Diogo Jota rescues point for 10-man Liverpool to deny Fulham famous win | Premier League

In the cold light of a relentless title race Liverpool may consider this a disappointing draw. The reality of a gruelling assignment against Fulham, and the atmosphere inside Anfield, told otherwise. Down to 10 men after 16 minutes, and 2-1 down until the 85th minute, Arne Slot’s Premier League leaders fought, pressed and attacked until the very last. Victory eluded Liverpool, but the performance will sustain them.

Marco Silva’s dangerous team led twice through Andreas Pereira and substitute Rodrigo Muniz. They also had the advantage of seeing Andy Robertson sent off for denying Harry Wilson a goalscoring opportunity, but Fulham could not capitalise entirely. Cody Gakpo brought Liverpool level early in the second half before the fit-again Diogo Jota showed what Slot’s team have missed during his absence with another clinical strike. It was a breathless, absorbing fixture that both teams will think they should have won.

Fulham’s Issa Diop and Pereira both sailed close to a red card in the opening seven minutes. While Liverpool could complain over the pair only receiving yellow, and Luis Díaz also being booked for a perfectly legitimate attempt at an overhead kick, nothing could detract from the excellence of the visitors’ breakthrough.

A consummate team goal started with a Diop clearance to Wilson. The former Liverpool winger, a potent threat from the first whistle, switched play superbly to Alex Iwobi who released Antonee Robinson on the overlap down the left. The Fulham captain’s cross to the far post was met on the volley by the stretching Pereira, and his effort flew into the roof of Alisson’s net via the thigh of Robertson. It was a merited lead.

Misfortune stalked the Liverpool left back for the 16 minutes he was on the pitch. In the opening seconds he took a heavy blow to the outside of the knee from Diop when chasing a return ball from Gakpo towards the Fulham area. An offside flag had already been raised, and Robertson required lengthy treatment while VAR checked for a potential red card offence. Referee Tony Harrington’s yellow for a reckless challenge stood. Pereira soon followed the defender into the book for leaving his studs in Ryan Gravenberch’s ankle, having made no attempt to play the ball.

Robertson’s afternoon went further downhill, in contrast to the task confronting Liverpool, when he was shown a straight red card five minutes after the Fulham goal. There could be no complaints on this occasion. Attempting to cut out another piercing cross-field pass, this time from Sasa Lukic towards Wilson, the Scotland captain’s heavy first touch succeeded only in putting the Wales international through on goal. His next kick sent Wilson tumbling and an inevitable red followed after Virgil van Dijk hooked Raúl Jiménez’s follow-up off the line. Only a lengthy VAR review for a possible offside against Wilson could save Robertson. The Fulham man was eventually ruled on, and the Liverpool man was off.

Slot responded to the early crisis by pulling Mohamed Salah into a more central role alongside Díaz, pushing Trent Alexander-Arnold up into right midfield and dropping Ryan Gravenberch into defence in a 3-4-2 formation. It was a bold ploy to offer even more space to the dangerous Wilson but, yet again, the Liverpool head coach’s tactical tweaks delivered. Fulham could have profited against the ten men but a poor final pass, plus an important block by Joe Gomez on a Wilson shot, allowed Liverpool to escape and to settle. The hosts were the dominant force as half-time approached. Díaz had a great opportunity to equalise but headed over from close range when picked out by Dominik Szoboszlai’s first time cross.

The interval did not interrupt Liverpool’s momentum. Two minutes after the restart Salah floated a delightful cross to the far post where the unmarked Gakpo beat Bernd Leno with a diving header. Anfield went wild as VAR checked a possible foul by Díaz on Kenny Tete as the cross came in. The celebrations went up a notch when it was confirmed he did not, or certainly not enough to warrant the Fulham defender’s collapse from a touched arm.

Silva’s side were rattled. Leno saved from Gakpo and Salah struck the side-netting after Szoboszlai had led a counterattack from a Fulham corner. Gradually, however, the visitors regained their composure and eventually their lead. Robinson had wasted two excellent chances to find an unmarked teammate inside the Liverpool penalty area, first Jiménez and then Wilson, but atoned at the end of another incisive move down the Fulham left. Wilson and Iwobi combined to release the left back behind Liverpool substitute Jarell Quansah, who should have been stronger in the duel. When Robinson pulled the ball back from the by-line Rodrigo Muniz was on hand to flick the ball beyond the close attentions of Alisson and Gomez. He had replaced Jimeenez only eight minutes earlier.

Back came Liverpool, inspired by the cool heads and vision of substitutes Jota and Harvey Elliott. In the 86th minute Jota collected a pass from another Slot substitute, Darwin Núñez, twisted inside central defender Jorge Cuenca and slotted a fine finish beyond Leno. Mayhem ensued in the nine minutes of time added on. Jota, Núñez and Díaz all had close range shots charged down inside the Fulham six yard box. Alisson denied Adama Traoré as Fulham broke for the lead once again. It was a breathless conclusion to a fascinating game. Liverpool will no doubt rue the loss of two points on home soil but, in the circumstances, this was further evidence of the league leaders’ ability to find a way.