah, and decide now is the time to rebuild, rather than hand over a colossal contract.
Liverpool need a maximum of 11 points from eight games to win the title. As it goes, I think Arne Slot will be satisfied with his team’s second-half performance, but the way they defended, especially in the first, will have further solidified what he already knew: his champions-elect are a work in progress.
Anitdontstop: more football, imminently.
“I’m not a Liverpool fan,” confesses Mark Hooper, “but seeing the way Slot calmed their approach down, tightened up the defence, Vn Dijk and Alisson playing out of their skins, a settled midfield which was never the case with Klopp (Gravenberch especially finding a new role), Gakpo, Diaz and even Nunez all coming into their own, I don’t think it’s fair to say Salah is the only difference they’ve been uncatchable all season and (for the next 10 mins at least) only lost one game in the Prem.”
Sure, obviously nothing will ever be solely down to one player in a team game. But this is as close to a one-man thing as it’s possible to get – like, say Van Persie in 12-13, though he had great players behind him.
The league table:
Southampton have been relegated
They’ve been beaten 3-1 at Spurs, a fitting ignominy.
We’ll wait for that to be over before checking out the table, but Spurs, and their booming +12 goal difference, will climb to the lofty heights of 12th.
Elsehwere: Brentford and Chelsea have drawn 0-0; Spurs lead Southampton 2-1 and have a penalty … which Mathys Tel scores. Saints will be down in a matter of seconds.
FULL TIME: Fulham 3-2 Liverpool
A blistering blitz of three goals inside 14 first-half minutes do the trick for Fulham, the first side to record a home league win over Liverpool this season. That was a blinder of a contest.
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90+7 min Liverpool move the ball down the left, Ciesa crosses … and Leno collects.
90+5 min On the touchline, Marco Silva is not enjoying himself.
90+4 min Liverpool win it high and find Salah, but Robinson out-muscles him … then relaxes before the job is complete, Salah hanging on to the ball and playing into the box, but Fulham get bodies in the way and stem the attack.
90+2 min A long diag finds Elliott who finds Salah, infield and continues his run, a clever outside-of-the-foot reverse-pass playing him back in. But the ball’s on his less-favoured right foot and Leno, who’s been solid today, makes another decent save.
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90+1 min Liverpool win a free-kick down the right and take it quickly, Bradley then squaring across the edge of the box, where an error from Berge allows the ball through to Chiesa. He might hit it first-time but instead takes a touch to set, the delay allowing Leno to set before diving to make what’s ultimately a comfortable save.
90 min We’ll have six additional minutes.
90 min Bassey and Robinson have done a fantastic job of playing Salah out of this game. The Egyptian does not look happy.
89 min I meant to say, Smith Rowe was booked for a pull-back a few minutes ago,
88 min But do do Fulham! Castagne plays into Jimenez, who touches off deftly to the edge, meeting the run of Reed … and his low drive is tipped away by Kellher.
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87 min Fulham have killed the last few minutes pretty effectively – and, as I type, Tete wins a free-kick off Chiesa – but you have to think Liverpool have one more chance left in them.
85 min Is it possible Bradley is a better right-back than Alexander-Arnold? I know the latter is a beautiful player, but every team he’s in has a weakness: him. Sure, Bradley won’t create as much, but given Slot’s game-model doesn’t require playmaking full-backs and midfield workhorses, might he be a better fit?
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84 min Bassey galumphs forward and buys a free-kick which Reed will curl in … and straight to Kelleher.
83 min A Liverpool attack breaks down and immediately, Berge slings a long ball forward, looking to target the space now left on the flank; Van Dijk deals with the situation.
82 min Now a change for Liverpool, Robertson replaced by Chiesa. I think Fulham now have a back five, while Liverpool have a front five and a back three, Gravenberch on its left-hand side.
81 min Two more changes for Fulham: on come Kenny Tete, returning from injury to make his first league appearance of the year, and Adama Traore; off go Sessegnon and Iwobi.
79 min Robertson blazes forward and slides a low cross into the corridor. There’s no one there top finish but Elliott collects, 15 yards out, opening body to spank a gorgeous curler that looks a certain goal … but it cannons the bar near the far top corner and bounces away. Liverpool are coming, and Fulham will have to go some if they’re to hold out.
