MOMENT OF STREWTH!

Reds celebrated winner like it was a season-defining moment.. and it was after a scare from struggling Fulham

THEY celebrated the winning goal as if it was a huge moment in the season. And it was.

James Milner, the calmest player at Craven Cottage, despatched the late penalty straight down the middle and all his team-mates jumped on him in front of the away end.

It was as much relief as delight, because Liverpool know they made hard work of it.

Had they dropped points here to Fulham it would have been unforgivable and yet they very nearly did.

You expected Liverpool to run away with the game after in-form Sadio Mane put them ahead.

But they did not kill off Scott Parker’s side even though, at times, the game was so one-sided you almost forgot there were two teams taking part.

Mane has scored 20 goals this season now, 11 in his last 11 games to become Liverpool’s main man.

He also won the penalty following a moment of madness from Fulham keeper Sergio Rico.

But there was also something you never normally see – a Virgil van Dijk mistake.

For so long this season, the Liverpool centre-half has been imperious.

Yet his horrible mix-up with keeper Alisson gifted Ryan Babel an unlikely equaliser with 16 minutes left.

How we laughed when former Liverpool forward Babel claimed in a prematch interview that he knew a “weakness” in Van Dijk’s game and was going to expose it.

Never in a million years did we think he actually would. And that was probably the problem because Liverpool were in such total control, they switched off and had long since gone into cruise control.

Throw into the mix a gruelling week in which they travelled to Germany to knock Bayern Munich out of the Champions League.

Suddenly it looked as if it had all caught up with Jurgen Klopp’s men.

That is why the result was so important.

Liverpool were below their best, sloppy even, but they got the job done, got themselves back on top of the table. Above Manchester City. That in itself will boost morale.

With seven games to play, they are up to 76 points – one more than Klopp got last season.

And it is impossible to imagine that, with further Champions League fixtures on the horizon, neither Liverpool nor City will drop points. It is about who blinks first – and yesterday must act as a wake-up call for Liverpool.

Klopp was all smiles afterwards, knowing he had got away with one.

Liverpool dominated the first half, the only wonder that it took them 26 minutes to score.

Andy Robertson started a move down the left, Mane stormed forward and then Roberto Firmino pulled the ball back.

Mane, the two-goal hero of the midweek triumph in Munich, fired home to delight the huge bank of away fans at the other end.

Liverpool were at their best down the flanks, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Robertson shining again,

Mane was a menace and his header hit the bar while Van Dijk’s close-range header forced a good save from Rico.

But Fulham improved as the game wore on, gained a foothold and Liverpool’s sloppiness let them back in.

Rico’s clearance was sliced by substitute Milner, Van Dijk was indecisive, Alisson should have used his hands, but instead tried to play the ball – and that let in Babel.

Babel, with his shock of dyed red hair, nipped in and put the ball into the empty net.

And suddenly it looked as if Liverpool were having a title wobble. Another.

To their credit, the men in red came again. Mo Salah saw his shot spilled by Rico, who panicked and grabbed Mane to concede a crazy penalty.

Confidence abounds if Milner takes a spot-kick and he’s on your side. He has scored in 51 Premier League games and never lost any of them.

That is the sort of mentality you need at this stage of a title fight.