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Righto, John Brewin’s match report is with us:
Rodrigo Muniz seals Fulham comeback as leaders Liverpool falter
Which means that’s it from me for now. Thanks for your company and comments – do join Niall Mcveigh for the Manchester derby, soon to kick off – but otherwise, peace out.
Manchester United v Manchester City: Premier League – live
Looking at Fulham today, they were good all over the pitch. Leno was solid; Bassey and Robinson were especially good at the back; Berge did well in midfield; in front of them, the trident of Iwobi, Pereira and Sessegnon were sharp; and up front, Muniz was excellent. He’s got a lot of ability, but must find the consistency to match it. At 23, he is no longer a prospect.
Also going on:
Balodis has seen my Daniel and raised me a Daniels.
Southampton need two more points to avoid supplanting Derby as – points-wise at least – the worst team ever to play in the Premier League.
I once saw 1986 Argentina described as ‘a one-man band with several good second fiddles’” returns David Howell. “Could this be 2024-25 Liverpool too?”
I guess that’s maybe a little harsh on Alisson, in particular, but broadly fair. I wonder if Slot – and his board – may think they’ve seen the best of Salah, and decide now is the time to rebuild, rather than hand over a colossal contract.
Liverpool need a maximum of 11 points from eight games to win the title. As it goes, I think Arne Slot will be satisfied with his team’s second-half performance, but the way they defended, especially in the first, will have further solidified what he already knew: his champions-elect are a work in progress.
Anitdontstop: more football, imminently.
Manchester United v Manchester City: Premier League – live
“I’m not a Liverpool fan,” confesses Mark Hooper, “but seeing the way Slot calmed their approach down, tightened up the defence, Vn Dijk and Alisson playing out of their skins, a settled midfield which was never the case with Klopp (Gravenberch especially finding a new role), Gakpo, Diaz and even Nunez all coming into their own, I don’t think it’s fair to say Salah is the only difference they’ve been uncatchable all season and (for the next 10 mins at least) only lost one game in the Prem.”
Sure, obviously nothing will ever be solely down to one player in a team game. But this is as close to a one-man thing as it’s possible to get – like, say Van Persie in 12-13, though he had great players behind him.
The league table:
Photograph: Guardian
They’ve been beaten 3-1 at Spurs, a fitting ignominy.
We’ll wait for that to be over before checking out the table, but Spurs, and their booming +12 goal difference, will climb to the lofty heights of 12th.
Elsehwere: Brentford and Chelsea have drawn 0-0; Spurs lead Southampton 2-1 and have a penalty … which Mathys Tel scores. Saints will be down in a matter of seconds.
A blistering blitz of three goals inside 14 first-half minutes do the trick for Fulham, the first side to record a home league win over Liverpool this season. That was a blinder of a contest.
Don’t worry, Alexis Mac Allister, you’re still 11 points clear. Photograph: Allstar Picture Library Ltd/Nigel French/Apl/Sportsphoto
90+7 min Liverpool move the ball down the left, Ciesa crosses … and Leno collects.
90+5 min On the touchline, Marco Silva is not enjoying himself.
90+4 min Liverpool win it high and find Salah, but Robinson out-muscles him … then relaxes before the job is complete, Salah hanging on to the ball and playing into the box, but Fulham get bodies in the way and stem the attack.
90+2 min A long diag finds Elliott who finds Salah, infield and continues his run, a clever outside-of-the-foot reverse-pass playing him back in. But the ball’s on his less-favoured right foot and Leno, who’s been solid today, makes another decent save.
90+1 min Liverpool win a free-kick down the right and take it quickly, Bradley then squaring across the edge of the box, where an error from Berge allows the ball through to Chiesa. He might hit it first-time but instead takes a touch to set, the delay allowing Leno to set before diving to make what’s ultimately a comfortable save.
90 min We’ll have six additional minutes.
90 min Bassey and Robinson have done a fantastic job of playing Salah out of this game. The Egyptian does not look happy.
89 min I meant to say, Smith Rowe was booked for a pull-back a few minutes ago,
88 min But do do Fulham! Castagne plays into Jimenez, who touches off deftly to the edge, meeting the run of Reed … and his low drive is tipped away by Kellher.
