Penalties and errors crucial
Late goals help Liverpool earn crucial league win and Brighton into FA Cup semifinals
Acombination of goalkeeping errors and penalties earned Liverpool a return to the Premier League summit and Brighton a place in the FA Cup semifinals yesterday.
James Milner converted an 81stminute spot kick — after two mistakes in seconds by Fulham keeper Sergio Rico — to secure a 2-1 win for Liverpool at Craven Cottage, lifting the Reds above Manchester City and two points clear in the title race.
City have a game in hand in their quest for an unprecedented quadruple. Pep Guardiola’s side have already won the League Cup, are into the Champions League quarter-finals and now know they will play Brighton in the last four of the FA Cup.
Brighton only made it to extra time in their quarter-final against secondtier Millwall by scoring an equaliser in the fifth minute of stoppage time, when keeper David Martin allowed a free kick to sail into the corner.
The score stayed 2-2 after extra time and Brighton won the penalty shootout 5-4 to reach the semifinals for the first time since 1983.
Wolverhampton Wanderers and Watford meet in the second of the semifinals to be played at Wembley on April 6 and 7.
In yesterday’s other Premier League game, Chelsea lost 2-0 at Everton and missed a chance to move level on points with fourthplaced Arsenal. Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson, with a penalty, scored for Everton.
Mohamed Salah extended his goal drought to seven games in all competitions but luckily for Liverpool, Sadio Mane is in the form of his life.
The Senegal international made it 11 goals in his last 11 games by putting Liverpool ahead at Fulham. He now has 17 league goals this season, the same as Salah, Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and just one behind Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero — the league’s top scorer.
Mane was also influential in Liverpool’s second goal after he was dragged down by Rico, moments after the goalkeeper failed to hold a weak effort from Salah. Milner calmly floated his penalty down the middle.
Fulham equalised against the run of play through former Liverpool forward Ryan Babel, who nipped in as keeper Alisson failed to collect Virgil van Dijk’s header back, and tapped into an empty net.
“I have no doubt about my players’ nerves,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said. “I always want perfection but it’s rare that you get it. People will say we should be more convincing in games like this, but this is us, we are in the middle of a development, not at the end.”
Millwall have established a reputation as an FA Cup giant killer and if not for Martin’s mistake, they would be heading back at Wembley.
The keeper should have comfortably collected Solly March’s free kick but he let the ball go through his grasp and into the top corner off virtually the last kick of regulation time.
“He was outstanding the whole game, barring one moment,” Millwall manager Neil Harris said of Martin. “That is football.”
Millwall led 2-0 lead after goals in the 70th and 79th minutes, only for Brighton’s comeback to begin with Jurgen Locadia scoring in the 88th minute. Jake Cooper put his suddendeath penalty over the crossbar to give Brighton victory.