In a dramatic 2-2 draw at Anfield, ten-player Liverpool dropped valuable points in their pursuit of a first Premier League title since 2019-20, as Fulham twice took the lead before being pegged back by a resilient Reds side. This was only the second time this season that Liverpool failed to win at home, following a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in October. With the draw, Liverpool’s lead at the top of the table was reduced to five points, with second-placed Chelsea still to play on Sunday.
The game was marked by a series of incidents, beginning with a well-executed opening goal from Fulham’s Andreas Pereira, assisted by Alex Iwobi and Antonee Robinson. However, the match took a dramatic turn when Liverpool’s Andy Robertson was sent off in the 30th minute for denying a goalscoring opportunity by fouling Harry Wilson, leaving his team to play with ten men for over 70 minutes. Despite the red card, the match continued at a frantic pace. VAR confirmed the decision but also failed to intervene when Pereira’s high challenge on Ryan Gravenberch only resulted in a yellow card.
In the second half, Liverpool fought back, with Mo Salah providing a superb cross for Cody Gakpo to equalize just two minutes after the restart. Fulham regained the lead shortly after through a well-worked goal from substitute Rodrigo Muniz, assisted by Iwobi. As time ticked down, Liverpool’s persistence paid off when Diogo Jota, returning from an injury, combined with Darwin Nunez to score a vital equalizer.
Virgil van Dijk commented on the referee’s performance, saying, “We all felt the referee was a bit nervous, maybe,” while Fulham’s Marco Silva expressed mixed feelings about the result, admitting that his side could have won the game, especially after Liverpool were reduced to ten men. Despite Fulham’s spirited performance, Liverpool’s attacking power ultimately ensured they earned a point, leaving the title race tighter than before.