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78 min “I think one area where Slot hasn’t been great in a frankly incredible (and surprising) season is rotation,” says Graeme Neill. “There have been plenty of matches where Elliott, Endo or the lesser spotted Chiesa for example could have played, whether starting or coming on for the last half hour. We’re paying the price for that because we’ve looked knackered quite often recently.”
I guess that tells us what Slot thinks of the players you mention.
77 min Diaz collects a bouncing ball, flicks over Andersen, and hurls himself to the ground, with twist and pike. No penalty.
75 min Triple change for Fulham. Off go Lukic, Pereira and Muniz; on come Reed, Jimenez and Smith Rowe.
75 min And here come Liverrpool again, Salah pulling right and curling a cross that picks out Jones, but too far out for him to seriously trouble Leno with his header.
GOAL! Fulham 3-2 Liverpool (Diaz 72)
A ball infield from the left sees the inverted Bradley on the charge. He attracts pressure then slips a nice ball to Diaz outside him, whose fine first touch takes him into the box and, before Leno can set, slides into an early futsal-style finish, poking hard across the keeper and into the far corner! This last 18 and change is going to be intense!
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72 min Fulham win a corner and when it comes in, Kelleher collects, but does Van Dijk swing an elbow at someone? We don’t get to see it again, but Liverpool are on the attack…
71 min Much as the home crowd are enjoying this, they must be wondering where it was last weekend.
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70 min Fulham spring into a counter, a long pass setting Robinson away, and his cross is decent, but Van Dijk does a good job of getting in front of Muniz to clear.
67 min Another double-change for Liverpool, Bradley and Nunez for Konate and Jota.
66 min “A couple of months ago, Slot came out and said he now knows where he needs to strengthen in the summer,” notes Bob Coyne. “It seemed a strange comment to make mid-season and since then I’ve noticed a drop-off from the players, who must be wondering if they’ll be sold in the summer.”
I’m not sure about that – to me it seems more of a regression to the mean. In the early part of the season, their accumulation of points was of a higher level than their performances, and now Salah has cooled, their ability to sustain that has diminished. I also wonder if the PSG tie hit their confidence, because though it was tight, there was a clear difference in overall quality.
64 min Liverpool pick up the loose ball, though, and we see another of those pinpoint balls to the far post, this time Diaz arcing for Salah, eight yards out … and somehow, the head goes back so the ball goes over! He doesn’t miss many of those, but he’s earned the right.
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64 min Mac Allister’s outswinger is a goodun, Bassey winning an important flick then, when the ball comes back, Andersen clears well.
63 min Gravenberch drives through midfield and finds Salah; Bassey gets a touch on his cross and Liverpool have another corner.
62 min Fulham win a free-kick out on the right, midway inside the Liverpool half … and Jones heads Periera’s delivery clear.
60 min “Our son’s worst case of intestinal activity was right in the middle of France v Brazil in the 1986 World Cup,” says Richard Hirst. One of THE great games. I think I’ve just about forgiven him.”
I was seven and it was my debut World Cup, so I always wondered if I’d overestimated how good it was. Then, during covid, they put the game online, and I was delighted to discover it was even better than I recalled.
59 min Now Fulham counter, and though Konate does enough when Sessegnon threatens, a fourth goal doesn’t look entirely unlikely; incredible really, given this is the first tine all season Liverpool have faced even a two-goal deficit.
58 min Nice from Robertson, looking to redeem a poor afternoon by taking up a position just outside the box, and when the ball comes to feet he does a really good job turning, only to leather a hopeful shot somewhere off towards Selhurst Park.
56 min Excellent from Berge, who robs Mac Allister in centrefield, does really well to stick on his feet, and feeds Sessegnon down the right. Though Robertson must know what’s coming, he can’t stop his man from jinking inside and letting go a shot … which ruffles the near-post side-netting.
55 min Double-change for Liverpool, Elliott and Diaz on for Szoboszlai and Gakpo.
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54 min Muniz is up, and the corner – yes, I’d forgotten Liverpool had one too – is cleared.
54 min “Whatever one thinks about how this Liverpool side stack up historically” writes David Howell, “the really notable thing about them is that they were meant to be the team in transition amongst the title contenders, and ended up looking like the one team who weren’t. That’s quite the accomplishment from Slot. His next test: building on that transition with at most two, and likely none, of VVD/TAA/Salah...”
I sort of agree. I agree Slot has done a fantastic job, but I still think they look like a side in transition; they just have Salah, who found two-thirds of a season from the gods.
