Liverpool’s draw at Craven Cottage felt like one of those afternoons that leaves more questions than answers.
We thought we had stolen it late on, only for a moment of brilliance to rip two points away.
Harrison Reed’s 97th-minute strike cancelled out Cody Gakpo’s stoppage-time goal and sealed a 2-2 draw that was dramatic but deeply frustrating.
John Aldridge reacted on X with a message that cut through the emotion.
“If you’re not going to win a game in the last minute, that’s the only way you can accept it,” the former Liverpool striker wrote.
“Still gutted,” he added, before urging perspective and suggesting we are “going for fourth place obviously now.”
That assessment will land heavily with supporters, but it reflects a broader pattern that has emerged in recent games.
Aldridge view reflects familiar Liverpool problem
Fulham players celebrate a late draw against Liverpool
(Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Despite dominating possession, we struggled to create anything meaningful in the first half.
Speaking from the ground, Aadam Patel captured the issue clearly when he said opposition sides are “comfortable sitting back and letting [Liverpool] have the ball.”
“All that possession but hardly any threat whatsoever,” he added, describing a Liverpool side “crying out for some spark.”
Those words echoed the mood after the Leeds draw, when Aldridge questioned the lack of drive and ideas despite a clean sheet.
Without Hugo Ekitike, who was missing with a slight hamstring issue as reported before kick-off, we lacked a focal point.
Arne Slot’s side had gone four successive halves without scoring before Florian Wirtz finally hauled us level early in the second half.
Aldridge comments put Liverpool draw into context
Cody Gakpo celebrates scoring against Fulham
(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Jeremie Frimpong’s energy off the bench then produced the moment we thought had won it, with his cross finding Gakpo at the back post.
Yet even in that chaos, the underlying numbers told a story.
At half-time, Liverpool had not managed a shot on target despite controlling the ball.
Fulham punished us with their first effort, when Raul Jiminez slid in Harry Wilson to finish past Alisson.
Reed’s late strike, a contender for goal of the season, summed up the fine margins.
Aldridge’s message was not defeatist, it was pragmatic.
Liverpool remain fourth in the table, unbeaten in nine games, and still well placed.
But performances like this explain why the former Anfield favourite is urging realism.
And why complaints about a missing spark, heard at half-time, still felt relevant at full-time.
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