Despite finishing last year on a positive note, the English champions stumbled in their first two matches of the new year.
All the intensity and drama of the contest unfolded in the second half—especially in the dying moments. After falling behind early, Liverpool fought back and briefly ignited hopes of victory, only for Fulham to dash those hopes at the very end.
Liverpool were held to a 2–2 draw against Fulham in a Premier League clash on Sunday at the hosts’ ground. It was the second consecutive match in which they dropped points.
After Harry Wilson gave Fulham the lead, Florian Wirtz restored parity for the visitors. In stoppage time, Cody Gakpo put Liverpool ahead, but just three minutes later Harrison Reed struck to level the score once again.
During a frustrating season, Liverpool had shown signs of a revival toward the end of last year. They closed out the year with four straight wins in all competitions, including three in the Premier League. However, the new year began with a home draw against Leeds United.
They stumbled once more here, dropping points against a team from the lower half of the table.
With 10 wins and four draws from 20 matches, Liverpool sit fourth on the table with 34 points. Fulham are 11th with 28 points.
Liverpool fell behind early in the match. Collecting a clever one-touch pass from Raul Jimenez, Harry Wilson broke into the box and beat Alisson with a precise angled finish. Although the linesman initially raised the offside flag, VAR intervened and the goal was eventually awarded.
Even after conceding, Liverpool showed little urgency in their play. They dominated possession for much of the remainder of the first half and tried to build attacks, but struggled to break through Fulham’s compact defence.
The title holders managed four attempts at goal in the first half, yet none were on target.
In the 57th minute, Wirtz pulled Liverpool level after receiving a pass from Conor Bradley. Displaying fine close control, Bradley drove forward before threading a short pass into the box, which the German midfielder finished with a first-time strike.
After joining Liverpool, Wirtz had ended a long goal drought in the final match of last year against Leeds. He followed that up with another goal just one game later.
Then, in the fourth minute of added time, Gakpo capitalised on a loose ball at the far post after a cross from the right deflected off a defender, calmly firing home with his right foot.
However, the celebrations were short-lived. From outside the box, English midfielder Harrison Reed unleashed a blistering shot that flew into the top corner at the far post to restore parity.
Earlier this league season, Liverpool had lost all four matches in which they conceded first. This time, at least, Arne Slot’s side returned with the consolation of having avoided defeat.
