Liverpool

Sam Drury
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

There is never a good time to lose a game but there are certainly worse times than when you're 11 points clear at the top of the table.

Liverpool will not be pleased, especially given the manner of the goals they conceded, but defeat at Fulham should make no difference to how this season ends.

With a maximum of 11 points still needed to clinch the title, though, Arne Slot's side will not want to allow this to drag on.

There was a slackness to them in the first half at Craven Cottage, including errors of varying degrees leading to the three Fulham goals, that you simply would not associate with Liverpool this season.

A much-improved effort in the second half was much more familiar but, on this occasion, they had left themselves too much to do.

There were suggestions of tiredness prior to the international break as the end of a long season comes into view, and playing just one game a week until the end of the campaign should help mitigate any such issues.

That is a luxury they have rarely been afford this season and they will hope the additional rest helps bring a renewed sharpness between now and the end of the season.

Regardless, Sunday was a clear reminder, if it were needed, of the standards required to win in the Premier League.

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day after the defeat: "It's not often that we concede three goals, let alone in one game or in 15 minutes. We could have prevented it. We scored a good goal but, apart from that, the second half performance was much more what we are like.

"Conceding three goals like that is not of the standards of Liverpool. We were creating chance after chance after chance [towards the end]. In the end, we lacked time to make up for the three mistakes we made in the first half."

On Mohamed Salah not scoring for four club games: "Maybe he should see it as a compliment [that people are talking about it] because his numbers were not normal [when he was scoring].

"The good thing about Mo is that he knows what kind of a player he is. Mo will show up again, I don't worry about that."

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool suffered only their second Premier League defeat of the season, ending their run of 26 unbeaten league games since losing 1-0 to Nottingham Forest in September. It was their first away league defeat since April 2024 vs. Everton (0-2), ending a run of 17 away matches without defeat in the top-flight.

Liverpool conceded three goals in the first half of a Premier League game for the first time since their 7-2 defeat to Aston Villa in October 2020 (1-4 at HT), and the first time ever after having scored the opening goal of a match in the competition.

Were you at Craven Cottage or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Fulham's performance

What did you make of Liverpool's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Four matches make up Sunday's Premier League action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Brentford v Chelsea - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Fulham v Liverpool - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Tottenham v Southampton

• Man Utd v Man City (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 live

All kick-off times 14:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Fulham gave Liverpool a real test when they drew at Anfield earlier in the season.

Yes, Arne Slot's side had Andy Robertson sent off early on, but they were already a goal down by then. It took a huge effort for them to rescue a point with 10 men, but they have shown that kind of character plenty of times this season - to get something from a game when they have not played well.

Fulham made things difficult for Arsenal on Tuesday and I am expecting them to do the same here because they are very capable on the counter-attack.

They might even give Liverpool another big scare here but, with what is at stake, I still think the leaders will be fully focused and get the job done again, like they did against Everton.

Mohamed Salah against Fulham's Antonee Robinson will be a key battle, and maybe Salah will make the difference in the end. He is certainly due a big performance.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

To those suggesting Liverpool have not been that great this season, they are the 13th-best team in Premier League history after 30 games and only eight teams have taken more points at this stage in a season.

The Reds are also just the fifth team to record 73 points after 30 games. Weirdly, only one of those previous four teams went on to win the Premier League title, although none of them had bigger than a three-point lead at any stage.

Arne Slot's side have also recorded the fifth-biggest lead after 30 Premier League games, sitting 11 points clear at the top of the table.

The biggest lead that has ever been overturned after 30 games is just three points - with Newcastle United in 1995-96, Manchester United in 2011-12 and Arsenal in 2022-23 all having a three-point lead at this stage of the season and not going on to win the title.

It is also unusual for a team to have a 10-point plus lead with points in the low 70s, but it is not unprecedented. Manchester United won a one-horse title race in 2000-01 (70 points with a 16-point lead) and Manchester City did the same in 2020-21 (71 points with a 11-point lead).

So if Liverpool have been 'handed' the Premier League title this season, then so were they.

It is strange just how similar the leaders' record is compared to the past two seasons - except for their points lead!

Image source, Getty Images

I am looking at Liverpool's upcoming fixtures and I think they will have the league wrapped up by the time they play Arsenal on 10 May.

That is just six games away.

Liverpool play Chelsea the week before that and if they win all of their games in the build-up to that trip to Stamford Bridge, and just don't lose to Enzo Maresca's side, then it is done.

I can't see them losing before that game.

There are many reasons why Liverpool are set to lift the Premier League trophy this season, but one is a good balance at both ends of the pitch.