52 min Liverpool are playing like the mean it now, Gakpo crossing and Bassey heading behind, but the home fans aren’t happy because Muniz is down following a tussle with Konate – I think he was trodden upon. Marco Silva is not happy, and the ref comes over to engage.
50 min “I think the science is pretty much the same as lucky socks,” says Ben Jaques of my rice remedy. “Left sock went on first, I scored. It must be the socks.”
I don’t really want to give more context – for your benefit and my dignity – but it was tried and tested before me, and worked to such stunning extent with me, that I’m totally sold.
48 min Konate slides in to make a really good challenge on Iwobi and Liverpool counter – they heard some words during the break, you’d think – and Salah drives towards the box, slipping in Jota who looks to poke, futsal-style, inside the near post. But Leno, out sharply, has covered the angles really well, and he blocks behind for a corner … which comes to nowt.
46 min Lukic scythes through Gravenberch and is booked; the ensuing free-kick is pumped high, Leno collecting under nae pressure.
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46 min “I have three kids who were all young once,” laments Mac Millins, “and I’ve never heard of Joe Pearson’s ‘BRAT diet’. I wish I had, though, because then maybe I could’ve avoided that time one of my infants had explosively ‘hyperactive intestines’ at an airport. Covered all the insides of all his clothes, as well as the baby carrier he was in. Had to sort it out in the airport restroom sink. You’ve never seen people who were walking into a loo walk back out again so fast in your life.”
My daughter did similarly to me mere minutes after being born, so I was given scrubs. The following morning I was leaving in them and a nurse demanded I return them and change back into my soiled attire. A discussion did thus ensue.
46 min We go again…
On which point, Spurs now lead Soton 2-0, Johnson scoring the second too, while Brentford-Chelsea is 0-0.
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Half-time email: “Friendly reminder that should Southampton lose today,” says Kieran McKintosh, “their relegation will be mathematically confirmed, as Wolves beat Ipswich yesterday – in the most heartbreaking way possible, might I add. Ah well. Least I can look forward to my local, and university team, Leeds United, being back in the big time next season – I hope. Pretty please?”
I mean obviously the league table says to the contrary, but Leeds should be the best side in the Champo by miles, but seem to have taken their collective eye off the ball after winning at Sheffield United. The other playoff sides will be desperate for them to go up automatically, and they’re the only promotion contender with a prayer of staying up – based on what I’ve seen.
Half-time entertainment:
That was exceedingly enjoyable, and a really good distillation of what makes Wa LeagueALSO TM so popular. Fast, exciting, fantastic goals, and a mid-table achiever giving the champions-elect a proper going-over. The second half will be very interesting.
HALF-TIME: Fulham 3-1 Liverpool
A terrific half of Premier League FootballTM. Fulham have been excellent; Liverpool less so.
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45+4 min Nope, nothing doing, a ball into the box, then the whistle.
45+3 min Fulham win a free-kick in centrefield and that should get them to half-time. But Pereira will swing in a cross as they look for a fourth – ! – goal…
45+1 min Bit of Argy-Bragy as, with Muniz fouled and down, Mac Allister shoves Pereira; they continue the verbals as the game resumes, but so far, no more of EVERYTHING that NO ONE wants to see.
45 min We’ll have three minutes added to what’s been a belter of a first half.
44 min Iwobi has been excellent so far, wandering all over with no one interested in tracking him. This time, he mooches from right to centre, hitting a rising left-footed that’s straight at Kelleher.
41 min “A fun fact for you Daniel,” begins Philip Rebbeck. “Ryan Sessegnon was the first player born in the 2000s to play in any of the top four divisions. Come on you Whites!”
That is, indeed, fun. I do though, hope he develops into more than a good answer to a good question.
39 min So what do Liverpool have left? You could tell as far back as February that they’d played their best football of it, and there was a sense that, if there was a serious challenger, they could be caught. There wasn’t, but Arne Slot will know that we’re now starting next season, and his side need to show why they should still be feared.
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WHAT A GOAL! Fulham 3-1 Liverpool (Muniz 37)
The corner is half-cleared and, 25 yards out, Iwobi balloons the ball into the air, Muniz and Van Dijk underneath it. And it’s the striker who reads the flight better, back to goal, flicking behind him and turning adroitly before powering into the box, controlling beautifully with a thigh into stride before, as Van Dijk shoves him in the back, hitting a low finish between Kelleher’s legs! What a comeback from Fulham!
