By LEWIS STEELE, FOOTBALL REPORTER
Published: 13:21 EST, 4 January 2026 | Updated: 13:23 EST, 4 January 2026
Arne Slot's critics would have been busy binning their verdicts which tore apart the Liverpool manager and this sorry title defence.
Cody Gakpo had just scored a 94th-minute goal to surely send the champions on their way to a vital and undeserved win on the road – and the away end was sent into bedlam.
But soon those dissenters were rooting through the bin for their disparaging analysis as Harrison Reed scored one of the goals of 2026 (and we are not just saying that because it came on day four of the year) to condemn Liverpool to another dismal draw.
We will come on to the shortcomings of Slot’s team shortly – and there are many – but first we must celebrate Fulham and a draw that felt like a victory on a bitterly cold evening by the banks of the Thames.
Ex-Everton boss Marco Silva celebrated a well-earned point against his old rivals – and they might have taken all three if the small margins of them hitting the woodwork and being pegged back by an extremely tight offside call went slightly differently.
Craven Cottage sang a chorus of ‘the ginger Iniesta’ in celebration of the strawberry-blonde hero Reed and this was one of the most memorable strikes on the SW6 postcode since the real Iniesta, Andres, scored for Barcelona in the 93rd minute at Stamford Bridge back in 2010.
Liverpool's ongoing injury crisis does not excuse Arne Slot after another disappointing result
Harrison Reed's stunning last-gasp thunderbolt earned Fulham a 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage
Cody Gakpo thought he had earned all three points with a go-ahead goal in stoppage time
It was all they deserved after Harry Wilson had put them ahead with a thunderous strike on 17 minutes before Florian Wirtz scored his second goal in his last three games to equalise and give Gakpo the springboard to win the game… or so he thought.
YOU'RE A WIZARD, HARRY
Indeed he is, judging off the last month or so anyway.
The little Welshman Wilson has more goal involvements than anyone in the Premier League other than Erling Haaland since the start of November – four goals and four assists now in his last eight league outings.
‘He left because you’re s***,’ joked the home fans about the 28-year-old Wrexham-born star who spent 17 years on Liverpool’s books in the academy.
Wilson, who has spent most of his career out wide but is now flourishing as a No 10, has always been a talented player.
But now he is in the best form of his life and should have added a second late on when Alisson fumbled a loose ball and he attempted an audacious chip that hit the bar and had Virgil van Dijk scrambling to clear as it bounced back.
Raul Jimenez, too, played well as Silva’s men made it five league games unbeaten, losing just three of their last 11.
They are within touching distance of Europe and, when they play like this, why not dream of a continental tour in 2026?
Ex-Liverpool man Harry Wilson fired the Cottagers ahead with a fine strike in the first half
Reds forwards Alexander Isak (left) and Hugo Ekitike (right) were both absent through injury
DRY JANUARY CONTINUES FOR SLOT
Most Liverpool fans and Arne Slot would have snapped your hand off in late November if you offered them a run of nine games without defeat.
At the time, to jog your memories, the Premier League champions had won just four in 15 matches that prompted serious questions to be asked over the head coach’s job security.
So some credit is due to Slot and Co for fixing the leak and defensive frailties they showed through autumn. But after another dismal draw here at Fulham, we ask: can you remember a more insipid or uninspiring nine-match unbeaten streak than this one Liverpool are on?
They are not leaking goals like they were in November – they lost 4-1 to PSV Eindhoven and 3-0 to Nottingham Forest in back-to-back games – but now look toothless in attack. OK, they scored two here, but gone are the days of teams being frightened of Liverpool.
Daniel Farke’s Leeds, who drew at Anfield on New Year’s Day, and Fulham are both in good form and deserved their points against the Reds. But after spending £450million in the summer, Liverpool fans are right to demand more.
One mitigating factor is that Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike are all out injured. If you were to list the Reds players you fancied to score in order, those would be top three.
French striker Ekitike, who is their top scorer with eight goals this term, is hoping to be back fit for the trip to Arsenal on Thursday and, playing like this, Slot will be having nightmares about going to north London.
Right now, any well-coached team picks holes in Liverpool’s plan and goes into the match fancying themselves. That is damning for Slot regardless of an injury crisis.
Florian Wirtz's second-half equaliser for the Reds was awarded after a lengthy VAR review
Liverpool's signings from Bayer Leverkusen, Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong, are coming good
LEVERKUSEN LADS COMING GOOD
One positive for Liverpool is that the two signings from Bayer Leverkusen, Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong, look the part.
Wirtz had a slow start to life in England but the German international has turned a corner recently with three goal involvements in his last four games, while Frimpong has played a crucial creative role since recovering from a hamstring injury.
It was his cross which teed up Gakpo to score his last-gasp goal.
Another new boy from the Bundesliga, Ekitike, was sorely missed here and Liverpool need him back for the trip to Arsenal if they are to stand any chance.