Liverpool 2-2 Fulham: Five Things We Learned
Liverpool produced a superb response to going down to 10 men to twice come from behind and secure a point against Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday.
After Marco Silva's team took the lead through Andreas Pereira in the 11th minute, Andy Robertson was sent off six minutes later after he felled Harry Wilson, who appeared to be in on goal.
Cody Gakpo headed in Mohamed Salah's pinpoint cross two minutes after half-time to equalise, and shortly after, Liverpool were denied a stonewall penalty when Joe Gomez was brought down by Kenny Tete as the defender went to block Gakpo's shot.
Fulham retook the lead with 15 minutes to go, but Arne Slot's team responded again and levelled when the returning Diogo Jota kept his cool to finish past Bernd Leno in the 86th minute.
It was a tough afternoon for Liverpool in a match they were expected to win, but in hindsight, the point gained was a good one considering the circumstances they faced during the match.
Five Things We Learned
1 - Diogo Jota's return is huge for Liverpool
The Portugal international has missed over two months of action after picking up an upper-body injury against Chelsea at the start of October.
Before his injury, he was Slot's starting centre forward and with Darwin Nunez out of form, his return could not be better timed, and his impact against Fulham was immediate.
2 - Andy Robertson's woes continue
The 30-year-old is experiencing his toughest spell in a Reds shirt since joining from Hull in 2017.
After giving away penalties against Southampton and Real Madrid, there did appear to be an upturn in his form over recent games, but the sending-off was another howler from the Scotland captain.
He must improve fast if he wants to quieten the noise that the Anfield hierarchy should be looking for a replacement.
3 - Defensive injuries are starting to take their toll
The absence of Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konate and Kostas Tsimikas is starting to hit the Reds' defensive record, with five goals conceded in their last two league matches.
Slot's team have not looked the same at the back without Konate and his return cannot come soon enough to give some respite to Virgil van Dijk.
4 - Refereeing inconsistencies continue
Whilst Liverpool contributed to their own downfall at times at Anfield on Saturday, the decision-making from officials once again was frustratingly inconsistent.
Issa Diop was only shown a yellow card for a knee-high tackle on Robertson in the 2nd minute, an action which may have had an impact on the Scotland captain's mobility when he was caught out for the incident that led to his own red card.
Andreas Pereira's raking of Ryan Gravenberch's achilles in the ninth minute also only merited a yellow card from referee Tony Harrington.
In truth, the Brazilian also could have received his marching orders and, to compound matters scored the opening goal two minutes later.
Robertson's sending-off can be debated, but it was understandable then after Gakpo had equalised, Joe Gomez was poleaxed in the box by Tete, and no penalty was awarded.
It is difficult to imagine that Slot, who picked up a yellow card and will face a touchline ban against Southampton in midweek, and Liverpool will face another match this season with so many controversial decisions that could easily have fallen in their favour.
5 - Arne Slot is an elite coach
The Reds Head Coach was brilliant in tweaking his team's shape and positions to make them competitive in a tough match.
His initial re-shuffle of the 10 men did not work, something he was quick to spot, and further adjustments followed before Liverpool settled into a pattern where they were able to dominate their opponents despite their one-man disadvantage.
Slot deserves huge credit for helping his team with his tactical decisions and earning them what could be a vital point at the end of the season.
Mature Liverpool Enthusiast. LFC Transfer Room contributor & writer since 2021.