There is no getting away from it — Liverpool looked like a team suffering from a European hangover at Anfield.
Just a few days after the huge Champions League comeback against Atlético Madrid, the Reds were back at Anfield against Fulham but never really found the intensity, rhythm or attacking quality needed to win the game.
Liverpool had chances, but not enough of them, and ultimately they didn’t do enough to justify taking all three points.
The 0-0 draw was a fair reflection of a game in which Fulham made life difficult and Liverpool struggled to find the cohesion we’ve seen in recent performances. (The Times)
Liverpool never found their rhythm
The biggest disappointment was how disjointed Liverpool looked going forward.
Florian Wirtz struggled to influence the game, while Alexander Isak and Bradley Barcola were largely quiet for long periods.
That attacking trio has the quality to hurt any Premier League defence, but Liverpool couldn’t get them into dangerous positions often enough.
Victor Muñoz was arguably the brightest of the attacking players, while Dominik Szoboszlai’s delivery almost produced the breakthrough, with Muñoz’s header forcing Bernd Leno into a good save.
But those moments were too few and far between.
Fulham deserve credit
It would be wrong to simply blame Liverpool.
Fulham came to Anfield with nothing to lose and made themselves difficult to play against. They were lively, aggressive and caused problems whenever Liverpool lost possession.
The Reds also had a couple of nervous moments defensively, meaning this was certainly not a case of Liverpool dominating for 90 minutes and being incredibly unlucky not to score.
They simply weren’t good enough often enough.
Was it the European hangover?
Perhaps.
Liverpool had played Atlético Madrid only around 65 hours earlier, making this a particularly quick turnaround after an emotionally demanding Champions League night. (This Is Anfield)
Iraola made three changes to his starting XI, but the performance still lacked the energy and sharpness we saw against Atlético.
That’s football.
You can’t produce maximum intensity every three days, particularly when you’ve just played a Champions League game of that magnitude.
But Liverpool will still look at this as two points dropped.
The positives?
The clean sheet is certainly one.
Ronald Araújo once again looked composed at right-back, while Jérémy Jacquet and Virgil van Dijk dealt with most of what Fulham threw at them.
But Liverpool’s attacking players will know they need to offer considerably more.
A team with Wirtz, Isak, Barcola and Szoboszlai should be creating more than this.
A frustrating afternoon
Liverpool remain unbeaten in the league, but this was undoubtedly a frustrating afternoon at Anfield.
The Champions League victory over Atlético showed us what this Liverpool side can produce.
This performance showed that Iraola’s team is still a work in progress.
Perhaps this was simply the price of that midweek European exertion.
But against Fulham at Anfield, Liverpool had the opportunity to make another statement.
Instead, they walked away with a point.
Not a disaster — but certainly not good enough.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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