Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have returned to the top of Premier League after beating wooden spooners Fulham 1-2 at the Craven Cottage. It was on song Sadio Mane and a calm and composed James Milner penalty which saw the Reds dethrone Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City who missed action because of the FA Cup fixture against Swansea.
However, Ryan Babel intelligently capitalized on a defensive error between Van Dijk and Alisson but Liverpool found their way to grab all three points. Fulham’s relegation possibilities are becoming more and more certain as this was their seventh consecutive loss in the league as they re 13 points behind safety with only seven matchdays remaining.
Liverpool back again at the top
It is now looking like a cat an mouse game between Manchester City and Liverpool as both the teams are going toe-to-toe waiting for their counterpart to make an error in the remaining Premier League fixture. A mistake here in the latter stages of the league can cost them the title.
Manchester City missed this weekend’s action because of their FA Cup clash against Swansea. However, the international break also falls at the wrong time with Liverpool getting their mojo back and looking a lot better side. The Citizens will also face Fulham once the Premier League resumes and will have an opportunity to leapfrog Liverpool.
Mohamed Salah’s slump in form should not overshadow his overall performance
The Egyptian has not scored in seven games now with only four goals in his last fourteen matches that too against considerably weaker sides. Things are not looking good for Jurgen Klopp and his men. Salah was that shining light which would guide Liverpool the way. However, coming to this crucial stage of the season where the club is at the business end of both the league and in Europe. The Reds desperately need Salah to find his feet and get his goalscoring form back.
However, goals may not be coming his way but his commitment on the field was second to none. He did put up a fantastic shift for Liverpool and his creativity caused a lot of problems for the Fulham defenders. He closed down opponents pretty well and helped a lot in his defensive duties.
Scott Parker’s magic came a bit too late for Fulham
The Cottagers are most likely to go down to the Championship and most people will blame Claudio Ranieri’s stint with only three wins in 16 games bringing end to a catastrophic era. However, with Scott Parker, things have changed and now there is intent and the team is looking a lot resilient than they were before. However, it is a bit too late for the club now as they are pretty certain of going down.
Fulham have lost all three games under Parker but the team showed massive improvements in various areas. After conceding early they closed down Liverpool players and forced them to make a mistake to come back in the game. Had Parker been appointed earlier the Cottagers would have had an outside chance to survive in the top flight.
