With the sun in their eyes and a welcoming breeze of the Thames on their left, the Kop Traveling sang with a large volume: “And now you will believe ourselves, we will win the League”.
They will indeed win the Premier League. But on the basis of looking at most of what came after the shot of Alexis Mac Allister in the 14th minute to put Liverpool in advance, it was difficult to believe in the way they have taken the hunting pack so far.
Fortunately for them, performance like this is a limited edition rarity. But that does not change the fact that it was a stinking screen that gives ammunition to all external observers doubting their references as a crop of the harvest in England.
Fulham has become the first side since Nottingham Forest 204 days ago to beat Liverpool in the League, the first time that Arne Slot lost an outside match in England. A happy traveler for a large part of his first year on these coasts will have set up on the plane with a face like Thunder.
The goals of Ryan Sessegnon, Alex Iwobi and Rodrigo Muniz helped Marco Silva to their biggest and best victory of the season and made people in Craven Cottage begin to really believe to reserve a European tour – at least – is now a realistic objective.
Fulham was excellent and Silva deserves a mountain of credit for having taken four points from the champions elected this season. But they were allowed to win the game thanks to a dull, sloppy and complacent display of Liverpool.
Rodrigo Muniz (Center) scored what turned out to be the winning goal while Fulham beat Liverpool
Muniz has broken at close range after taking over defender Virgil van Dijk
Alex Iwobi had placed the local team with a deviated strike halfway through the first half
Iwobi (right) famous with his teammates after giving the advance to his team on Sunday afternoon
It all started if swimming for the outside team. A swinging strike from Mac Allister put them forward after 14 minutes and, at that time, he felt like they were ready to walk on Riverside Sunday with three easy points at the end of the path.
But Fulham by Marco Silva has a muscular memory for having caused Liverpool problems in the last 18 months, each of their meetings in the last two seasons being tight battles, including a 2-2 draw in Anfield in December where the side outside may have deserved more.
Liverpool escaped with only a few minor cuts and bruises at the time, but finished the first half marked in the way they were separated by Fulham not one, not twice but three times in 15 minutes.
The Arne Slot team was the architects of their own fall. First of all, his back straight to the back Curtis Jones failed to erase a cross – letting the ball bounce on his thigh on the way to Ryan Sessengnon. Not to withdraw anything from the winger, who sparked a beautiful volley to equalize.
If it was sloping from Liverpool, the second was evil. Andy Robertson, who was sent in the reverse match and at fault for a goal before, was again haunted by Fulham while the Scottish captain produced a comedy of errors.
Robertson played a hospital pass on the face of his own goal, which was chosen by Alex Iwobi. The former Evertonian saw a blocked shot, but Robertson failed to get rid of and led an attempted clearance directly to him, then deflected the strike of Iwobi in order.
Five minutes later, it was 3-1. Again, a highly avoidable goal. Virgil Van Dijk was filmed by N ° 9 of Rodrigo Muniz and the attacker who calmly failed between the legs of Caoimhin Kelleher, again exceeding Alisson who remains 16 days for a head injury in service in Brazil.
Slot discussed Friday how the final defeat of the Carabao Cup could have been good in the long term for her team because she will have “awake”. During a large part of this game, they seemed to be half asleep, with lost passes and that each player struggled.
Ryan Sessegnon (30) drew the level of the hosts shortly after Liverpool took the lead
Luis Diaz has half the deficit in the second half when visitors threatened to return
The Reds did not find a winner despite a late pressure in the end -to -end match
But four substitutions later and about 25 minutes in the second half, they finally started playing the kind of football that brought them to this comfortable position at the top of the Premier League. Two of these bench presentations quickly combined to get one.
Conor Bradley, who missed the last six weeks, has started his hearing to be the long-term heir to the Throne of Trent Alexander-Arnold at the back of the vice-captain leaves with a nice race and passes for Luis Diaz, who finished in style.
Soon it was as if Fulham clung to a thread. Jones found himself in a notation position but produced a weak head, Diaz wanted a penalty and the former schoolboy of Craven Cottage, Harvey Elliott, shaken the transverse bar. Federico Chiesa and Elliott have forced Bernd Leno stops.
But no matter how much they tried, they could not violate the brick wall on the back of Fulham and the goalkeeper.
Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring with a brilliant strike in the 14th minute of the match
Mac Allister famous after breaking the dead end during the Premier League meeting
Each player deserves his credit for his display, Timothy Castagne creating a noise that resonated around the ground with a last cracking plate on Chiesa in the last minutes.
As for Liverpool, they will not be tried days like today because they have done the hard sites for the best part of a season to prove why they are the best team in England. But on this proof, their walking towards the title could be more a tripper than an easy walk.