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35 min Gosh, there’s some tempo to this! Fulham are causing Liverpool so many problems, Iwobi looking to bend one far post, Konate heading behind.
34 min Gakpo looks to get Liverpool back on terms immediately, pulling left then crossing low; Bassey does superbly to reach the ball before Jota.
GOAL! Fulham 2-1 Liverpool (Iwobi 33)
Goodness me, a hat-trick of consecutive disasters for Andy Robertson! First, pressed in possession, he plays across the face of his own box, where Iwobi collects; then, when the ball rears up after Iwobi’s consequent shot rears up, a weak header offers another opportunity; and finally, when Iwobi shoots, his deflection takes the effort high past Kelleher!
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32 min …but Van Dijk heads away. Fulham, though, gther the loose ball and find Pereira, returning from having taken the corner, and he looks to fool Kelleher, whipping inside the near post, the keeper scurrying over relieved to see the shot fall wide.
31 min Fulham have responded well to going behind and Bassey wins a corner off Jones, Pereira with it…
28 min “Not sure how there was any doubt about either penalty claim,” reckons David Stockman. “Both Liverpool players made clear contact with Pereira and Muniz without getting the ball. The only argument against is they didn’t ‘feel like’ penalties because the attack continued after the first, and the second was accidental contact.”
I think your ‘feel like’ point is a good one, but I think the Vaan Dijk/Muniz collision was, as you say, a collision, so not a penalty as the players ran into each other. The Kellher/Pereira one, though, made it easier for the ref to say no than yes.
27 min This take has not aged wall that well, brilliant though Van Dijk has been.
25 min It’s so good to see Sessegnon having it. He was touted as a special talent what seems a long time ago now, but his career stalled at Spurs. At 24, though, he’ll have a much better understanding of his game and, more importantly himself, and has plenty of time to fulfil his potential.
GOAL! Fulham 1-1 Liverpool (Sessegnon 23)
Berge power-trundles through midfield like Jan Molby in his pomp, spreading right for Pereira, whose cross hits Jones, unused to defending such situations and unable to sort out his feet quickly enough. And, as the ball drops, Sessegnon reacts quicker than Van Dijk, lashing a really smart, controlled finish inside the near post in his first Premier League start at the Cottage for almost six years!
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22 min Here’s that Pedro pen…
20 min Lovely from Salah, cutting infield and looking to laser a low pass for Gakpo at the back post, a favourite move under Slot … but he puts just too much on it.
18 min “I don’t think Kelleher on Pereira is a penalty using normal footballing logic,” returns Dave Estherby, “but based on the two or three given this season where the keeper has wiped out a player running away from goal after he’s played the ball if I was Marco Silva I’d be going bat**** right about now.”
He didn’t wait for the inevitable Liverpool goal, he spoke from the heart at the time. And yes, I agree with your wider point too, the most egregious Joao Pedro for Brighton against Bournemouth, where he pretty much boots the ball into touch in order to accept the contact he knows will get him a pen.
17 min Gosh, Southampton are bad: even Spurs are beating them, Brennan Johnson with the goal.
16 min “We’re gonna win the league!” chorus the away end. And they’re right, they are.
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WHAT A GOAL! Fulham 0-1 Liverpool (Mac Aliister 14)
Gravenberch leaps to win a challenge inside his own half and Mac Allister seizes the loose ball, riding the tackle of, then swerving away from Berge, who can’t keep up and, seeing open grass ahead of him, advancing before, from 20 yards, unleashing an outswinging monster that shrieks, fizzes and hisses past Leno, hitting the side-netting halfway up.
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13 min Liverpool are beginning to play.
12 min “Have to agree with Joe Pearson I’m afraid mate,” says Dave Estherby. “The only reason you didn’t get weapons-grade trots is the fact you already had, in your words, a hyperactive intestine to begin with. Tread carefully my friend…”
So how do we explain the fact that it worked?
11 min Liverpool win a corner down the left, Mac Allister to take … and Leno claws away.
10 min Still, Fulham have started pretty well.
8 min The more i think about the penalty shouts, the second definitely wasn’t but the first probably was. Pereira made sure to go down and no longer had possession, but Kelleher didn’t get the ball and did dive where he wanted to run.
6 min I see both sides of those calls. Kelleher went for the ball, but didn’t get it, and he left Pereira with no where to go; other hand, lot of bodies, small space. Van Dijk and Muniz looked like a coming together,.
