Match Report: Liverpool Win Casts Fulham Deeper Into The Mire
Fulham and Liverpool played out an entertaining encounter in west London as the Reds secured a last-gasp 3-2 win to move just 4 points off top. With Arsenal and Chelsea stuttering and Manchester City's game postponed, Brendan Rodgers' side capitalised in dramatic fashion to cast the hosts deeper into the mire.
Fulham were the brighter of the two sides in the opening half and were able to make their early pressure count after Kolo Touré comically put through his own net following some good work by Lewis Holtby and Kieran Richardson. However, the hosts were pegged back 5 minutes before the interval as Steven Gerrard sensationally found Daniel Sturridge, who nestled past Maarten Stekelenburg.
The visitors began the second half strongly and came close to taking the initiative on the hour mark as Luis Suárez struck the post from 20 yards, but were made to pay for their wastefulness with Richardson putting Fulham back in front after Martin Skrtel sliced his clearance into his path. The Cottagers couldn't hold on however as Philippe Coutinho levelled matters with a deflected effort from the edge of the 18-yard box before Gerrard secured the win for the Reds from the spot in the 90th minute.
It was only Liverpool's third away win in their last 10 games, but they made sure they didn't drop points in their quest to secure a Champions League berth. The visiting team, despite their slow start, exerted their dominance upon the Premier League's bottom side, firing away 21 shots to Fulham's 11, enjoyed 69% possession and an 87% pass success to the hosts' 62%.
Unsurprisingly, Rodgers persisted with an unchanged XI from the 5-1 win over Arsenal on Saturday, but the beginning was the polar opposite to the victory at the weekend. Fulham attacked with purpose right from the off and already had 1 shot and 3 of their 7 corners by the time Touré sliced past Simon Mignolet. René Meulensteen's side then had a further 5 chances to double their advantage before Sturridge equalised prior to half time.
The second half saw Liverpool race out of the blocks, but were made to pay for their inability to put the ball past Stekelenburg as Richardson profited from a sloppy Skrtel clearance to smash past Mignolet. The Slovakian's error means only Manchester City, Norwich, Stoke and Tottenham (all 9) have committed more errors that have led to goals than Liverpool (7) in the Premier League this term, a factor of their game they need to cut out.
In the end, Coutinho and Gerrard spared the blushes of Touré and Skrtel to bolster their chances of a top 4 finish, a much needed result with Tottenham romping to a 4-0 win over Newcastle. Rodgers may have described his Liverpool side as 'foals' in the title race following the 5-1 thumping of Arsenal, but if they're able to steer clear of injuries to key players, notably the in-form strike trio of Raheem Sterling, Suárez and Sturridge, there's no reason why they can't be challenging come May.
As for Fulham, the result will have come as a massive hammer blow to their confidence in their bid to stave off relegation. The club now sit 4 points off safety having won just 3 of their last 17 and the league encounter with West Brom on the 22nd is a must-win for the side.
However, it goes without saying that they won't go down without a fight. Fulham dominated in spells over the course of the game, but ultimately the quality in Liverpool's squad proved to be the difference on the night.
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