Anfield witnessed a controlled, quietly authoritative Liverpool performance as Arne Slot’s side beat Fulham 2–0 to strengthen their push for Champions League spots in the Premier League. First half goals from Rio Ngumoha and Mohamed Salah settled a contest that Liverpool largely managed, moving them to 55 points from 33 games, with their goals for and against columns now 54 and 42 respectively. Fulham remain 11th, stuck on 44 points from 33 matches, with 43 goals scored and 48 conceded.
Liverpool lined up in a 4-2-3-1, with Cody Gakpo leading the line and Ngumoha and Salah flanking Florian Wirtz. Marco Silva mirrored the shape, Rodrigo Muniz spearheading Fulham’s attack with Oscar Bobb, Joshua King and Harry Wilson supporting from the start.
The opening phase was competitive rather than frantic. Liverpool’s 53 percent share of possession reflected a slight territorial edge, but Fulham were not passive: they carried a threat in transition and would finish with 19 shots to Liverpool’s 18. The difference was the home side’s efficiency and clarity in the final third.
First Half Goals
The breakthrough came in the 36th minute. Wirtz, operating between the lines, found space to thread a precise pass into Ngumoha’s stride. The 73‑shirt timed his run perfectly from the left and finished clinically past Bernd Leno to make it 1–0. It was a move that encapsulated Slot’s structure: double pivot security behind, creative freedom ahead.
Just four minutes later, Liverpool doubled their advantage. In the 40th minute, Gakpo dropped off the front to link play and slipped a well-weighted ball into Salah. The Egyptian, cutting in from the right, took one touch to set himself before steering a low shot beyond Leno for 2–0. Two incisive actions in four minutes gave Liverpool a cushion that would define the rest of the evening.
Fulham reached the interval having created moments of promise but without the precision to trouble Giorgi Mamardashvili consistently. The Liverpool goalkeeper would ultimately make four saves, matching Fulham’s tally of shots on target, while Leno produced three stops at the other end.
Second Half Changes
Both managers reacted at the break. In the 46th minute, Curtis Jones was withdrawn, with Ryan Gravenberch introduced to freshen Liverpool’s midfield legs. Fulham made a double change at the same time: Oscar Bobb made way for Saša Lukić, adding more central presence, while Joshua King was replaced by Emile Smith Rowe to inject creativity between the lines.
Those adjustments briefly tilted the rhythm. Fulham pushed their full backs higher, Antonee Robinson especially aggressive on the left, and began to generate more set-piece pressure. Their nine corners to Liverpool’s six underlined that territorial spell, but Liverpool’s centre-backs, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté, dealt calmly with the aerial threat.
Slot then reshaped his attacking midfield to regain control. In the 68th minute, Wirtz was replaced by Alexis Mac Allister, adding another secure passer in central areas. A minute later, in the 69th minute, Ngumoha, already on the scoresheet, was withdrawn for Alexander Isak, giving Liverpool a more orthodox striker profile alongside Gakpo’s movement. Simultaneously, Jeremie Frimpong came off, with Joe Gomez introduced to lock down the right flank and help manage Fulham’s wide overloads.
Silva responded in the same 69th minute, replacing Robinson with Ryan Sessegnon, a like-for-like change that maintained width but offered fresh running down the left. Fulham continued to probe, and their shot volume grew, but Liverpool’s block – six blocked efforts compared to Fulham’s eight – and compactness around the box limited the quality of those chances.
Chasing the game, Fulham rolled the dice again on 80 minutes with a double attacking substitution. Muniz was replaced by Raúl Jiménez, offering a more traditional target presence, while Wilson made way for Samuel Chukwueze, adding direct dribbling threat from wide areas. Liverpool, though, held their shape, dropping their line a touch and looking to counter through the pace of Isak and Salah.
As the clock ticked into the final minute of normal time, Slot made his last change. In the 90th minute, Salah departed to a warm reception, with Trey Nyoni coming on to see out the contest and add energy in the press. Liverpool closed the game professionally, managing tempo and territory rather than chasing further goals.
The underlying numbers reflected a relatively balanced contest in volume but one defined by Liverpool’s sharper execution. The hosts’ xG of 1.81 against Fulham’s 1.09 underlined that their chances were of higher quality, even if the shot count was similar. Liverpool’s 88 percent passing accuracy from 501 passes helped them control phases of play, while Fulham’s 86 percent from 422 passes showed they were tidy but less dominant.
Mamardashvili’s four saves and a well-organised defensive line preserved a clean sheet that trims Liverpool’s goals against column to 42, improving their goal difference to plus 12. Fulham’s inability to convert their four efforts on target means their goal difference slips further to minus five.
With this result, Liverpool consolidate fifth place and remain firmly in the Champions League conversation, now on 55 points with 54 goals scored. Fulham stay 11th on 44 points, comfortably clear of the relegation battle but with work to do if they are to threaten the European places in the closing weeks of the season.
