Liverpool level with Arsenal after win at Fulham
Liverpool moved level on points with top-of-the-table Arsenal after a 3-1 Premier League victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Jurgen Klopp’s men bounced back from their UEFA Europa League exit at the hands of Atalanta and last week’s shock home defeat to Crystal Palace as they continued their pursuit of Premier League glory.
Liverpool, which sits one point above Manchester City in second and trail Arsenal on goal difference, opened the scoring from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick before Timothy Castagne equalised with his first goal for Fulham.
Ryan Gravenberch and Diogo Jota were the difference-makers in the second half as they got in on the act to give their side all three points.
Fulham academy graduate Harvey Elliott, who swapped London for Merseyside in 2019, was galvanised by the home boos as he helped his side create the first chance of the match.
The attacking midfield player instinctively picked out Alexander-Arnold whose cross could not be directed in by Luis Diaz’s glancing header as the ball narrowly missed the inside of Bernd Leno’s post.
In the 22nd minute Alexander-Arnold showed off his elite ball-playing ability as the visitors’ momentum continued.
Alexander-Arnold received the ball centrally and he delivered a first-time side-footed pass in behind Fulham full-back Antonee Robinson before Diaz’s fizzed low cross to Jota was struck wide of the right-hand post as the Reds squandered another golden opportunity to take the lead.
Liverpool’s persistence was rewarded and their deserved breakthrough came in the 32nd minute through the technical Alexander-Arnold, who made it 1-0.
Joao Palhinha picked up his customary yellow card when he brought down Jota on the counter-attack, allowing Alexander-Arnold to stand over the set-piece in an almost central position yards from the edge of the area.
The set-piece specialist struck the ball with a whipped technique which evaded the helpless Fulham wall before the ball nestled into the top left-hand corner.
The Cottagers had been dormant all half but came alive in stoppage-time to equalise.
After Andreas Pereira instilled belief inside Craven Cottage with a dangerous free-kick which tested Alisson Becker, Rodrigo Muniz’s blocked header off Alex Iwobi’s cross fell kindly to the unmarked Castagne, who slammed his effort home from close range.
But parity did not last long as in the 53rd minute Liverpool punished a series of errors to retake the lead.
A period of shoddy defending saw Iwobi with the ball at his feet on the edge of his box but the Nigeria international’s wayward pass found Elliott in a dangerous position.
The 21-year-old opted to lay the ball off to Gravenberch and the Dutchman’s first-time curled effort flew past Leno to make it 2-1.
Liverpool wrapped up the win in the 72nd minute after Cody Gakpo’s pass split the defence and Jota finished with a strike into the bottom right-hand corner.