Goalkeeper Alisson has shown his worth - when fit - this season and has made a difference. He is key for them.

You only have to look at Manchester City's Ederson, who has not been up to his usual standards this year, to see what effect that has had on their form and the rest of the team.

Then, of course, there is Mohamed Salah. His stats speak for themselves but there are, however, question marks over him and Virgil van Dijk, who has also had a really solid season.

I believe the midfielders have been key to how Liverpool have played this season and they have controlled the tempo of most games, which is different to how Jurgen Klopp had them playing before.

Under Arne Slot, they are more controlled in possession and that is a lot to do with Ryan Gravenberch in that midfield role. We knew he was talented but under Klopp he didn't get a run of games, so he is the surprise package of the season for them as he has made that position his own.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

Joe Bradshaw
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

One goal in six games. Zero assists in his past four. This is an unusually quiet time for Mohamed Salah.

That it has coincided with Liverpool fluffing their lines in two competitions - against Paris St-Germain and Newcastle - is unfortunate timing.

It is unlikely to matter in the Premier League. Liverpool's advantage is such over Arsenal that they could still limp over the line without needing their talismanic forward.

But the drop-off in Salah's form is still noteworthy. So what has happened?

It is hard to know where to start the comparison. After all, before this hiccup, Salah had eight goals in eight games from the end of January - hardly suggestive that a drop was incoming.

And yet some of that was over-performing. Against Ipswich, Everton, Aston Villa and Manchester City, Salah's expected goals figures were all below 0.5 and yet he found the back of the net in each game.

Indeed, looking across his underlying numbers from the start of 2025, he has not been as good as he was in the autumn.

• Not a Liverpool fan? Find and follow your team here

While that eight-game streak ensured his goals average has remained stable, he is down across other metrics.

That expected goals metric has dropped from 0.75 to 0.6 - still only behind the figures of Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak, but down on his own ridiculous standards.

His dribbles success rate has also dropped, from 45% to 37% since the turn of the year.

Against Paris St-Germain in the first leg, he was totally anonymous - in the pocket of Nuno Mendes and having his fewest touches of the season.

While far better in the second leg, he replicated that Paris display against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final - failing to show up on Liverpool's biggest stage of the season.

It is a trend of 2025 so far that Salah is taking fewer shots - from 3.75 to three. However, with that, his shot conversion rate has improved. So he is more lethal but getting fewer opportunities, which just testifies to how exceptional a finisher he is.

Why has this happened?

First of all, everyone is entitled to a dip - and Salah's performances for most of 2024-25 have been so other-worldly that it was always unlikely to sustain all season.

On top of that, he has played a lot of minutes. Only four other outfield players have managed more in the Premier League this season. In fact, his total of 2,662 puts him 10th in Europe for outfield minutes played.

Throw in another 800 minutes in Europe, more than 300 in the Carabao Cup and five games for Egypt this season and he has had very little downtime.

Not only that, but for the past month, devout Muslim Salah has also been observing Ramadan and fasting from sunrise to sunset. It is hardly surprising that an elite athlete may not be at their peak during this time.

Liverpool have dipped slightly too. While the points per game tally has not dropped massively since 1 January (2.47 to 2.38), their metrics dovetail consistently with Salah. In other words, when Salah is clicking, so are Liverpool.

Yet even this must be put in context.

If this was a bygone season where Liverpool were fighting to keep pace with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League and in the latter stages of the Champions League, Salah's form might be more concerning.

Instead, with only the league to worry about now - and no more midweek matches on the schedule - Salah will get unexpected levels of rest between games.

And given the title could be wrapped up before May anyway, he is likely to enjoy a procession to the end of the season.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Sport chief football writer Phil McNulty has been asnwering your questions on all things Premier League.

Wayne asked: Phil, Do you think that Jurgen Klopp announcing his retirement so early had a major factor on the delay in the "big three" signing new contracts? I certainly wouldn't be signing a new contract knowing my manager was leaving and not knowing if the new manager had me in their plans.

Phil said: They – and of course we mean Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold – may have waited to see who the new manager was, and how his methods work, but that timeframe was very small. It was effectively known before Klopp left, and they clearly all bought into Arne Slot very quickly.

I have a feeling Alexander-Arnold may have been looking at possibly leaving anyway, but I do not think it would have had any impact on the other two whatsoever once it became clear it was all working well under Slot.

I am very surprised it has been as drawnout as it has been, but of course we do not know what is going on backstage at Anfield or even what those players might want in their new contracts to stay.

I think the fact Salah and Van Dijk are coming up 33 and 34 respectively may have been factors with owners FSG, but do not believe Klopp's decision has played any part.