87 min Fulham have killed the last few minutes pretty effectively – and, as I type, Tete wins a free-kick off Chiesa – but you have to think Liverpool have one more chance left in them.
85 min Is it possible Bradley is a better right-back than Alexander-Arnold? I know the latter is a beautiful player, but every team he’s in has a weakness: him. Sure, Bradley won’t create as much, but given Slot’s game-model doesn’t require playmaking full-backs and midfield workhorses, might he be a better fit?
Ryan Gravenberch and Conor Bradley surround Alex Iwobi. Photograph: Tony O Brien/Reuters
84 min Bassey galumphs forward and buys a free-kick which Reed will curl in … and straight to Kelleher.
83 min A Liverpool attack breaks down and immediately, Berge slings a long ball forward, looking to target the space now left on the flank; Van Dijk deals with the situation.
82 min Now a change for Liverpool, Robertson replaced by Chiesa. I think Fulham now have a back five, while Liverpool have a front five and a back three, Gravenberch on its left-hand side.
81 min Two more changes for Fulham: on come Kenny Tete, returning from injury to make his first league appearance of the year, and Adama Traore; off go Sessegnon and Iwobi.
79 min Robertson blazes forward and slides a low cross into the corridor. There’s no one there top finish but Elliott collects, 15 yards out, opening body to spank a gorgeous curler that looks a certain goal … but it cannons the bar near the far top corner and bounces away. Liverpool are coming, and Fulham will have to go some if they’re to hold out.
78 min “I think one area where Slot hasn’t been great in a frankly incredible (and surprising) season is rotation,” says Graeme Neill. “There have been plenty of matches where Elliott, Endo or the lesser spotted Chiesa for example could have played, whether starting or coming on for the last half hour. We’re paying the price for that because we’ve looked knackered quite often recently.”
I guess that tells us what Slot thinks of the players you mention.
77 min Diaz collects a bouncing ball, flicks over Andersen, and hurls himself to the ground, with twist and pike. No penalty.
75 min Triple change for Fulham. Off go Lukic, Pereira and Muniz; on come Reed, Jimenez and Smith Rowe.
75 min And here come Liverrpool again, Salah pulling right and curling a cross that picks out Jones, but too far out for him to seriously trouble Leno with his header.
A ball infield from the left sees the inverted Bradley on the charge. He attracts pressure then slips a nice ball to Diaz outside him, whose fine first touch takes him into the box and, before Leno can set, slides into an early futsal-style finish, poking hard across the keeper and into the far corner! This last 18 and change is going to be intense!
Luis Diaz makes it interesting! Photograph: Tony O Brien/Reuters
72 min Fulham win a corner and when it comes in, Kelleher collects, but does Van Dijk swing an elbow at someone? We don’t get to see it again, but Liverpool are on the attack…
71 min Much as the home crowd are enjoying this, they must be wondering where it was last weekend.
70 min Fulham spring into a counter, a long pass setting Robinson away, and his cross is decent, but Van Dijk does a good job of getting in front of Muniz to clear.
67 min Another double-change for Liverpool, Bradley and Nunez for Konate and Jota.
66 min “A couple of months ago, Slot came out and said he now knows where he needs to strengthen in the summer,” notes Bob Coyne. “It seemed a strange comment to make mid-season and since then I’ve noticed a drop-off from the players, who must be wondering if they’ll be sold in the summer.”
I’m not sure about that – to me it seems more of a regression to the mean. In the early part of the season, their accumulation of points was of a higher level than their performances, and now Salah has cooled, their ability to sustain that has diminished. I also wonder if the PSG tie hit their confidence, because though it was tight, there was a clear difference in overall quality.
64 min Liverpool pick up the loose ball, though, and we see another of those pinpoint balls to the far post, this time Diaz arcing for Salah, eight yards out … and somehow, the head goes back so the ball goes over! He doesn’t miss many of those, but he’s earned the right.
