LONDON — Has a workforce ever been the sort of deserved Premier League winner-in-waiting but so clearly wanting a rebuild on the similar time? That is the curious place Liverpool occupy after Sunday’s 3-2 defeat at Fulham, a end result that certainly will do little to change the trajectory of this season’s identify race however nonetheless casts recent doubt over their sturdiness on the height past the summer time.
Arne Slot’s aspect stay 11 issues transparent of Arsenal and require that quantity once more from their ultimate seven fits to safe a record-equaling twentieth English top-flight identify. It is going to nonetheless stand as a shocking fulfillment for Slot and his avid gamers, defying typical pondering {that a} duration of transition could be inevitable following Jürgen Klopp’s departure. Successful the league could be a simply praise for a workforce that has displayed extra consistency than every other rival — this was once, in any case, their first league defeat clear of Anfield for Slot and ends a 26-game unbeaten run.
And but, they’re additionally in a position to this. A efficiency of such abominable protecting that enhances considerations that Liverpool wish to make vital waves in the summertime switch marketplace, even though they maintain the 3 stars out of contract in a few months’ time.
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Trent Alexander-Arnold seems more and more most probably to sign up for Actual Madrid, with Conor Bradley an obtrusive successor at right-back. However any idea that Curtis Jones may turn out an ready deputy in that place was once shattered right here. To compound that discovery, Andy Robertson persevered such a torrid afternoon that provides weight to the speculation the 31-year-old left-back’s absolute best days are at the back of him. Two new full-backs is also required.
Fulham, for his or her section, pressed extraordinarily nicely and took their probabilities. However each member of Liverpool’s again 4 at Craven Cottage made avoidable, person mistakes which allowed the hosts to emphatically overturn Alexis Mac Allister’s effective Thirteenth-minute strike from lengthy vary that opened the scoring.
Jones may simplest get his knee to Andreas Pereira’s Twenty third-minute pass, diverting the ball again into the chance space the place Ryan Sessegnon thrashed a shot previous Caoimhín Kelleher, deputizing for Alisson because the Brazilian continues his restoration from a concussion sustained whilst on world responsibility. Robertson then tried to set a list for many errors in one passage of play. His cross-field cross discovered Alex Iwobi ahead of his tried intervention then gave Iwobi a 2nd probability to purpose issues. The Fulham winger did simply that, transferring the ball to his left and firing a shot that Robertson deflected previous Kelleher. Ibrahima Konaté appeared shaky from the outset, but it surely was once the in most cases stoic Virgil van Dijk who was once became a long way too simply via Rodrigo Muniz as he amassed Iwobi’s hopeful lofted ball ahead of drilling a low shot previous Kelleher.
Liverpool’s error-strewn efficiency in defeat at Fulham may not jeopardize their Premier League identify bid but it surely displays how a lot wishes to modify in the summertime. Julian Finney/Getty Pictures
3 targets in 14 mins represented a shocking cave in; it’s the first time Liverpool had conceded thrice within the first part of a Premier League sport since October 2020 and the primary time of their historical past after scoring the outlet purpose.
“I noticed some excellent build-up scenarios — the best way we located ourselves,” Slot mentioned post-match. “It wasn’t 45 mins of crisis. However the mistakes aren’t one thing we’re used to and that is the reason one thing other than enjoying poorly, for my part.
“Some of the the reason why we’re within the positions we’re in is that we are not making numerous errors and if we do, the avid gamers attempt to make up for them. It will occur, particularly for those who play a just right workforce like Fulham. After all, we created such a lot of probabilities that we can have made up for it. We lacked time. Then the remaining 20-25 mins, I feel it was once transparent.”
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Liverpool’s reaction hinted at why they’ve cast the sort of commanding lead on the height. Diogo Jota went shut 3 mins after the restart, and Slot went thru his choices in flip, first introducing Luis Díaz and Harvey Elliott ahead of Bradley, Darwin Núñez and Federico Chiesa joined the struggle.
Díaz halved the deficit with a well-taken purpose on 72 mins to arrange a hectic finale through which Mohamed Salah by no means actually got here alive, blazing over his simplest primary probability previous within the sport. As an alternative, Elliott hit the crossbar and Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno made two additional stoppage-time saves as the house aspect held on. The outcome takes Marco Silva’s workforce as much as 8th within the desk and now not with out hope {that a} Champions League spot may well be inside their grab.
Fulham had been superb all the way through — Sander Berge battled admirably in midfield whilst Calvin Bassey shackled Salah — however Liverpool’s lack of ability to have the ability again additionally underlined their reliance at the Egypt world to make the variation. He has performed so again and again — scoring 27 targets in 31 league appearances — however after netting in 8 successive video games, he now has two from seven fits and either one of the ones had been consequences towards Southampton, who concurrently this sport had been throughout London having their relegation showed at Tottenham Hotspur.
On Salah’s struggles, Slot mentioned: “Perhaps he must see it as a praise [that people are talking about it] as a result of his numbers weren’t commonplace [when he was scoring]. The advantage of Mo is he is aware of what sort of participant he’s. Mo will display up once more, I do not be concerned about that.”
Liverpool have benefitted from their key avid gamers staying are compatible for thus a lot more of the marketing campaign than their opponents — suppose Rodri’s knee damage at Manchester Town or long absences for Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, Kai Havertz and Ben White at Arsenal — however the requirement for Salah to ship in each sport has turn into a subject they should cope with on the finish of the season, maximum acutely if he does go away the membership. And you’ll upload a centre-forward to the checklist of summer time necessities.
The controversy ahead of this sport was once about profitable margins — the largest in Premier League historical past is the nineteen issues Town completed above Manchester United in 2017-18 — and the appropriate date they may be able to mathematically safe the identify.
This was once a reminder there may be nonetheless a role to be performed. And, concurrently, that the paintings of staying the most productive aspect in England should proceed apace this summer time.
