How the national media reacted to Liverpool's rollercoaster 2-2 draw with Fulham
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Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Fulham FC at Anfield
Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Fulham FC at Anfield
(Image: Photo by Nikki Dyer - LFC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Diogo Jota marked his return from injury with a late equaliser as Liverpool twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Fulham despite playing over 70 minutes with 10 men. Andy Robertson was sent off for denial of a goalscoring opportunity in the 17th minute after tripping Harry Wilson.
Already trailing to Andreas Pereira’s volley, Cody Gakpo equalised for the Reds shortly after half-time. And while Rodrigo Muniz restored the Cottagers’ lead, Jota was on hand to level the scores once more in the dying embers of the match.
It was a deserved point for Arne Slot’s men, who were in truth unfortunate not to claim all three points despite their man disadvantage for the majority.
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Deemed more as a point gained rather than two points lost, with Liverpool now five points clear at the top of the Premier League table, here’s what the national media thought of the Reds’ performance…
Paul Joyce of The Times was impressed by Slot’s side’s resilience following the latest twist in the Premier League title-race as he wrote: “That Liverpool had been in a position to take all three points from a breathless affair served as a testament to their character and resolve.
“They had trailed early, were reduced to ten men after 17 minutes when Andrew Robertson, whose cameo was in direct contrast to that of his rival (Antonee Robinson), was red-carded, but still clambered off the canvas to equalise twice.
“Yet, amid the din of expectation, there remained frustration and Arne Slot would have taken little consolation from ultimately being proved right following an encounter in which so much went wrong for his team.
“Two weeks ago, when Liverpool opened up a nine-point cushion at the top of the table, the Dutchman announced that there would be so many twists and turns to come that lingering on that lead would be time wasted.
“He would not have expected to be proved correct quite so soon but, by this evening, the advantage will be cut to two points should Chelsea maintain their impressive momentum.”
The Guardian’s Andy Hunter was also left impressed by the Reds’ character, even if it was two points dropped. He wrote: “In the cold light of a relentless title race it was two points dropped for Liverpool.
“In the heat of a gruelling assignment against Fulham, and the glow of an appreciative Anfield, it felt very different indeed. Reduced to 10 men after 17 minutes, and 2-1 down in the 85th, Arne Slot’s Premier League leaders delivered another defiant, tactically astute performance until the last. Victory eluded Liverpool, but the character on display will embolden them…
“It was a breathless fixture that both coaches believed they should have won. Liverpool have now dropped points in their last two league games, and were unconvincing against Girona in the Champions League in between, but Slot had only praise for his players here.
“Not for the referee, however, nor Fulham’s tendency to disrupt Liverpool’s momentum by calling for medical attention… It was an enthralling spectacle and Slot seized the positives.”
**Richard Jolly of The Independent**echoed similar sentiments as he lauded Liverpool for passing another test of character as they were left wondering what might have been, writing: “Two points dropped, one test of character passed. It remains to be seen which proves more significant in the final reckoning but this was stirring stuff from Liverpool FC.
“Twice in the position of being both a goal and a man down, they conjured two equalisers in a demonstration of their spirit and Arne Slot’s resourcefulness. If the Dutchman was supposed to be about control, this was a sequel to the chaos of the 3-3 draw at Newcastle.
“Slot, normally that byword for calmness, was caught up in the emotion of the occasion, getting cautioned at one point, his head in his hands at another. Yet if he displayed some cool thinking to extend Liverpool’s unbeaten run to 19 games, so did Diogo Jota. Seven minutes into his comeback after more than seven weeks out, the substitute showed the composure to level…
“The bare facts are that victory eluded Liverpool for a second successive league match just as Fulham FC, after holding Arsenal, made another intervention in the title race. In a match that turned into a 107-minute epic of 28 shots, seven yellow cards for the players – plus one for Slot – and a red, Fulham held their own…
“If Slot has excelled as a problem solver so far in his reign, he tinkered, at first unsuccessfully and later more influentially to change a game that threatened to get away from Liverpool…
“Liverpool had the same combination of pride and disappointment, of what could have been from what was a wonderful game.”
