Liverpool and Arne Slot suffered a first English Premier League (EPL) since September 14 when they went down 3-2 to Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday. With an 11-point lead over Arsenal and only seven games remaining, the loss, however, is unlikely to stop Liverpool’s March to a record-equalling 20th top-flight title. But for Marco Silva and his Fulham side, this was a remarkable sixth win against top-six opponents this season. Along with Nottingham Forest, they are the only side to take four points off Liverpool.
The final statistics may say that Liverpool had 63 per cent possession and more shots on target, but Fulham were full value for the three points. The first half was one of the poorest Liverpool have played under Slot, with Alexis Mac Allister’s stunning long-range strike giving them an undeserved lead in the 14th minute.
It took Fulham less than 10 minutes to restore parity, as Ryan Sessegnon swept a fine finish past Caoimhin Kelleher after an unintended deflection from Curtis Jones, playing at right-back in place of the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold. Another mistake from the experienced Andy Robertson saw Alex Iwobi, once of Everton, give Fulham the lead on 32 minutes, and Rodrigo Muniz then shrugged off Virgil van Dijk to advance into the box and slot past Kelleher.
After 26 games, Liverpool’s unbeaten league run is over courtesy of this Fulham defeat
Slot rung the changes after half-time, and two of the substitutes – Conor Bradley and Luis Diaz – combined to reduce the deficit after 72 minutes. But though Harvey Elliott, once a Fulham youth player, struck the post with a curling effort and Federico Chiesa shot straight at Bernd Leno, the equaliser wouldn’t come.
After 26 games, Liverpool’s unbeaten league run is over. It doesn’t change the big picture, especially with Arsenal also dropping points in a 1-1 draw at Everton, but the first half gave Slot a reminder of the rebuilding work that needs to be done even if his stunning first season ends with an emphatic title triumph.
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