Wataru Endo and Trent Alexander-Arnold scored late goals to cap a historic comeback for Liverpool over Fulham on Sunday.
Jurgen Klopp’s team took the lead through Alexander-Arnold, but Harry Wilson leveled the score five minutes later. Alexis MacAllister restored Liverpool’s lead, but Kenny Tete equalized on the stroke of halftime, leaving the game evenly matched.
When Bobby De Cordova-Reid scored in the 80th minute, Fulham thought they had earned a remarkable victory at Anfield. Endo and Alexander-Arnold, however, appeared to turn the game on its head.
The defeat keeps Liverpool just two points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, with Manchester City and Aston Villa still in contention. Fulham, on the other hand, are only eight points above the relegation zone.
Here are the key points from Anfield…
Salah’s mission
One of the major talking points leading up to Sunday’s game was Mohamed Salah’s attempt to score his 200th Liverpool goal. Only Ian Rush (346), Roger Hunt (285), Gordon Hodgson (241) and Billy Liddell (228) have scored more goals for the club.
When Bernd Leno spilled Dominik Szoboszlai’s long-range shot, allowing Luis Diaz to retrieve the ball, Salah felt he had hit the milestone early on. It then slid to Salah for a tap-in, but replays revealed Diaz was standing offside.
In the build-up to Salah’s disallowed goal, there was a contentious moment… and it had nothing to do with VAR. Diaz’s knee collided with the goalkeeper’s head as he fought Leno for the ball. Leno required extensive therapy, including skull bandaging.
Despite suffering a serious injury, Leno was allowed to continue playing. He wasn’t even replaced at halftime. The incident is expected to rekindle the argument over whether Premier League players should be allowed to continue playing after being hit in the head.
Alexander-Arnold’s powerful free kick slammed into the underside of Leno’s bar and fell into the net in the 20th minute. “My word, what a strike,” ex-Liverpool player Stephen Warnock commented in BBC Radio 5 Live commentary.
Alexander-Arnold was regarded as “outstanding” by Warnock, who feels his free kick will be remembered as “one of the best” of the Premier League season. Although it’s difficult to disagree with the pundit, Liverpool’s celebrations were short-lived.
Wilson, a Wales international who graduated from Liverpool’s academy, scored the equalizer after getting on the end of Antonee Robinson’s cross. It didn’t matter that the winger declined to celebrate in front of the Kop. The game was simple.
Mac Allister’s first goal for Liverpool, a bouncing ball into the top corner from roughly 25 yards out, may be remembered as his best. Talk about precise. What is the season’s goal? It ranks alongside Alejandro Garnacho’s bicycle kick against Everton.
Liverpool fans were looking forward to discussing Alexander-Arnold and Mac Allister’s incredible goals at halftime, but Fulham had other plans. The ball was flicked on from a corner into Tete’s path, who redirected it to Caoimhin Kelleher.
The injured Alisson’s replacement, the stand-in goalie, managed to get something on the ball… but not enough. He instantly whirled around, desperate to stop the ball from crossing the line. Despite Liverpool’s stunning goals, Fulham were level at halftime.
A thrilling conclusion
After the break, the action resumed. Nunez nearly made it 3-2 when he hit the crossbar from roughly nine yards out. Moments later, the Uruguayan had another wonderful opportunity, but he fumbled his lines.
Fulham took advantage of Nunez’s squandering by scoring the game-winning goal 10 minutes from time. Willian found Tom Cairney, who chipped a cross into the six-yard box for De Cordova-Reid to attack. That header appeared to be the final act.
But then there was a stunning conclusion.
