- Liverpool beat Fulham at Craven Cottage
- Trent Alexander-Arnold open the scoring with a free-kick
- Timothy Castagne bagged his first goal for Fulham just before half time
Liverpool kept pace with Arsenal in the title race this weekend thanks to an important 3-1 win over Craven Cottage.
Jurgen Klopp's squad looked desperate to turn around their recent form on Sunday, with goals from Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ryan Gravenberch and Diogo Jota securing the victory.
The result means that Liverpool now sit level on points with Arsenal atop of the Premier League table.
How the game unfolded
Liverpool wasted no time at Craven Cottage, with the first chance of the game falling to Luis Diaz in the openin three minutes - heading a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross wide of the post.
It didn't take long for Joao Palhinha, the most booked player in the Premier League this season, to receive a yellow card, making it the 13th time he has been shown a yellow.
Jurgen Klopp's side picked up the pace heading into the 30 minute mark, as Alexander-Arnold stepped up to take a free-kick, swerving the ball beautifully into the top-left corner.
Instead of kicking after going ahead however, Liverpool allowed Fulham back into the game. The Cottagers were able to capitalise on this by bagging an equaliser late in the first half through Timothy Castagne. The full-back latched onto a loose ball in the penalty area after Jarrell Quansah blocked a Rodrigo Muniz effort to score his first ever goal for Fulham.
Both sides returned to the pitch after the break with something to prove, and wasted no time in doing so. Harvey Elliott was the first to have a notable pop at goal, drilling just wide after some neat interplay from Liverpool.
A second goal came for Liverpool just minutes later, however, as Ryan Gravenberch curled expertly into the bottom right corner of the net from just outside the penalty area.
Liverpool looked calm and composed after taking the lead, creating a few more chances before the full-time whistle.
One of said chances would result in a goal, with Diogo Jota latching onto a Cody Gakpo through ball before drilling into the bottom corner from the left of the penalty area.
Fulham player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Bernd Leno - 6/10 - Solid effort between the sticks for Leno. He made a big save early doors to prevent Cody Gakpo from scoring and looked confident throughout. Couldn't do much for the other goals.
RB: Timothy Castagne - 8/10 - Bagged his first goal in a Fulham shirt, and it was incredibly deserved. Equalised for the Cottagers and helped to change the pace of the game.
CB: Tosin Adarabioyo - 6/10 - Good box defence as usual, but did earn a yellow card in the first 45.
CB: Calvin Bassey - 6/10 - Looked very strong on the left, although played dangerously and offered opportunities to the Reds.
LB: Antonee Robinson - 7/10 - Brilliant. So adaptable through a range of phases of play. Fantastic engine on the field.
DM: Joao Palhinha - 4/10 - If there are any certainties in life, one is that Palhinha will always get booked. He was shown a yellow in this game, and gave away the free-kick which led to Alexander-Arnold's goal.
DM: Sasa Lukic - 7/10 - Strong. Did well to prevent Liverpool from scoring earlier than they did.
AM: Andreas Pereira - 6/10 - Good effort in midfield, but didn't bring too much to the game.
LW: Alex Iwobi - 4/10 - Loses points for his second half performance mainly. Gifted Liverpool at least two goals.
RW: Bobby De Cordova-Reid - 6/10 - Struggled to defend for the Reds' first goal and was almost silent on the left for the majority of the first half at least.
ST: Rodrigo Muniz - 7/10 - Looked like a handful on the pitch and was given the assist for Castagne's goal, solid.
Substitutes
SUB: Tom Cairney (71' for Palhinha) - 6/10
SUB: Harry Wilson (71' for De Cordova-Reid) - 6/10
SUB: Adama Traore (85' for Iwobi) - 6/10
Subs not used: Armando Broja (ST), Harrison Reed (CM), Kenny Tete (RB), Marek Rodak (GK), Raul Jimenez (ST) ,Tim Ream (CB)
Manager
Marco Silva - 5/10 - Fulham struggled to put up a real fight against the Reds, Silva didn't do much to help them.
Liverpool player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Alisson Becker - 7/10 - The world class goalkeeper didn't have too much to do.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold - 9/10 - Very strong in the first half and scored a beautiful free-kick, sensational.
CB: Jarell Quansah - 7/10 - Did well to keep Muniz quiet for the majority of the game. Great effort.
CB: Virgil van Dijk - 7/10 - Honestly didn't have much to do, but did well when needed. Always a strong performer.
LB: Andy Robertson - 6/10 - Looked dangerous in the offensive third, but perhaps could've done better on the defensive side of the ball.
CM: Harvey Elliott - 7/10 - Dropped into midfield and bagged an assist.
CM: Wataru Endo - 6/10 - Busy but not as effective as he has been in recent months.
CM: Ryan Gravenberch - 7/10 - Was quiet in the first half, but then grew into the game and scored in the second half.
RW: Cody Gakpo - 7/10 - Again, much better in the second half, setting up Jota's goal.
CF: Diogo Jota - 7/10 - Quiet overall, but score a goal to help secure the victory and was useful when needed.
LW: Luis Diaz - 6/10 - Ultimately didn't add much, struggled on that left hand side.
Substitutes
SUB: Mohamed Salah (74' for Diaz) - 6/10
SUB: Alexis Mac Allister (74' for Gravenberch ) - 5/10
SUB: Darwin Nunes (74' for Jota) - 6/10
SUB: Joe Gomez (80' for Alexander-Arnold) - 5/10
SUB: Dominik Szoboszlai (86' for Gakpo) - 5/10
Subs not used: Caoimhin Kelleher (GK), Curtis Jones (CM), Ibrahima Konate (CB), Konstantinos Tsimikas (LB)
Manager
Jurgen Klopp - 8/10 - Will be desperate to see some success in his final season, he made good substitutions and the squad looked better in the second half.
