Liverpool welcomed Fulham to Anfield on Saturday afternoon looking to build on the momentum of their Champions League breakthrough, but Andoni Iraola's side found themselves in an unexpectedly stubborn contest against the Premier League's bottom club at the interval, with the scoreline locked at 0-0.
The hosts arrived in confident spirits having secured their first Champions League victory of the Iraola era in midweek, edging past Atletico Madrid 2-1 at Anfield thanks to goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister. That result marked the third occasion this season across all competitions that Liverpool had needed to fight back from behind, and supporters would have hoped for a more comfortable afternoon against a Fulham side that had yet to register a single point after three top-flight matches.
Fulham's campaign under new boss Alvaro Arbeloa, the former Liverpool full-back, has been eventful so far. His team has shown attacking intent but has been porous defensively, shipping seven goals in just three league outings before this trip to Merseyside. Despite that record, the Cottagers proved resilient in the opening 45 minutes on Saturday.
Iraola made changes to his starting XI, with Rio Ngumoha and Victor Munoz coming into the side after Cody Gakpo was ruled out. The Dutch forward had appeared to be struggling physically during the win over Atletico, but the Liverpool manager later clarified that Gakpo had simply been dealing with cramp rather than a more serious issue. Left-back duties went to Konstantinos Tsimikas, who started ahead of Milos Kerkez after the Greek's teammate also felt the effects of cramp late in the midweek European fixture. Jeremie Frimpong was named among the substitutes.
The match began with Liverpool probing forward, and inside the opening ten minutes Alexander Isak nearly broke the deadlock when Bradley Barcola picked him out, though his effort drifted narrowly wide. Fulham's response came through a spell of pressure that saw Alisson misplace a routine pass to Ryan Gravenberch, gifting the visitors possession. Jean-Michel King combined with Rodrigo Gonzalo, whose goal-bound effort was cleared off the line by a sharp intervention from Jacquet.
The game's best chance arrived just past the twenty-minute mark when Munoz rose to meet a corner delivery and struck the crossbar, with Alex Iwobi first to react to the loose ball and clear the danger. Television replays suggested there may have been a slight deflection on Munoz's header, and it remains Liverpool's closest attempt at breaking through.
Elsewhere, Florian Wirtz showed flashes of quality but was unable to work a clean shooting opportunity after being pressed by Fulham's defense. Dango Ouattara's replacement in the Fulham attack, Emile Smith Rowe, watched from the bench as his side maintained defensive discipline in a classic 4-4-2 shape that limited Liverpool's space in behind.
Ryan Gravenberch's role also drew attention, with the Dutch midfielder operating in a deeper, more disciplined position alongside Mac Allister following his earlier benching after struggling defensively at Newcastle under Iraola. The tactical adjustment appeared aimed at providing greater balance to a Liverpool side still searching for consistency between attacking ambition and defensive solidity.
With both teams level at the break, Liverpool will look to find the breakthrough in the second half against a Fulham side determined to secure their first points of the campaign.
Based on reporting from The Independent and The Standard.