5 min Konate, inviting pressure inside the box, tries a drag-back like he’s Maldini, and it turns out he isn’t; a turn-up for the books. So Pereira nicks the ball way from him and Kelleher dives in front of him, T-bone style, creating a collision. He still, though, gets his pass away and Van Dijk then does enough to put Muniz off, the two bashing into each other; Fulham, understandably want a penalty, but the ref decides there’s no foul in either case.
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3 min “Presumably the answer,” says Charles Antaki of the cooked-rice conundrum, “is because, indeed, the already-cooked rice is already cooked? That is, that it’s absorbed all the water it was cooked in, so no room for the less pleasant liquid that was washing around on your insides. Anyone who’s dropped a beanbag into water (esp. those of us who were alive during the short lived beanbag-juggling fad a few decades ago) will remember what happened then.”
Haha, the most elegant “it’s obvious you clown” I’ve received since at least this morning. I shall advise my wife forthwith.
3 min Castagne seems to have hurt himself a little, leaping for the ball and landing awkwardly, then colliding with Berge, but I think he’ll be OK.
2 min Almost immediately, Fulham hit the bug swutch out to Robinson, the ball just too strong. But, as expected, they’re looking to get after Jones.
1 min The camera at Craven Cottage is vertiginously high.
1 min And off we go!
The teams take the knee. Black lives matter.
Our teams are tunnelled … and here they come!
“How about parking the low bar, poor league asides?” wonders Cormac Culkeen. “Liverpool have been very good. As a point of comparison, here are some teams with a very similar points tally after 30 games: Arsenal in 2004, Chelsea in 2005, Man United in 2007 and 2011, City in 2022. Were they poor seasons?”
I don’t think points tallies are a particularly good measure, especially given relative squad-sizes. But 2011 was an extremely poor season, while in 03-04, Arsenal made the last four of the League Cup and FA Cup and last four in the Champions League, while United made the FA Cup final and Champions League last four in 07 and so on.
Really, though the eye-test should suffice here, which is, of course, subjective, but if you think this Liverpool side are in the same postcode as Arsenal 03-04, Chelsea 04-05 and united 006-07, we understand football in very, very different ways. Which is legal.
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“Back when my daughter was young, we made use of the BRAT diet whenever she had ‘issues’,” returns Joe Pearson. “All parents of young children know this. Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast. Miracle cure.”
Americans love for applesauce makes the tariffs look like a good idea.
“What constitutes a shot of rice?” wonders Zia Faruqi.
Rice scooped into a shot glass.
“Appreciate your positive words about Marco Silva,” writes Richard Hirst. “Much praise is, rightly, given to Brighton, Brentford and Bournemouth, but Fulham could be above all of them after today’s game. Marco Silva is not the best tactician, witness last weekend’s debacle against Palace, but he is clearly a great man-manager and has revived a number of moribund careers. If only he could do it with Smith Rowe!”
There’s a player in there, but I guess Pereira plays where he’d like to.
Goodness me, that Palace game. It reminded me a bit of when David Moyes’ Everton got to the last eight of the Cup in 2012-13 then lost 3-0 at home to Wigan, and I’m sure the home fans will still be feeling poorly at missing so rare an opportunity. All that trouble they went to in winning on penalties at Old Trafford in round five, for nothing. Sickening.
Marco Silva tells Sky that Liverpool winning the league is a matter of time and says they deserve all the credit for their consistency. But Fulham’s games against them have been closely contested and he wants to give the crowd something back for their support against Palace.
“Oh Daniel!” begins Joe Pearson. “Raw rice? Flirting with food poisoning. But you do you.”
I wasn’t doing anything other than what i was told, but be very sure, the symptoms of food poisoning were already fully ensconced. I meant to say, though, is anyone who knows more about science and so on than me able to explain why it works? I guess the rice expands once inside, but why, then, wouldn’t already-cooked rice do the same?
So tossing it forward, where do Liverpool need to buy? Of course that’s partly dependent on what happens with Salah and Van Dijk, but even if both stay, a man as prudent as Slot will surely be succession-planning in any case, given the ages of both. Otherwise though, someone more consistent than Konate, unless they’re convinced Quansah will get there; someone to take over from Robertson; and an elite centre-forward if at all possible. But the main aspect needing attention, I think, is the midfield: good enough to get it done in the league this particular season, but shown up in Europe by PSG.
