Arne Slot’s critics would have been busy binning their verdicts which tore aside the Liverpool supervisor and this sorry title defence.
Cody Gakpo had simply scored a 94th-minute objective to certainly ship the champions on their solution to a significant and undeserved win on the street – and the away finish was despatched into bedlam.
However quickly these dissenters had been rooting by means of the bin for his or her disparaging evaluation as Harrison Reed scored one of many targets of 2026 (and we aren’t simply saying that as a result of it got here on day 4 of the 12 months) to sentence Liverpool to a different dismal draw.
We’ll come on to the shortcomings of Slot’s staff shortly – and there are a lot of – however first we should rejoice Fulham and a draw that felt like a victory on a bitterly chilly night by the banks of the Thames.
Ex-Everton boss Marco Silva celebrated a well-earned level towards his outdated rivals – they usually may need taken all three if the small margins of them hitting the woodwork and being pegged again by a particularly tight offside name went barely in a different way.
Craven Cottage sang a refrain of ‘the ginger Iniesta’ in celebration of the strawberry-blonde hero Reed and this was one of the crucial memorable strikes on the SW6 postcode since the true Iniesta, Andres, scored for Barcelona within the 93rd minute at Stamford Bridge again in 2010.
Liverpool’s ongoing damage disaster doesn’t excuse Arne Slot after one other disappointing outcome
Harrison Reed’s gorgeous last-gasp thunderbolt earned Fulham a 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage
Cody Gakpo thought he had earned all three factors with a go-ahead objective in stoppage time
It was all they deserved after Harry Wilson had put them forward with a thunderous strike on 17 minutes earlier than Florian Wirtz scored his second objective in his final three video games to equalise and provides Gakpo the springboard to win the sport… or so he thought.
YOU’RE A WIZARD, HARRY
Certainly he’s, judging off the final month or so anyway.
The little Welshman Wilson has extra objective involvements than anybody within the Premier League aside from Erling Haaland for the reason that begin of November – 4 targets and 4 assists now in his final eight league outings.
‘He left since you’re s***,’ joked the house followers concerning the 28-year-old Wrexham-born star who spent 17 years on Liverpool’s books within the academy.
Wilson, who has spent most of his profession out vast however is now flourishing as a No 10, has at all times been a proficient participant.
However now he’s in the most effective type of his life and may have added a second late on when Alisson fumbled a free ball and he tried an audacious chip that hit the bar and had Virgil van Dijk scrambling to clear because it bounced again.
Raul Jimenez, too, performed effectively as Silva’s males made it 5 league video games unbeaten, dropping simply three of their final 11.
They’re inside touching distance of Europe and, once they play like this, why not dream of a continental tour in 2026?
Ex-Liverpool man Harry Wilson fired the Cottagers forward with a tremendous strike within the first half
Reds forwards Alexander Isak (left) and Hugo Ekitike (proper) had been each absent by means of damage
DRY JANUARY CONTINUES FOR SLOT
Most Liverpool followers and Arne Slot would have snapped your hand off in late November for those who supplied them a run of 9 video games with out defeat.
On the time, to jog your recollections, the Premier League champions had gained simply 4 in 15 matches that prompted critical inquiries to be requested over the top coach’s job safety.
So some credit score is because of Slot and Co for fixing the leak and defensive frailties they confirmed by means of autumn. However after one other dismal draw right here at Fulham, we ask: are you able to bear in mind a extra insipid or uninspiring nine-match unbeaten streak than this one Liverpool are on?
They aren’t leaking targets like they had been in November – they misplaced 4-1 to PSV Eindhoven and 3-0 to Nottingham Forest in back-to-back video games – however now look toothless in assault. OK, they scored two right here, however gone are the times of groups being terrified of Liverpool.
Daniel Farke’s Leeds, who drew at Anfield on New 12 months’s Day, and Fulham are each in good kind and deserved their factors towards the Reds. However after spending £450million in the summertime, Liverpool followers are proper to demand extra.
One mitigating issue is that Mohamed Salah is away on the Africa Cup of Nations, whereas Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike are each out injured. In case you had been to checklist the Reds gamers you fancied to attain so as, these can be prime three.
French striker Ekitike, who’s their prime scorer with eight targets this time period, is hoping to be again match for the journey to Arsenal on Thursday and, enjoying like this, Slot shall be having nightmares about going to north London.
Proper now, any well-coached staff picks holes in Liverpool’s plan and goes into the match fancying themselves. That’s damning for Slot no matter an damage disaster.
Florian Wirtz’s second-half equaliser for the Reds was awarded after a prolonged VAR assessment
Liverpool’s signings from Bayer Leverkusen, Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong, are coming good
LEVERKUSEN LADS COMING GOOD
One constructive for Liverpool is that the 2 signings from Bayer Leverkusen, Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong, look the half.
Wirtz had a sluggish begin to life in England however the German worldwide has turned a nook lately with three objective involvements in his final 4 video games, whereas Frimpong has performed a vital inventive position since recovering from a hamstring damage.
It was his cross which teed up Gakpo to attain his last-gasp objective.
One other new boy from the Bundesliga, Ekitike, was sorely missed right here and Liverpool want him again for the journey to Arsenal if they’re to face any probability.
