Liverpool’s 26-game unbeaten run in the Premier League came to an end at Fulham, with self-inflicted mistakes seeing Arne Slot‘s men dig their own hole at Craven Cottage.
Alexis Mac Allister scored a beauty but what followed at the other end of the pitch was not pretty for Liverpool, who left themselves with too much to do in the second half.
The Reds are still 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League table, we can’t forget that, but it was another performance and result that underlined what Slot still needs to address.
Here, Joanna Durkan (@JoannaDurkan_) and Abigail Rudkin (@rudkin_abigail), who was at Craven Cottage, discuss the defeat and look at the bigger picture.
The good…
ABIGAIL: In terms of match day experience, I think Fulham is one of the best aways in the league.
The area is brilliant, the vibes are great and the sun was out which added to the good vibes!
The away end was bouncing for the majority of the game. Song after song that I’ve nearly lost my voice. Even when 3-1 down, the fans never stopped.
Despite losing the game, I walked out with fans singing “We’re gonna win the league,” which I think tells you everything you need to know about how this season has gone for the Reds!
JOANNA: It’s such a contrast to the echo chamber of social media, isn’t it? The away end sounded brilliant, just a shame the team couldn’t match you all!
Alexis Mac Allister was the only starter I could commend for his performance, poor guy must’ve felt he was doing three jobs at once – not for the first time this season!
Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott were full of energy and impetus when they finally came on, and Bradley’s return is a relief.
Still 11 points clear at the top and four wins needed (that’s if Arsenal don’t drop any more points), I’ll be hanging on to that!
The bad…
JOANNA: I sense a quick list may encapsulate the key issues, lest I go on a rant:
• Slot not trusting his whole squad and failing to utilise fresh legs• Careless mistakes in defence from veterans. They may be fatigued, Arne!• Slot weirdly throwing on all his forwards, taking momentum away from his earlier subs• Lack of creativity without Trent at right-back• Inability to control and manage game from a winning position• Breeding complacency as the ‘starters’ know Slot won’t swap them out of the XI
Ultimately, it was another spotlight on the areas Slot and Liverpool need to improve in the final weeks of the season and over the summer.
ABIGAIL: The first half just felt like a mess. It felt complacent at times by the defence with overconfident passes that caused us issues.
As you pointed out Joanna, I think you could truly see the tiredness in the players that have fought all season to get as many points on the board as they can to get to this point.
Thankfully, the subs in the second half brought life back into the game. I see a bright future for Bradley at this club, and I hope Harvey too.
And are we really starting to see what life without Trent looks like, and what it’ll take to replace his creativity?
JOANNA: Yes, the lack of creativity when Trent isn’t in the side is abundantly clear. Salah is isolated and the ball is not progressed with as much ease.
With Liverpool’s midfielders nullified and not taking the responsibility to create, we cannot progress the ball up the pitch as smoothly as we need.
We know in an ideal world Jarell Quansah and Curtis Jones wouldn’t be needed at right-back but with Bradley’s injury record far from ideal, what will the club do to address the situation?
Bradley was incredibly bright when he came on late and it emphasised the gaping hole in the team. Can he replace Trent? Possibly, but I just struggle to see him staying fit, sadly.
ABIGAIL: The loss of Trent would hurt any team. He’s a world-class footballer with the passing ability of the absolute elite.
His ability to ping in a brilliant ball to feed the forwards was massively missed here. However, Bradley’s performance defensively and pushing forward and carrying the ball himself seemed promising.
No player is bigger than Liverpool, everyone is replaceable.
