Liverpool managed a chaotic, bizarre and remarkable 4-3 victory over Fulham at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, staging a late comeback to earn a crucial three points.
There were plenty of positives and negatives to take from Liverpool’s win but ultimately Jurgen Klopp‘s side got the job done in typically dramatic fashion.
Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s free-kick ricocheted off the back of Bernd Leno to give the Reds the lead after 20 minutes, only for former Liverpool man Harry Wilson to equalise.
Alexis Mac Allister thought he had given Liverpool a half-time lead with a wonder strike from distance, but Kenny Tete bundled home from a corner to make it 2-2 at the break.
Bobby Decordova-Reid looked to have punished Liverpool for their poor defensive display and profligacy at the other end with ten minutes to play, nodding home Tom Cairney’s cross.
However, Liverpool weren’t giving up without a fight. Super sub Wataru Endo hammered home a beautiful effort from the edge of the area to grab his first Premier League goal, with Alexander-Arnold rifling home a low drive with two minutes to go to complete a stunning turnaround.
Let’s start with the bad, shall we?
This is probably the worst defensive performance we have seen from Liverpool all season. Despite a bright start, they repeatedly found themselves carved open by a Fulham side that don’t score too many goals.
Even when Liverpool had the lead at points, the game became a basketball match, red and white shirts flying from one end to the other. There was no element of control from Klopp’s men.
Virgil van Dijk had a strong game and Alexander-Arnold was impressive going forward, but there was so much space in the channels and an Alexander-Arnold-shaped hole on the right flank.
Liverpool’s defensive numbers have flattered them this season and without Alisson to bail them out, there are some questions that need answering.
STRUGGLERS AT BOTH ENDS
Continuing with the negativity (or realism), there were two notably poor performers on the pitch today. One was Caoimhin Kelleher, who made Anfield truly appreciate Alisson’s brilliance.
Fulham’s first two goals probably would have been prevented by Liverpool’s No. 1, with Kelleher unconvincing to say the very least. His nerves were pretty evident as the game wore on too, although he did make one good stop in the second half.
If LASK showed us what Kelleher can do, Fulham showed us what he can’t do, and that’s be Alisson.
The other man to underwhelm on Merseyside was Darwin Nunez. This was the erratic striker we saw last season, failing to make simple passes, struggling to hold the ball up and squandering big chances.
He did hit the woodwork, again, but he was far off his usual standards this campaign. Hopefully, just an off-day.
SOME ABSOLUTE WORLDIES
Have there ever been four better goals in a single Liverpool game?
One major difference between Liverpool and Fulham is, of course, individual quality, and Liverpool’s was on show at Anfield.
Regardless of the fact that Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick was technically a Bernd Leno own goal, the right-back struck the dead ball with incredible precision and venom.
Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo managed their first Premier League goals for Liverpool in style, both converting fantastic efforts – Mac Allister’s the pick of the seven goals at Anfield today.
And then Alexander-Arnold, with bodies flying everywhere, produced a powerful and accurate effort to grab Liverpool the winner.
Some sensational strikes that could probably fill December’s Premier League Goal of the Month nominations by themselves.
MENTALITY MONSTERS
Regardless of Liverpool’s frailties, which can’t be ignored in the long-term, the Reds showed tremendous character to fight back from what would have been an incredibly disappointing result.
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The ‘Mentality Monsters’ were back, with Alexander-Arnold among the leaders on the pitch that helped orchestrate a remarkable comeback.
It was a frantic and bizarre afternoon but, as the cliche goes, this victory could actually be better for the morale of the Liverpool players than a bog-standard 3-0 win.
It shows, as Liverpool have already done against Newcastle and Tottenham this season, the togetherness of this group, all of whom fought tirelessly until the end.
Liverpool may have lacked a little finesse today but they made up for it in attitude.
