📰 Table Of Contents
- 1 Pre-Match Social Media Commentary
- 2 Key Stats & Performers
- 3 Read below for more news
- 3.1 Manchester City 3-0 West Ham: Match report, player ratings, expert analysis, fan reaction and more
- 3.2 ‘People forget’ Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang slams Arsenal fans on social media following Chelsea defeat
- 3.3 Xabi Alonso added to managerial shortlist as Tottenham remains on the hunt for Antonio Conte’s replacement
Pre-Match Social Media Commentary
Team news! 📣
Luis Diaz starts again as Darwin Nunez returns
Liverpool 🆚 Fulham #TelegraphFootball | #LIVFUL pic.twitter.com/uj3vaaJb1x
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) May 3, 2023
Liverpool v Fulham: Match in a Minute ⏰@markbenstead with the latest team news, stats and more ahead of #LIVFUL 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/Bc02B43sSS
— LFCTV (@LFCTV) May 3, 2023
A reported move to Brighton from Liverpool for James Milner is advancing 🔴 pic.twitter.com/eoFeWHAfNT
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) May 3, 2023
The last time we visited Anfield. ⏪#LIVFUL pic.twitter.com/3RMZAWrAEJ
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) May 3, 2023
♻️ Liverpool have used 12 different players from the start in midfield in the Premier League this season (including DM and AM)
😬 Those players have scored 2 goals in total from said starts (Curtis Jones – 1, Harvey Elliott – 1) pic.twitter.com/tN7vsGWnww
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) May 3, 2023
Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool remained on course for a possible dramatic late push into the top four after the Reds made it five wins on the spin of late thanks to a 1-0 win against a credible mid-table outfit in Fulham.
The immensely popular German manager has pushed his rag-tag outfit to the limit of late after the club received invaluable pieces of the puzzle back thanks to a return to fitness, and that regaining of depth in quality has begun to tell a different story after Liverpool looked to be on course to shockingly finish outside of the top six.
Five wins in a row for Liverpool! 🖐️ pic.twitter.com/Khus5soK1u
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 3, 2023
It was a really bright start for Liverpool in the opening ten minutes, with the Reds creating a number of half chances while right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold continued to show his quality while being tasked as a pseudo-central midfielder when the club broke forward in attack.
Fulham grew into proceedings and started to show a bit more positivity in their play just before the half-hour mark, showing more of what got them into the position they currently reside in the table under Marco Silva this season.
All the good work the Cottegers had done to work themselves into the match was undone by a moment of madness in the 38th minute by Issa Diop after the former Ligue 1 standout conceded a penalty when he was judged to have taken down Darwin Núñez in the box in the wake of the Uruguayan dispossessing the Frenchmen. Mohamed Salah expectedly dispatched his penalty past Bernd Leno to give the Reds a 1-0 lead in front of home support at just the right time for Klopp’s men.
Changes came in the second half for both Liverpool and Fulham, but by the 75th minute, the Reds had been unable to double their lead while giving the Cottagers a glimmer of hope that they could secure at least a point on their travels to the northwest of England. Brazilian center-forward Vinícius had a glorious chance to pull them level on the scoresheet just before the 80th minute, but his compatriot in Alisson did so well to turn his tight-angled effort at the near post away for a corner.
Fulham certainly did a fantastic job making their presence felt in one of the most difficult grounds to travel to anywhere in European football, but the late resurgence that continues during the bookend of the 2022-23 Premier League season shows that Liverpool may not be in the deep end as many suggested earlier.
That result sees the Reds extend their lead on 6th-sitting Tottenham to five points with just four matches remaining while also closing the gap to bitter rivals Manchester United to just four points. Fulham still appears to be on course for their first top-half finish since 2011-12 and maintain a five-point lead over fellow capital outfit Crystal Palace.
Key Stats & Performers
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s game by numbers vs. Fulham:
121 touches 🥇
80% pass accuracy
74 passes completed 🥇
27 final third passes 🥇
15 ball recoveries 🥇
5 long balls completed
5 ground duels won
3 shots
3 tackles won
2 interceptions 🥈
2 crosses completed 🥇
2 dribbles… pic.twitter.com/K3sVNmUfqu— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) May 3, 2023
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Goals in 8 consecutive appearances at Anfield for @MoSalah. Only the third player in our history to do so.
Egyptian King 👑 pic.twitter.com/BzA65WXbaC
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 3, 2023