By Goal.com News on Sunday, 07 March 2021
Category: Goal.com News

LIVE: Liverpool vs Fulham

82' Alexander-Arnold knocks the ball past Aina as he tries to break forward down the right, but it was too heavy a touch. Adarabioyo is covering for the left-back and is able to clear the danger for Fulham.

80' Alexander-Arnold pulls away from Aina and he whips a good cross into Mane at the far post. Instead of going for goal, he tries to cushion it down for Salah, but he didn't make the run and Areola comes off his line to collect it.

78' It's still all Liverpool as they keep Fulham penned back deep in their own half and the hosts are switching it from right to let to try to open up some space through the middle. Fabinho tries to thread it through to Shaqiri, but it's cut out by Lemina.

74' Fulham break quickly with Cavaleiro driving forward down the left and he wrongfoots Rhys Williams to pick out Lookman. Despite having over 15 minutes left on the clock, Lookman takes the ball into the corner to try and give his side a break from Liverpool's pressure.

72' CLOSE! Liverpool are really starting to up the pressure now and Neco Williams pulls the ball back to Shaqiri on the edge of the box. He has time to set himself before curling his shot towards the top-left corner, but it's just wide of the post.

70' OFF THE BAR! It's a brilliant cross in from Keita and he picks out Mane at the far post. He sends his header back across goal and Areola just slips as he backtracks. It loops onto the crossbar and Salah's follow-up cross is blocked by Andersen.

69' Jota is breaking forward down the left for Liverpool so Rhys Williams looks to go long again. There's not enough on the pass though and Tete steps across to intercept it for Fulham.

66' Shaqiri swings a good corner into the box for Liverpool and Andersen misses his clearance at the near post. It hits Mane, who wasn't expecting it, and he can't get his feet sorted out quick enough to have a shot before Adarabioyo clears it.

64' Fulham have a free-kick on the left wing, but Cavaleiro's cross misses everyone and Jota sets his side off on the counter. He spots Mane making a driving run and tries to pick him out with a throughball, but there's too much on it and Lemina sees it back to Areola.

60' GOOD CHANCE! Milner's square pass is cut out by Cavaleiro and he drives forward down the left. Liverpool are quick to get back though and he cuts inside to try and get into space before curling a shot towards the far post, but it's well wide.

58' CLOSE! Fulham just can't clear their lines due to Liverpool's high press and Shaqiri plays it out to Neco Williams on the right. He cuts inside to the edge of the box before hitting a shot towards the near post, but it's just too high and Areola is happy to see it over.

56' Liverpool are keeping Fulham penned back deep in their own half still as Neco Williams pushes forward down the right. He has a lot of bodies to aim for in the middle, but Adarabioyo steps across to put it out for a corner.

54' Fulham are the first newly-promoted side to score the first goal in both home and away Premier League meetings with Liverpool in a season since Burnley in 2016-17.

52' Milner gets his head up deep in his own half and he spots Shaqiri running off the back of Adarabioyo. He plays a long ball over the top for him to run onto, but Areola is quickly off his line to collect it.

50' Liverpool have made a bright start to the second half and are keeping Fulham under pressure as they look for an equaliser. Neco Williams puts in another good cross from the right, but this one is too high for Salah.

48' DOUBLE SAVE! Neco Williams whips a cross in from the right to pick out Jota and he hits the shot on the volley. It's heading into the far top corner but Areola, on the stretch, reaches out an arm to push it away before quickly getting up to take it off Salah's head as he was following it in.

46' Liverpool get us back underway for the second half!

Parker will be pleased with his side's performance so far, as they've caused Liverpool some real problems going forward. He'll be hoping they can make the most of their chances though if they want to stay ahead. As for Liverpool, they've got into some dangerous positions at the other end without really testing Areola and Klopp will want to see a big improvement in the second half.

Lemina's goal just before half-time gives Fulham a 1-0 lead over Liverpool at half-time. The visitors had more chances with Maja forcing Alisson into a save from close range, while Shaqiri sent a free-kick just over the bar at the other end. Liverpool failed to clear their lines from a free-kick just before half-time and Lemina nicked it off Salah on the edge of his own box before drilling his low shot past Alisson and into the far bottom corner.

45' + 2' HALF-TIME: LIVERPOOL 0-1 FULHAM.

44' Cavaleiro does well to hold up the ball on the left of the box as he waited for support to join him before drilling it across the box. Maja and De Cordova-Reid both miss it in the middle and Tete's follow-up cross is blocked by Phillips.

41' Lookman is asking for a free-kick right on the edge of the area after he goes to ground off the ball under a challenge from Neco Williams. The referee waves the claim away, just as Jota brings down Lemina.

39' CLOSE! Shaqiri is stood over the free-kick for Liverpool and he curls his shot over the wall and is aiming for the far-top corner. Areola is beaten, but it's just too high and it lands on the roof of the net.

37' Robertson pulls away from Tete down the left and he curls a good cross into Neco Williams at the far post. He nods it down towards Salah, but Andersen is there again for Fulham to clear the danger.

35' BLOCKED! De Cordova-Reid plays a wonderful pass out to Lookman on the right and he has a lot of space to run into. He cuts back to get a better angle for himself when he gets into the box which allows Neco Williams to get back and slide in to block his shot across goal.

