Fulham 3 Liverpool 2: Jones and Robertson mistakes costly as Silva’s side stun league leaders

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Liverpool were stunned by Fulham at Craven Cottage as the Premier League leaders conceded three first-half goals in a 3-2 defeat in west London.

They took the lead after 14 minutes through a long-range effort from Alexis Mac Allister but Fulham were level nine minutes later when Ryan Sessegnon pounced on a mistake by Curtis Jones.

Alex Iwobi put Marco Silva’s side ahead with a deflected effort after more errors at the back from Liverpool, and Rodrigo Muniz made it 3-1 on 37 minutes.

Luis Diaz pulled a goal back for Liverpool after the break and Harvey Elliott hit the crossbar late on as Arne Slot’s side went in search of an equaliser.

Despite their first league defeat in 27 games, Liverpool are 11 points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table with seven games to play, while the win lifts Fulham up to eighth.

Mark Carey analyses the key talking points from Liverpool’s first away defeat in the Premier League under Slot…

Too many defensive errors cost Liverpool

Liverpool are not accustomed to conceding three goals in the first half of a Premier League game.

The last time they did so was away to Aston Villa in October 2020 on a disastrous afternoon that ended in a 7-2 loss at Villa Park. As much as Fulham should receive credit for their attacking output, each of the three goals were preventable from Arne Slot’s side and could arguably be pinned to individual mistakes for each of them.

For the first goal, the makeshift right-back Curtis Jones was in position to clear the back-post cross that reached him, but his body shape looked exactly like a player who was not nurtured to play such a role — contorting his body to get a knee to the ball that fell kindly for Ryan Sessegnon to finish first time.

For the second goal, Andrew Robertson’s bizarre cross-field pass fell straight to Alex Iwobi who managed to find a yard of space to hit a speculative shot through a crowd of Liverpool bodies. With Robertson doing his best to reconcile his mistake, it was his deflection that sent Iwobi’s shot past Caoimhin Kelleher.

Fulham’s third was a collector’s item. Virgil van Dijk was muscled out by Rodrigo Muniz as the ball looped in the air, with the 23-year-old able to take a first touch away from Liverpool’s captain before coolly finishing before Van Dijk could recover.

(Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Fulham’s aggression and tenacity must be applauded, but Liverpool’s uncharacteristic concessions felt like a lot of their own doing.

Jones uncomfortable as makeshift right-back

“Let’s see how Curtis does against a completely different playing style.”

It was difficult to know exactly what Slot was referring to in his pre-match interview on Sunday afternoon, but Liverpool’s manager would have been acutely aware of the crossing threat that Fulham pose.

No side has attempted more open-play crosses than Marco Silva’s side in the Premier League this season, with Liverpool conceding two goals via such means in their reverse fixture at Anfield in December.

As a makeshift right-back for the second consecutive game, the defensive test for Curtis Jones was far trickier in west London. The 24-year cruised through a lot of the game against Everton game with Liverpool seeing so much of the ball, but Fulham targeted Jones with plenty of attacking play down their right side.

Iwobi often stayed on Liverpool’s last line to pin Jones in position, allowing Antonee Robinson to maraud forward as he has done all season. Jones needed the help of Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai to support him defensively — even berating Mohamed Salah in the first half for not tracking back enough to stop Fulham’s attack.

He was at fault for Fulham’s first goal, failing to adequately clear a cross from Fulham’s right. The ball fell straight to Sessegnon, who finished first time past Kelleher.

Jones was unsurprisingly comfortable going forward, but was occasionally caught out of position when Fulham turned the ball over. Liverpool fans know this is a short-term fix but for all the rave reviews that Jones received after the Merseyside derby, Sunday afternoon’s performance was a little more sobering — with Conor Bradley’s arrival on 67 minutes ending the experiment for the time being

Slot will want Liverpool to move on from this quickly

Such is the gap that they have generated at the top of table, that Liverpool can afford to have a disappointing afternoon in their pursuit of the title.

Arsenal’s draw on Saturday afternoon against Everton meant that Slot’s team could have wrapped up the league before Easter, with just 11 points required from their remaining eight games before kick-off. That target remains the same from seven games, with Sunday’s performance acting as a jolt they need to ensure there is no further complacency.

In the grand scheme of the season, a 3-2 loss to Fulham — their first away loss in the league this season — is likely to be nothing more than a blot in an otherwise hugely impressive record. But Slot will be keen to ensure that this a one-off day does not turn into a slide of poor form. Albeit across different competitions and circumstances, Liverpool have won just one of their last four games either side of the international break.

Liverpool have been lauded for being business-like all season — a cool head compared with their emotionally charged period under Jurgen Klopp. As such a crucial moment of the season, they cannot afford to let tensions get the better of them as the inch to the finish line.

What did Slot say?

We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.

What next for Liverpool?

Sunday, April 13: West Ham (Home), Premier League, 2pm UK, 9am ET

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(Julian Finney/Getty Images)

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