It wasn’t the afternoon Liverpool supporters wanted.
A 0-0 draw at Anfield against Fulham felt like two points dropped, particularly after the excitement of Wednesday night’s Champions League victory over Atlético Madrid.
But even in a disappointing performance, there were some positives to take.
Here are mine.
1. Clean sheet
Let’s start with the obvious one.
Liverpool kept a clean sheet.
It wasn’t always comfortable, either.
Fulham created some good opportunities and Liverpool had a couple of worrying moments, particularly early on, but the defence ultimately stood firm.
After conceding four goals in the opening three league games, getting through a difficult afternoon without conceding is something to build on.
It wasn’t pretty, but a clean sheet is a clean sheet.
2. Jérémy Jacquet looks really good again
I’m becoming increasingly impressed with Jérémy Jacquet.
The young defender produced another mature performance and was arguably Liverpool’s best player.
His goal-line clearance early in the game was absolutely crucial after the mix-up involving Alisson and Ryan Gravenberch.
Without Jacquet’s intervention, Liverpool could easily have found themselves chasing the game.
He’s showing that he can handle Premier League football and, importantly, he’s starting to look like someone Iraola can genuinely trust.
There is a lot to like about Jacquet.
3. Barcola got more minutes in his legs
Bradley Barcola made his first Premier League start for Liverpool, which was another important step for the summer signing.
He didn’t have his best game and, like most of the Liverpool attack, struggled to make an impact.
But after his recent fitness concerns, getting more minutes into his legs is valuable.
These games are part of the process of getting him fully up to speed.
We know there’s a player in there.
The more football Barcola plays, the sharper he’ll become.
4. Mac Allister looked lively when he came on
Another positive was the impact of Alexis Mac Allister from the bench.
Liverpool needed something different in midfield and his introduction gave the team a little more control and attacking intent.
It wasn’t enough to win the game, but Mac Allister showed why having experienced players like him available is going to be important during a long season.
5. We didn’t lose a game we could easily have lost
This might sound strange after a home draw, but let’s be honest.
Fulham were dangerous.
They created opportunities and probably had the better chances over large parts of the match.
Liverpool were nowhere near their best and looked physically drained after Wednesday night’s Champions League effort.
So while a point isn’t what we wanted, at least Liverpool didn’t compound a poor performance by losing the game.
Sometimes you have to take the point and move on.
6. Iraola has another lesson to take from it
Perhaps the biggest positive of all is that Iraola will have learned something about his squad.
He is still working out which players can deliver in different circumstances and which combinations work best.
Today’s game showed him that Liverpool need to find ways of maintaining their intensity when playing twice a week.
That’s part of building a new team.
And if Iraola learns from afternoons like this, then even disappointing results can ultimately help Liverpool improve.
The bigger picture
Nobody is going to pretend that 0-0 was a good result.
It wasn’t.
But we shouldn’t throw everything away because Liverpool had a poor afternoon.
Clean sheet. Jacquet’s continued development. More minutes for Barcola. Mac Allister getting back into the action. Another lesson for Iraola.
There are positives.
Now Liverpool need to recover, learn from today and move on.
The season is a marathon, not a sprint.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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