Liverpool 1-0 Fulham: Player ratings as Reds record fifth straight win
Liverpool continued to build momentum in their charge towards the Premier League top four with a narrow 1-0 win over a plucky Fulham side at Anfield on Wednesday night.
Mohamed Salah scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot late in the first half, although but for Alisson it could easily have ended all square.
The first opportunity actually went the way of the visitors, with Virgil van Dijk needing to be sharp as he slid in to hook the ball away from Carlos Vinicius and a certain tap-in.
Trent Alexander-Arnold went close for Liverpool not long after when he shot from the edge of the box, while a better ball into the area from Salah might have later put Darwin Nunez in.
Fulham didn’t back down and it took a good Alisson save to deny Vinicius in an end-to-end opening period. But Liverpool managed to take some sting out of the game to get on top. Salah made danger with a teasing ball across goal that no one was on the end of, before converting from the penalty spot in the closing stages of the first half after Nunez was brought down by Issa Diop.
Nunez squandered his own chance to double the Liverpool advantage soon after the restart, while Salah also missed the target from a similar position almost immediately.
But Fulham were growing back into the game in a big way, sensing an opportunity given that the hosts had failed to build on their lead.
The Cottagers thought they had what wouldn’t have been an undeserved equaliser as the clock ticked into the final 15 minutes. Willian made the chance down the left, feeding Vinicius in the box, with quick feet engineering the space and a big right hand from Alisson keeping the ball out.
Fulham were finishing the stronger of the two sides as momentum swung to the team in white. Anfield was made to hold its collective breath deep into stoppage time when Fulham substitute Bobby Decordova-Reid connected with a low cross into the box but couldn’t direct it on target.
Liverpool player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Alisson - 8/10 - Made an incredible save late on to keep Fulham at bay towards the end.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold - 7/10 - Occasionally lacked quality when it mattered but saw a lot of the ball and was a regular and useful outlet.
CB: Ibrahima Konate - 7/10 - Safe with the ball at his feet.
CB: Virgil van Dijk - 8/10 - Made a really important tackle early on, setting the tone for a solid night.
LB: Kostas Tsimikas - 6/10 - Okay but delivery was disappointing.
CM: Jordan Henderson - 6/10 - Went close with a low strike from distance.
CM: Fabinho - 7/10 - Hardly gave the ball away and won his tackles.
CM: Curtis Jones - 6/10 - Rarely lost the ball but also didn't do enough with it.
RW: Mohamed Salah - 8/10 - Put recent penalty woes behind him. Saw plenty of the ball overall and was invovled in making chances.
ST: Darwin Nunez - 6/10 - Won the penalty but his night overall was slightly disappointing.
LW: Luis Diaz - 6/10 - Still working his way back to full match fitness but got another important game under his belt.
Substitutes
SUB: Cody Gakpo (66' for Diaz) - 7/10
SUB: Andrew Robertson (66' for Tsimikas) - 6/10
SUB: Diogo Jota (84' for Nunez) - N/A
SUB: Harvey Elliott (84' for Salah) - N/A
SUB: James Milner (84' for Jones) - N/A
Manager
Jurgen Klopp - 7/10 - Has overseen this momentum at the most crucial time of the season. But this game showed there are still things to work on.
Fulham player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Bernd Leno - 7/10 - Proved the value of an experienced goalkeeper.
RB: Cedric Soares - 7/10 - Didn't give Diaz much change on that side.
CB: Tosin Adarabioyo - 7/10 - Progressive with the ball and repelled danger.
CB: Issa Diop - 5/10 - It was a clumsy challenge to give away the penalty.
LB: Antonee Robinson - 7/10 - Fought hard and did well.
CM: Sasa Lukic - 6/10 - Room to be better.
CM: Joao Palhinha - 8/10 - Continues to be excellent and really made it diffcult for Liverpool.
RM: Harry Wilson - 6/10 - The cutting edge wasn't quite there.
AM: Tom Cairney (c) - 5/10 - A little rusty and off the pace.
LM: Willian - 7/10 - Looked more threatening as Fulham grew into the game.
ST: Carlos Vinicius - 7/10 - Only denied a potential late equaliser by a top save and caused Liverpool several problems throughout.
Substitutes
SUB: Bobby Decordova-Reid (71' for Cairney) - 7/10
SUB: Neeskens Kebano (71' for Wilson) - 6/10
SUB: Harrison Reed (71' for Lukic) - 6/10
SUB: Daniel James (79' for Willian) - 5/10
SUB: Manor Solomon (79' for Vinicius) - 6/10
Manager
Marco Silva - 8/10 - How close this game was in more evidence of the incredible job he has done.