Mo Salah blazes over. Photograph: Harry Murphy/Danehouse/Getty Images
64 min Mac Allister’s outswinger is a goodun, Bassey winning an important flick then, when the ball comes back, Andersen clears well.
63 min Gravenberch drives through midfield and finds Salah; Bassey gets a touch on his cross and Liverpool have another corner.
62 min Fulham win a free-kick out on the right, midway inside the Liverpool half … and Jones heads Periera’s delivery clear.
60 min “Our son’s worst case of intestinal activity was right in the middle of France v Brazil in the 1986 World Cup,” says Richard Hirst. One of THE great games. I think I’ve just about forgiven him.”
I was seven and it was my debut World Cup, so I always wondered if I’d overestimated how good it was. Then, during covid, they put the game online, and I was delighted to discover it was even better than I recalled.
59 min Now Fulham counter, and though Konate does enough when Sessegnon threatens, a fourth goal doesn’t look entirely unlikely; incredible really, given this is the first tine all season Liverpool have faced even a two-goal deficit.
58 min Nice from Robertson, looking to redeem a poor afternoon by taking up a position just outside the box, and when the ball comes to feet he does a really good job turning, only to leather a hopeful shot somewhere off towards Selhurst Park.
56 min Excellent from Berge, who robs Mac Allister in centrefield, does really well to stick on his feet, and feeds Sessegnon down the right. Though Robertson must know what’s coming, he can’t stop his man from jinking inside and letting go a shot … which ruffles the near-post side-netting.
55 min Double-change for Liverpool, Elliott and Diaz on for Szoboszlai and Gakpo.
Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott come on for Liverpool. Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images/Reuters
54 min Muniz is up, and the corner – yes, I’d forgotten Liverpool had one too – is cleared.
54 min “Whatever one thinks about how this Liverpool side stack up historically” writes David Howell, “the really notable thing about them is that they were meant to be the team in transition amongst the title contenders, and ended up looking like the one team who weren’t. That’s quite the accomplishment from Slot. His next test: building on that transition with at most two, and likely none, of VVD/TAA/Salah…”
I sort of agree. I agree Slot has done a fantastic job, but I still think they look like a side in transition; they just have Salah, who found two-thirds of a season from the gods.
52 min Liverpool are playing like the mean it now, Gakpo crossing and Bassey heading behind, but the home fans aren’t happy because Muniz is down following a tussle with Konate – I think he was trodden upon. Marco Silva is not happy, and the ref comes over to engage.
50 min “I think the science is pretty much the same as lucky socks,” says Ben Jaques of my rice remedy. “Left sock went on first, I scored. It must be the socks.”
I don’t really want to give more context – for your benefit and my dignity – but it was tried and tested before me, and worked to such stunning extent with me, that I’m totally sold.
48 min Konate slides in to make a really good challenge on Iwobi and Liverpool counter – they heard some words during the break, you’d think – and Salah drives towards the box, slipping in Jota who looks to poke, futsal-style, inside the near post. But Leno, out sharply, has covered the angles really well, and he blocks behind for a corner … which comes to nowt.
46 min Lukic scythes through Gravenberch and is booked; the ensuing free-kick is pumped high, Leno collecting under nae pressure.
Chris Kavanagh shows a yellow card to Sasa Lukic. Photograph: Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images
46 min “I have three kids who were all young once,” laments Mac Millins, “and I’ve never heard of Joe Pearson’s ‘BRAT diet’. I wish I had, though, because then maybe I could’ve avoided that time one of my infants had explosively ‘hyperactive intestines’ at an airport. Covered all the insides of all his clothes, as well as the baby carrier he was in. Had to sort it out in the airport restroom sink. You’ve never seen people who were walking into a loo walk back out again so fast in your life.”
My daughter did similarly to me mere minutes after being born, so I was given scrubs. The following morning I was leaving in them and a nurse demanded I return them and change back into my soiled attire. A discussion did thus ensue.
46 min We go again…
On which point, Spurs now lead Soton 2-0, Johnson scoring the second too, while Brentford-Chelsea is 0-0.
As it stands, Southampton are going down. Photograph: Marc Atkins/Getty Images
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