33' Again, Liverpool are keeping possession well in their own half, but they're giving it away sloppily when they push forwards. Robertson spots Keita making a run through the middle, but it's intercepted by Lemina.

31' Wijnaldum squares the ball to Keita and the Fulham players just sit back and allow him to move towards the box. He chooses to have a go from range when the space opens up for him, but his low shot is straight at Areola.

29' SAVE! It's another good cross into the box for Fulham, this time from Tete on the right. He picks out Maja in the middle, but his initial header takes a deflection off Phillips. The forward follows it in and touches it towards goal but Alisson pushes it away.

27' Liverpool have a lot of players in the box and they outnumber the Fulham defenders as Neco Williams cuts inside from the right. He can't get a cross in quick enough though and Areola comes off his line to collect it.

25' Fulham break quickly again but Cavaleiro can't find any space to run into down the right. He tries to switch play out to Lookman on the left, but the offside flag goes up against him as soon as he brings it down.

23' Williams just can't get close to Lookman down the left as he breaks forward again and he curls another good cross into the middle. It's just over Maja's head though and Rhys Williams heads it out for a corner.

21' Lookman wrongfoots Neco Williams as he cuts inside from the left and he lays it off to Maja in the middle of the box. He hits the shot first time with the outside of his boot, but his shot loops up and finishes wide of the post.

19' CHANCE! Again, Liverpool go long, this time with Phillips picking out Salah on the edge of the box. He brings it down before turning and hitting the shot on the half volley, but he can't get it on target and sends it wide of the near post.

17' It's another great ball over the top from Neco Williams and Shaqiri nods it down for Salah on the edge of the box. His first touch lets him down though which gives Andersen chance to step across and clear the danger.

15' SAVE! Shaqiri slips it through to Salah and he takes it past Aina to try and get into a shooting position. He touches it towards goal as Areola comes rushing off his line and he manages to get a foot to the ball to turn it away.

13' Fulham are sitting deep in their own half as Liverpool keep possession on the halfway line, but the hosts just can't seem to find a way through. There's no one making runs in behind so the defenders are just knocking it around between them.

11' CLOSE! It's a great ball into Lookman to set him off down the left and Neco Williams just can't get close to him. He cuts inside to get into the box before drilling a low shot towards the near corner, but it's just wide of the post.

10' Liverpool have lost just one of their 23 top-flight home games against Fulham (W16 D6), with that loss coming in May 2012 under Kenny Dalglish (0-1).

8' Liverpool are keeping the ball well at the moment and patiently playing out from the back as they try to break Fulham down. It's touched out to Salah on the right, but he can't find a way past Adarabioyo again.

6' There's a mix-up at the back for Fulham as Areola comes off his line to collect Salah's cross, but Andersen clears it just ahead of him. His header loops up and falls for Jota at the far post, but he can't take it around Reed.

4' Fulham break quickly when they win the ball back and Tete swings a brilliant cross into the middle from the right. Maja times his run to stay onside and take the shot on the volley, but he fires it wide of the far post.

2' It looks like Andersen has dealt with the long ball over the top, but he misses his clearance and it falls for Salah instead. He squares it to Shaqiri who is in space to his right, but it's well cut out by Lemina.

1' De Cordova-Reid gets the game underway for Fulham!

The teams are out on the pitch now, with kick-off just moments away.

Fulham haven't avoided defeat in both league games against Liverpool in a season since beating them twice in the 2011-12 campaign.

Scott Parker makes just two changes to the side that lost to Spurs last time out. He brings in Tete and De Cordova-Reid for Robinson and Loftus Cheek, who are named on the bench.

Jurgen Klopp makes seven changes to his team after their loss to Chelsea on Thursday, with only Alisson, Robertson, Wijnaldum and Salah retaining their places. Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Thiago, Jones and Mane drop to the bench, while Ozan Kabak and Roberto Firmino are both missing through injury.

FULHAM SUBS: Joe Bryan, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tim Ream, Michael Hector, Fabri, Terence Kongolo, Antonee Robinson, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Aleksandar Mitrovic. 

FULHAM STARING XI (4-4-2): Alphonse Areola; Kenny Tete, Joachim Andersen, Tosin Adarabioyo, Ola Aina; Ivan Cavaleiro, Mario Lemina, Harrison Reed, Bobby De Cordova-Reid; Josh Maja, Ademola Lookman.

LIVERPOOL SUBS: Adrian, Sadio Mane, Thiago Alcantara, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Konstantinos Tsimikas, Divock Origi, Curtis Jones, Fabinho.

LIVERPOOL STARTING XI (4-3-1-2): Alisson; Neco Williams, Rhys Williams, Nathaniel Phillips, Andy Robertson; James Milner, Georginio Wijnaldum, Naby Keita; Xherdan Shaqiri; Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota.

Liverpool come into this game winless in their last seven at home in the Premier League, losing the last five on the bounce and failing to score in five of the games in that run. Fulham were on a five-match unbeaten run, winning two and drawing three as well as keeping four clean sheets, but that came to an end on Thursday in a 1-0 home defeat to Tottenham. A win today though would help them keep the pressure on the teams sitting just above the relegation zone.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Premier League meeting between Liverpool and Fulham at Anfield!

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