After competing in Europe for the last time under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool will visit mid-table Fulham on Sunday to continue their pursuit of Premier League dominance.
A week has passed since the Reds’ Europa League campaign came to an end at the hands of Atalanta BC, but Marco Silva’s team has had a week to analyse a stunning 2-0 victory over West Ham United.
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Fulham could have and arguably should have registered a more decisive margin of victory against a West Ham side preoccupied with thoughts of the Europa League if it weren’t for the heroics of a troubled Lukasz Fabianski, but Silva’s team was more than happy to declare at two.
Andreas Pereira scored both goals for the Cottagers at the London Stadium. In the first half, he took advantage of a mistake by Dinos Mavropanos and fired a shot into the top of the net. In the second half, he made an untracked run into the box and finished off a low cross from Alex Iwobi.
Fulham’s Premier League status for 2024–25 is guaranteed as a result of snapping a three-game losing streak in the top flight. They can now relax as they cruise to the finish line in 12th place, two points behind Brighton & Hove Albion in the top half despite having played one more game.
At the London Stadium, both of the Cottagers’ goals were scored by Andreas Pereira. He capitalised on a mistake made by Dinos Mavropanos to shoot high into the net during the first half. He made an untracked run into the area in the second half to finish off a low cross from Alex Iwobi.
Fulham’s elimination from the top division after a three-game losing streak guarantees them a spot in the Premier League for 2024–25. Now that they have played one more game, they can rest easy as they easily cross the finish line in 12th position, two points behind Brighton & Hove Albion in the top half.
Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over Atalanta BC in the second leg of their Europa League final proved irrelevant in the larger scheme of things, as La Dea easily moved to the last four thanks to last week’s incredible 3-0 Anfield carnage. It was a case of winning the battle but losing the war.
After Mohamed Salah’s early penalty gave the men in red hope for yet another incredible European comeback, the Egyptian lost a great opportunity to cut the deficit even further, and Jurgen Klopp’s team, like the manager himself, admitted when he announced his departure, just ran out of steam in the second half.
The way Liverpool played in the first half of the match in Bergamo should have given them hope, especially in light of the humiliating 1-0 Premier League home loss to Crystal Palace last weekend, which marked the Reds’ first Premier League loss at Anfield in 18 months thanks to a goal from Eberechi Eze.
But with leaders Manchester City playing in the FA Cup and Arsenal, who trail only on goal differential, having a difficult away game against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Liverpool could put a smile back on their supporters’ faces at Craven Cottage, where a win might be enough to catapult them to the top for a little while.
The Reds’ inability to score in seven halves of play may worry some people, but Silva’s team gave Klopp’s team a great run for their money when they defeated Fulham 4-3 at Anfield in December’s Premier League match and 3-2 over two legs in the EFL Cup semifinals.
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With the exception of Fulham, who once again have a fully-fit squad for Liverpool’s visit, nineteen Premier League sides now have at least one injured player in the infirmary.
Due to the amount of chances his squad produced last weekend, Silva will undoubtedly feel no need to change the winning recipe; therefore, Harry Wilson should be content to start on the bench against his former team.
Sunday will see the highly-motivated Rodrigo Muniz attempt to snap a three-game goal drought, while London Stadium hero Pereira leads the charge as the number ten. Pereira became the first player from the Cottagers to score twice in an away Premier League London derby since Dimitar Berbatov did so against Arsenal in 2012.
Although there is a noticeable amount of space in the Liverpool treatment room, Ben Doak (knee), Joel Matip (knee), and Thiago Alcantara (muscle) are still out of the team, and Conor Bradley (ankle) will need a few weeks to heal from his injury from last weekend.
Stefan Bajcetic’s availability is also in doubt because the 19-year-old, who just returned from a calf issue for the Under-21s last Friday, was unable to travel to Bergamo. Klopp also acknowledged after Thursday’s victory that Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alexis Mac Allister were both playing below par.
As a result, Wataru Endo and Joe Gomez ought to get ready for calls back to the starting lineup, while Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota, who are at different ends of the big chances converted spectrum, ought to bolster the attacking triad.
Possible starting lineup for Liverpool: Elliott, Endo, Szoboszlai; Salah, Nunez, Jota; Alisson; Gomez, Quansah, Van Dijk, Robertson
Fulham possible starting lineup:
Pereira, Willian; Muniz Leno; Castagne, Adarabioyo, Bassey, Robinson; Palhinha, Lukic; Iwobi
Prediction: Liverpool 1-1 Fulham
Fulham’s home defensive record this season is better only by Man City, Arsenal, and Liverpool; in their previous 15 Craven Cottage games, the Cottagers have conceded less goals per game on average. Silva’s team has already taken Liverpool to three different ends of the pitch in 2023–24.
The Reds haven’t scored from open play in more than five hours. Although Klopp may offset Europa League weariness with a number of substitutions, we can see Fulham, the host team’s specialists, holding out for a point to severely hurt their opponents’ title hopes.
