A Mohamed Salah penalty was enough to give Liverpool an important 1-0 win over Fulham, as Jurgen Klopp’s side kept the pressure on their four most sensitive rivals. to secure qualification for next season’s Champions League competition, and emerged unscathed against Marco Silva’s full-back after a nervous finish at Anfield, with Darwin Nunez making a good impression.
It had been an even first half with Fulham striker Carlos Vinicius nullified by a strong hand from Alisson Becker, while Liverpool opened the visitors’ backline on several occasions.
The first game came after Nunez was deemed to have been brought down in the box by Issa Diop and Salah moved on to 99 Premier League goals on Merseyside with a categorical penalty in the 39th minute.
The chances were few and far between a hard-fought war in midfield, but Alisson was forced to make another very good stop to deny Vinicius his back, as Liverpool retained all three points and gave them breathing space between them and Tottenham in the Premier League.
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Faced with a lengthy penalty for his tirade on referee Paul Tierney, Jurgen Klopp’s pullback in the row of referee bias suggested he had an era of mirrored image and needed a bit.
Klopp’s behaviour at Anfield has left a dark cloud over the German’s head, with other people wondering about the 55-year-old character after pushing the fourth official with his John Brooks celebrations. Some were a lack of judgment in the immediate future, others insisted he showed a behavioural trend on the part of the Liverpool manager.
Either way, it’s probably time for Klopp to turn things down, especially with the same vocalist Marco Silva on the sidelines in front of him. With an FA rate pending, Klopp can be content to stay out of the headlines and let his players talk.
Which really helped Liverpool win a penalty just as Fulham were showing signs of danger. If Paul Tierney is not a Liverpool fan, referee Stuart Atwell will not side with Klopp after Nunez obviously stumbled. And as he watched his team win five straight in their war to finish in the bottom four, Klopp still had nothing to do with smiling on the bench.
Serenaded through enthusiasts with a standing ovation as a compliment to his effort, Núñez nevertheless felt love.
It has not been the Uruguayan’s first easiest season since his £85 million move from Benfica, with red cards and goal-side disorder relegating him to the bench in recent weeks. But when he won the penalty for Salah to open the scoring, he learned that this may be just the beginning of Nunez’s story.
The 23-year-old would have arguably feared for his position once it became known that Luis Diaz had returned from injury, especially after Cody Gakpo signed in January. How can he have compatibility with his team, since the German has liked a false nine to play in the center instead of a herbal number 9.
And to the noisy help of Liverpool, he responded wonderfully. From the start he was full of life as he flew through the channels, coming out with defensive centers on the right side while interacting with Diaz in the middle. His moment came when Issa Diop lingered on the ball and spun wildly, catching Nunez, who made the maximum of the inning, while the umpire pointed his place.
Without his efforts, this would never have happened, and Klopp knows he has a striker he can count on to contribute elsewhere, even if the goals have been exhausted.
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Since moving into a hybrid role that combines his same old right-back duties with the occasional explosion in midfield, Alexander-Arnold has seen a guy reborn.
He once showed the behaviour of a player who feared being forced to protect one-on-one against a tricky winger at right-back, and his lack of concentration was revealed in the 4-3 win over Tottenham after Son Heung-min left. . wanting it repeatedly.
But given the freedom to press harder on the pitch against Fulham, he looked much more and stood out as Liverpool’s main artistic source.
While Curtis Jones and Jordan Henderson struggled to influence the game, Alexander-Arnold’s interceptions and perfect passing diversity allowed the smartest three to be well nurtured for scoring opportunities. Given the way Joelinton has taken on his new midfield role. In the same way, this begs the question: Was Alexander-Arnold a midfielder from the start?
Having conceded two goals against Nottingham Forest and three goals against Tottenham in their last home games, it’s time for Liverpool’s defence to respond with a blank sheet.
There were nervousness moments in the first half as Fulham felt a wonderful opening, but Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate held on Alisson’s protective target: the former cleared the line when Vinicius had a touch.
Their block at Anfield is just the moment in the 8 games they have controlled to concede since Manchester United’s 7-0 defeat, the other being the blank draw with Chelsea’s suffering.
Whether it has anything to do with the switch from Alexander-Arnold to a more offensive role or a replacement in tactics, Klopp can enjoy an overall forged performance, rather than criticising his defenders for failing in their work.