Anfield fortress reduced to rubble
Lemina strike gives Fulham a deserved victory as defeatism consumes champions
ASK the question “How much worse can this season get for Liverpool?” at your peril. There appears to be no depth Jurgen Klopp’s side are not prepared to sink in a catastrophic title defence, Fulham inflicting a sixth consecutive home defeat in an arena which has gone from a bastion of invincibility to one contaminated by fallibility.
With due respect to Manchester City and their quadruple hopes, they are in danger of being overshadowed by their occasional nemesis from Merseyside.
The outgoing champions’ unparalleled deterioration is becoming the story of 2021.
The insipid manner of this loss made it the worst and most troubling yet, relegation-threatened Fulham outplaying their hosts, while Liverpool continued down the path which is the definition of madness – rinse and repeat with every attack leading to a congested cul-de-sac as their opponents took the well-trodden route of pouncing on a moment of defensive hesitancy.
When Mario Lemina struck the 45th-minute winner, it could have been Fulham’s third of a dominant first half which was the foundation for a deserved victory.
Extreme
There have been few more extreme examples of a rapid reversal in form than Liverpool’s and Fulham’s. Scott Parker’s side were so threatening, full of pace, occasionally too wasteful in front of goal, but giving the impression it was only a matter of time before superiority was rewarded. They are now level with Brighton and only a point behind Newcastle United.
Liverpool have taken the opposite trip to Fulham since the start of the season. It has reached a point where it feels like a culture of defeatism has consumed the club – an acceptance that whatever could go wrong has, and now it is a case of getting through this season and starting the next one afresh.
Many of their players look like a bruised boxer compelled to drag themselves into the ring and suffer another beating. The problem is they still have 10 more bouts before the end in May.
This time, the white towel looked like it had been chucked in when the team-sheet arrived. Klopp said earlier last week he would not sacrifice league points for the Champions League, but the omission of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Thiago Alcantara and Sadio Mane prior to this week’s second leg with Red Bull Leipzig undermined that claim.
Roberto Firmino was absent with a “minor” injury, and Fabinho was back on the bench after his midweek comeback. The manager argued his team needed refreshing, and away from the emotion and external anger of yet another loss, such a view was being expressed by neutrals for weeks. With the back-up players short of form and match sharpness – or in certain examples the quality simply not there – even logical decisions are backfiring.
The sight of three youngsters in the champions’ back four served only to energise Parker and players before kickoff. His team started in such a way that they knew this would be their day. Josh Maja and Ademola Lookman should have had a couple of goals each, exposing Liverpool’s high-line defending.
It was a travesty Fulham had to wait until first-half injury time to take the lead, Mohamed Salah caught in possession by Lemina, who drilled across Alisson Becker. The most damning verdict on this Liverpool team is Fulham’s win looked inevitable in that moment.
Klopp’s team looked a ragged assembly of strangers; disorientated, uninspired and bereft of purpose. Salah led the line, reduced to waiting for hopeful high balls and aimless crosses. The Egyptian almost manoeuvred himself
clear in the box after 14 minutes, and Xherdan Shaqiri was inches over with a 30-yard free-kick. Otherwise, Klopp spent the first half seeing the same dismal outcomes at both ends.
There was a reaction at the start of the second half, when Diogo Jota’s volley forced Alphonse Areola into a superb save. Mane, introduced after an hour, also hit a post with a looping header. But do not mistake those incidents as part of a hard luck story.
Another consequence of Liverpool’s run is every visiting ’keeper seems to resemble Gordon Banks, and in successive Anfield fixtures Ben Mee, Lewis Dunk, Michael Keane, Andreas Christensen and Joachim Andersen looked like they were infused with the defensive nous of Franco Baresi.
Anfield may be forced into silence, but the emergency siren is getting louder by the week. (Telegraph Media Group Limited 2021)