The way Slot was talking about Jones, it was as though he’s investigating him as a longer-term option at right-back – where of course there’s about to be a vacancy. I’ve no idea as to Liverpool’s summer budget, but losing Alexander-Arnold for nowt could well mean a chance for Bradley to establish himself as a first pick – one, in fairness, he’s earned. And if Jones can prove himself to be another option there, there’ll be money to spend strengthening in other areas.
Also going on: it’s summer!
We’re all Brann now.
Who remembers the Game of Life? No I’ve not been hacked by Peter Kay, but there was a card in it called “Share the Wealth” and that’s what I’m about to do.
I’v been crook this week, an … um … er … hyperactive intestine among the symptoms. So my wife recounted this tale of woe to our cleaner, who advised the following: necking a shot of uncooked rice, washed down with a mug of mint tea. And mates, it works!
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So what does it mean? Well, Fulham will look to block up the middle with Berge and Lukic, and I’m sure Robinson and Sessegnon will look to gang up on Jones, an emergency right-back.
Liverpool, meanwhile, will hope to exploit the space Robinson leaves – though Salah has been becalmed recently – and for their midfield three to pop the ball about, using their superior touch and nip to keep possession while they work angles.
As below, Slot makes one change: Gakpo for Diaz.
Marco Silva makes five changes following midweek defeat at Arsenal. Jorge Cuenca, Adama Traore, Emile Smith Rowe and Raul Jimenez are all on the bench, with Issa Diop out of the squad entirely; Calvin Bassey, Ryan Sessegnon, Andreas Pereira, Alex Iwobi and Rodrigo Muniz come in.
Ah, one sec, here’s Arne Slot. His tracky bums are very tight; the least said about Jamie Carragher’s brown suede brogues the better.
Slot says he’s got two very good left-wingers to choose from, and this time he went for Gakpo not Diaz. At right-back, meanwhile, Curtis Jones played well against Everton, he thinks, and he can only see how he does against very different opponents by picking him. But Conor Bradley is on the bench, and will also get minutes.
Otherwise, he’s happy with the midweek performance and the reaction to the Tarkowski tackle – you might’ve heard about it – relative to the game at Goodison, not just from his players but from himself.
Liverpool know Fulham like to attack down the wings, but the way Antonee Robinson attacks should leave room for Mohamed Salah to attack
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I’m going to write these down, then we’ll reflect on what we might see.
Teams!
Fulham (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Lukic; Iwobi, Pereira, Sessegnon’ Muniz. Subs: Benda, Tete, Cuenca, Reed, Cairney, Smith Rowe, Traore, Willian, Jimenez.
Liverpool (4-3-3): Kelleher; Jones, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister'; Salah, Jota, Gakpo. Subs: Jaros, Endo, Diaz, Nunez, Chiesa, Elliott, Tsimikas, Quansah, Bradley.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Ashton-under-Lyne)
Preamble
Sixteen years ago, almost to the day, Liverpool visited Craven Cottage and, when Yossi Benayoun scored the winning goal in injury-time to send his team two points clear at the top of the table, the away end could contain itself no longer. “And now you’re gonna believe us, and now you’re gonna believe us,” resounded the chant, “we’re gonna win the league!” Bereft of the title since 1990, relief was palpable.
The problem was, Manchester United had two games in hand. The first, the following day, climaxed with Martin Tyler’s “Machedaaaaaaa” moment, and the second at Wigan, six straight wins later, effectively settled things. Anfield would have to wait a further 11 years to see the Premier League trophy – and even that was disrupted by the pandemic.
This season, there will be no such mishaps. Liverpool have been, by some distance, the best side in the country – a low bar, yes, but also one they’ve sailed over – and all that remains now is for them to indulge in six weeks of parties, starting today. Only they who have suffered can know true joy.
Fulham, though, won’t want to be their patsies – especially after the resounding disappointment of last weekend, a 3-0 home tousing, to Palace, in the last eight of the Cup. With all the noise made elsewhere, it’s easy to overlook the excellence of Marco Silva’s work, but taking a side up from the Championship and immediately establishing them in the middle of the Premier League – without wild spending – is a task proving beyond almost every manager attempting it, and one for which he deserves much praise. The neutrals among us might forgive his side if they mentally check out, but we can be certain that he will not.
Kick-off: 2pm BST
