Fulham end Liverpool unbeaten league run to slow Premier League title march

LONDON – Liverpool slumped to just their second English Premier League defeat of the season as Fulham struck three times in 14 first-half minutes to boost their own European ambitions with a 3-2 win on April 6.

Arsenal’s 1-1 draw at Everton on April 5 left Liverpool needing just 11 points from their final eight games to secure a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title.

Arne Slot’s men were unbeaten in 26 league games and looked set to take another step towards the title when Alexis Mac Allister’s stunning strike opened the scoring.

But poor defending allowed Ryan Sessegnon, Alex Iwobi and Rodrigo Muniz to turn the game around for Fulham.

Said Fulham manager Marco Silva: “Great win for us. Our first half was very, very good, in all aspects of the game. A great goal from Mac Allister, we have to be stronger in that moment to start to be clever and make some tactical fouls.

“But the reaction was great. All the energy I asked for before the match, it was high-energy, high-tempo and, to be honest, our pressure was very good. Their two centre-backs were under pressure most of the time.”

Liverpool still enjoy an 11-point lead at the top with seven games remaining. Victory lifts Fulham to eighth and with a chance of making it to the top five, which is almost certain to be enough for a place in next season’s Champions League.

Despite a stellar first season under Slot, Liverpool have shown signs of slowing down in recent weeks and came off the rails in west London.

After a Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain and League Cup final defeat by Newcastle United, Liverpool edged out Everton 1-0 in a feisty Merseyside derby on April 2 to get back to winning ways.

But they appear to be running out of steam after challenging in four competitions for most of the season.

Mac Allister’s blistering long-range strike into the top corner after 14 minutes gave Liverpool the dream start. They then wilted in the Craven Cottage sunshine, with a series of individual errors leading to Fulham’s three quick-fire goals.

Curtis Jones, deputising out of position at right-back, failed to control Andreas Pereira’s cross and the ball fell kindly for Sessegnon to fire home his third goal in five games. Andy Robertson then had a nightmare for Fulham’s second.

The Scotland captain gave away possession deep in Liverpool territory, then could only head an attempted clearance into the path of Iwobi, whose shot deflected in off Robertson.

The normally unflappable Virgil van Dijk was at fault for the third as Muniz outmuscled the Dutchman and produced a brilliant low finish under Caoimhin Kelleher.

Diogo Jota was denied by goalkeeper Bernd Leno early in the second half with a big chance to reduce Liverpool’s deficit.

It was not until Slot turned to his bench to introduce Luis Diaz, Connor Bradley and Harvey Elliott that the visitors sparked into life.

Mohamed Salah has not scored in his last four games and wasted a big chance to break that drought when he turned Diaz’s inviting cross over.

Bradley teed up Diaz to find the bottom corner and set up a grandstand finish 18 minutes from time.

Elliott hit the bar against his former club as Liverpool pushed for an equaliser. Fulham, though, stayed strong to see out six minutes of added time and delay Liverpool’s title celebrations.

Said Reds boss Arne Slot: “That was a difficult spell of 14 minutes (when we conceded three goals). Apart from Fulham’s quality and finishing, it was mostly to do with our errors. In general, we are not making many of these errors – let alone three in one game. Our second-half performance was so much better but it is hard to win a game at this level if you concede three in the first half.”

Elsewhere on April 6, Southampton suffered the earliest-ever relegation in Premier League history after they lost 3-1 at Tottenham Hotspur, confirming their demotion to the second tier with seven games left in the season.

The Saints needed a victory to stay alive in their fight for survival, but they have only 10 points after 31 games this season to sit rock bottom and 22 points from the safety zone. AFP, REUTERS