Lewis Steele of the Daily Mail felt he had witnessed a ‘game of the season contender’ at Anfield, but was left wondering what it could mean for the title-race come May.
He wrote: “This was a game not about skill but mentality. It was about the ability to pull oneself up off the canvas and wrest back enough belief to rally in the face of adversity.
“Liverpool and Fulham were going at it like two bruised fighters in a 12-round bout, one dizzied by the black eye of an early blow, each taking it in turns to take their lumps and looking ready to throw in the towel.
“But ultimately neither refused to give up. And ultimately neither landed that crucial knockout blow, as 10-man Liverpool twice fought from behind to earn a battling draw thanks to substitute Diogo Jota coming back with a bang to equalise on 86 minutes.
“In a sport famed for its fine margins, one stroke of good or bad luck could have seen the Premier League leaders go home with three or zero points. Arne Slot will settle for the point, while knowing full well his team could have recorded a famous win – or a damaging defeat.
“This game of the season contender – in terms of edge-of-the-seat entertainment at least – started with a crunching tackle made by Fulham defender Issa Diop on Andy Robertson in the first minute. It nearly ended Robertson’s afternoon and Diop was lucky to escape a red card…
“It was a day to forget for Robertson – who has been criticised by fans this season for sub-par performances overall – and, at this point, it looked like an afternoon of regret was going to sweep across the board for Liverpool.
“A big test of true champions is how they get over setbacks and it felt like that question was happening on a micro level here…
“Jota, fellow substitute Harvey Elliott and Luis Diaz all had chances to win the game but, in the end, they were forced to settle for a draw. There was a sense of regret at that. Looking back in May, though, gaining a point with 10 men for 73 minutes could be seismic.”
The Telegraph’s Chris Bascombe felt Liverpool were made to pay for another sluggish start, writing: “Liverpool dropped two home points, but in the context of an extraordinary game against Fulham they were grateful for the most unlikely of draws.
“Reduced to 10 men for 74 minutes, the league leaders twice equalised, with substitute Diogo Jota coming to the rescue late on after Rodrigo Muniz appeared to have won it for the visitors.
“Sluggish starts have become habitual for Liverpool, their trend for saving their best until the second half consistently producing results.
“But they paid a heavy price this time, Andy Robertson’s 16th minute red card presenting a Herculean challenge for the league leads to avoid defeat…
“Liverpool were not finished, Jota showing what has been missing in his absence with a cute finish to set up a frantic finale when the hosts squandered chances to seal the most unlikely of wins.”
And finally, the Liverpool ECHO’s Liverpool FC correspondent Paul Gorst was left cursing some of the officiating decisions that ultimately helped decide the game in his post-match verdict.
He wrote: “The booing that echoed around Anfield at full time was not reserved for the efforts of the Liverpool players, who played around 90 minutes all in a man down. Nor were they aimed at Arne Slot, whose game-changing substitutes saved a point.
“Instead, they were directed squarely at the match officials and their colleagues on VAR, who Reds fans were clearly incensed by. The only question was which of the handful of decisions they felt most aggrieved by…
“Whatever the disgruntled noise was really aimed at, it wasn't the commitment of the 10 men and the subs, who ran themselves to a standstill throughout to cover for the loss of left-back Robertson, who now sits out Wednesday's trip to Southampton in the Carabao Cup. Such was the time-wasting theatrics of the visitors - which is of course their prerogative - that it was difficult to ascertain just who exactly had the fewer men without counting them.
“Having twice fallen behind to goals from Pereira and substitute Rodrigo Muniz, however, the 10 men were forced to settle for a point that does little for their title aspirations and opens the door slightly for the chasing pack. For Chelsea, who entertain Brentford on Sunday evening, the Londoners now have the chance to reduce the gap to just two points and they were the real winners here. Last week's Merseyside derby postponement does at least give Slot's team a game-in-hand on that score.
“Framing this result in that way, though, does a disservice to how well Liverpool actually played here against a full complement of Fulham players. The mental reserves, the stamina and the quality was there in droves when needed, even if a dramatic late winner could not be sourced…
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“Liverpool will feel more frustrated of the two but, as evidenced by the noise at full time, it will pale in comparison with how the supporters felt over how this game was officiated.”