Liverpool will win the Premier League title this season and while Virgil van Dijk is adamant that there is still work to be done, the Reds looked like a team that knows it is going to secure the silverware this season with a below-par performance against Fulham.
Arne Slot’s men ended up losing 3-2 and Harvey Elliott and Luis Diaz made a difference off the bench. But in the first half, a terrible defensive showing left too much to do after the break.
This is how the UK national media viewed the result— and the state of Slot’s team heading into the final seven games of the season. There is no doubt that the Reds will still win the title, but there is also a clear belief that a big summer is coming up.
The Times: “Perhaps it was the glorious sunshine, coupled with Arsenal’s failure to fully keep the pressure up the previous day, but the visitors played for 45 minutes as if they were on the beach and the title had already been won.
“They leaked three goals against a talented Fulham side and, despite an eventual improvement, could not restore parity to squander the chance to become only the fifth side in English top-flight history to go an entire season unbeaten away from home.
“It remains 11 points that are needed from seven matches to clinch a record-equally 20th league title. There is still not a heap of jeopardy, but this was the kind of display that spoke openly to Liverpool’s frailties.
(Image: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
“They were, from a defensive point of view, a shambles. And that includes everyone, not simply a back four culpable of more individual errors inside one half of hapless football than in the previous eight months of the season combined.”
BBC Sport: “Liverpool’s sloppiness was exemplified by Ibrahima Konate getting caught on the ball inside his own penalty inside the first 10 minutes. That mistake did not lead to a goal but the away side will feel they could have done better for all three Fulham goals.
“Curtis Jones failed to clear Pereira’s cross for the first, Robertson gifted the hosts the ball for the second and Virgil van Dijk lost out in a duel with Muniz for the third. It was a different Liverpool side after the break with more urgency and intent in possession and carrying far more of a threat even with Fulham sitting deep.
“Had Diogo Jota been able to beat Leno when put through by Mohamed Salah early in the second half, it might have been a different story but, ultimately Liverpool left themselves too much to do.
Learn more
“Of course, there is no need to panic, as they remain of the cusp of a second league title in five years. But this was a reminder that, even at this stage, such things are not just handed out — you have to go out and win them.”
The Telegraph: “The good news is that this slip-up has come so late in the campaign that it will almost certainly be immaterial: the gap to second-placed Arsenal stands at 11 points. For anything to meaningfully change at the top of the table, this wobble will need to turn into a complete collapse.
“Is such a tailspin even possible? Well, based on their first-half showing here, you would not entirely rule it out. Liverpool took the lead through Alexis Mac Allister, who struck a superb individual goal, but conceded three times in only 14 minutes. Those 14 minutes were remarkable in their defensive incompetence, with Curtis Jones and Andy Robertson both at fault and Van Dijk totally beaten by Muniz.
“Arne Slot’s side did respond after the break, scoring through Luis Diaz and dominating the game as you would expect. If they keep playing like they did in the first half, they might not win again this season. If they keep playing like they did in the second half, though, then they will not have a problem.”
(Image: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
The Guardian: “Never mind that Arne Slot’s team can afford to lose here and remain 11 points clear with seven to play. This game was also a no‑win situation, in a very modern, very online kind of way.
“Win at Craven Cottage and this would become yet another sign the league is a walkover, too easy, and that Liverpool are not great champions. Lose at Craven Cottage and this can now also become yet another sign the league is a walkover, too easy, and Liverpool are not great champions.
“Football: never knowingly done or decided, no matter what the numbers might say. This has always been part of its appeal, and part of its madness too. And this was in the end just a really good game.
“Liverpool will no doubt regroup from here. Perhaps they really will begin to lose games and limp over the line. If they do, the reason will be clear enough — [the Premier League’s] strength, not weakness — as it was against an excellent Fulham team here.”
