Liverpool’s second home victory of the week was mild in comparison to the first, but it was a welcome departure for Jürgen Klopp. A fifth consecutive Premier League victory, Liverpool’s finest run of the season, maintained a glimmer of hope for qualification to the Champions League and marked yet another milestone in the glittering Anfield career of Mohamed Salah.
In this instance, it was Marco Silva who exhibited rage. The Fulham manager accused VAR of abdicating its responsibilities and Darwin Nez of diving for the game-winning penalty, which ruined his team’s otherwise solid defensive performance.
Salah scored just as he did against Tottenham on Sunday, becoming the first player in Liverpool history to score in eight consecutive home games. Gordon Hodgson and Luis Suárez each scored in eight consecutive home appearances for Liverpool between 1927 and 1928 and 2014, but their scoring streaks were cut short by injury and suspension, respectively.
Salah now ranks fifth on the club’s all-time list of league goal scorers and is one behind Steven Gerrard’s 186 goals in all competitions. Silva was not in the mood for praise.
The Fulham manager referred to how the opposing team struck as “embarrassing.” “I believe we merited much more, and it’s extremely difficult for us to comprehend how we lost.
As soon as Darwin touched the ball, he began to dive himself, but after he contacted Issa’s left leg, they will claim the foul was harsh, but the referee gave it and the VAR cannot reverse it. According to us, this is not a penalty, and the VAR should not allow the referee to make this call. “The referee made an error.”
Liverpool owes Salah’s accuracy and Alisson’s goalkeeping prowess for the victory that closed the distance on fourth-placed Manchester United to four points, even though Erik ten Hag’s squad has two games in hand.
In addition to Bobby Decordova-Reid missing a clear opportunity in stoppage time, the Liverpool custodian made an outstanding save to deny Carlos Vinicius in a tense final minute in which Bobby Decordova-Reid also missed a clear opportunity.
Salah, Nez, and Luis Daz would have been most people’s idea of Liverpool’s first-choice forward line at the start of the season, and it was an enticing prospect, but due to a serious knee injury sustained by the Colombian international and a difficult debut season for the Uruguayan striker, it has remained little more than an idea. The trio started against Fulham for only the fifth occasion as a unit, and they displayed both promising flashes and understandable rust.
Klopp observed, “They performed well. After 30 minutes, it is evident that Luis is having a difficult time.
It is difficult for everyone because we play so many events. We had the following discussion: “Whom shall we rest?” Is it Cody (Gakpo)?’ Since Diogo (Jota) was unable to train again. For extended periods, it performed exceptionally well. Darwin was like a thoroughbred.
Extremely motivated and enthused. This is significant to us. When Diogo and Cody entered the game, they contributed significantly to the defense. When the final pass did not go through, we had a few incredible opportunities, and everything was nearly ideal. There, we could have performed better, but it’s all right. I like what I saw.”
Liverpool dominated possession, but the visitors were a constant threat on the counterattack, passing courageously through the middle and thriving down their right flank. Virgil van Dijk prevented Harry Wilson from assisting Vinicius early on, and Alisson denied the Fulham forward with a flying save after both had latched onto Tosin Adarabioyo’s through passes.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Salah, and Daz all came close to scoring during incisive Liverpool attacks, but Fulham was able to withstand the pressure until Diop gifted the hosts a goal.
As a consequence of Tim Ream being ruled out for the remainder of the season, the starting central defender received an Adarabioyo pass across his penalty area too slowly.
By the time he bungled a clearance attempt, Nez had already snatched the ball from Diop’s feet and tripped over the challenge.
Referee Stuart Attwell promptly pointed to the penalty spot, VAR confirmed the on-field decision, and Mohamed Salah buried the penalty in the center of Bernd Leno’s net. It was such a soft way for Fulham to undo 39 minutes of intelligent, consistent work, but Liverpool gladly accepted the invitation.
The second half was relatively subdued, with Fulham keeping Liverpool at bay despite lacking the menace that characterized their performance in the first half. Late in the game, however, it reappeared when Willian found space down the left flank and played a through ball to Vinicius, who was sprinting into the penalty area.
His first touch took him past the Liverpool defense, leaving him within striking distance of Alisson. Not for the first time this season, the Brazil international saved his team with a brilliant reflex save, turning away Vincius’ shot with a strong right arm and keeping Liverpool on track for another hard-fought victory.