Follow the rest of Phil's Q&A, and the rest of the day's football news on our daily live page

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham have won just one of their past 13 Premier League games against Liverpool, beating them 1-0 at Anfield in March 2021.

Liverpool have scored 38 goals in 15 Premier League away matches this season, an average of 2.53 goals per game. That is their joint best in a top-flight season, also scoring at the same rate in 2013-14 (48 goals in 19 games).

Across Liverpool's past four Premier League away matches, they have scored eight goals and all of them have either been scored (five) or assisted (three) by Mohamed Salah. Only one player has ever had a hand in nine away goals in a row in the competition - Thierry Henry between April and August 2003 for Arsenal.

Image source, Getty Images

How objective can fans be when analysing decision for and against their team?

Wednesday's Merseyside derby offered up two controversial moments: the decision not to send off James Tarkowski for a reckless tackle on Alexis Mac Allister and allowing Diogo Jota's winning goal despite Luis Diaz being in an offside position during the build-up.

We put mirror polls up on both our Liverpool and Everton pages to gauge the thoughts of each fanbases on the two decisions.

Here is what the results told us:

As we put our polls out, refereeing body PGMOL were acknowledging an error was made in not dismissing Tarkowski.

Of the people who voted, five per cent of Liverpool fans and 32 per cent of Everton fans still voted that the referee made the right decision to issue a yellow card.

The split in views between the two fan bases is more apparent in the vote on whether Jota's winner should have stood.

By the letter of the law - probably.

Is there an issue with said law? Quite possibly.

Aston Villa have a clear path to pursue 20-year-old Real Madrid winger Arda Guler, after Liverpool ended their interest in the Turkey international. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer news? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

If you love your football documentaries then you're in for a treat. There's a new one out which charts the journey of Liverpool lifting the 2019 Champions League under former manager Jurgen Klopp.

Reds keeper Alisson and Andy Robertson provide the insight from the dressing room, with former assistant manager Peter Krawietz talking about the plan to turn "doubters to believers" after Klopp's appointment in October 2015.

Liverpool's ex-director of research Ian Graham goes into the club's 'Moneyball' approach to recruitment, including how Klopp was convinced to sign Mohamed Salah rather than Julian Brandt.

There are some great stories from the club winning Europe's top competition for a sixth time, including how they overturned a 3-0 semi-final, first-leg deficit to beat a Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona 4-0 at a raucous Anfield.

Head over to BBC iPlayer to watch it right now and it will also be on BBC One at 23:40 (BST) on Wednesday, 9 April after the Champions League highlights programme.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your Premier League questions.

Mike asked: Who would be your top three summer signings for Liverpool?

Phil: Entering the realms of guesswork and - perhaps - the extremely unlikely here, but mine would be Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak (could Newcastle even dare to part with him), Bournemouth full-back Milos Kerkez and maybe Julian Alvarez of Atletico Madrid.

If I was going for four (!) maybe they would consider strengthening in central defence and go back to Bournemouth for Dean Huijsen... sorry, Cherries fans.

Should stress, I'm not saying these will happen - but I'm sure Liverpool would love to get their hands on Isak and Kerkez.

A lot depends, of course, on the contract situations of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Come back to this page tomorrow for Phil's thoughts on those contract situations

Mandeep Sanghera
BBC Sport journalist

It was a quick turnaround for Liverpool boss Arne Slot.

He barely had time to celebrate Wednesday night's derby win over Everton before he was chatting to the media on Thursday to look ahead to the league game at Fulham on Sunday.

One main talking point dominated proceedings and that was how Everton defender James Tarkowski escaped a red card for his challenge on Alexis Mac Allister.

The PGMOL has acknowledged it should have been a sending off and, while Slot has had his run-ins with officials this season, he was quite diplomatic when asked about the standard of refereeing in the Premier League.

However, the Dutchman will not want a repeat of the decisions in the 2-2 draw against Fulham at Anfield earlier this season when Slot believes the Cottagers should have a had a player dismissed and that it was debateable if Reds left-back Andy Robertson should have been sent off.

"I think everywhere around the world mistakes are being made," added Slot. "This is something in the league where I came from. We are all aiming for a league without mistakes.

"I am aiming for a season without me making one mistake in the line-ups I make, but unfortunately this will probably never happen - not with me and not with referee decisions.

"Mistakes are being made. If a referee makes a wrong decision, everybody will fall over it. If I make the wrong line-up, everybody will fall over it. I think it is quite an OK season for referees in England, actually."

In typical Slot style, he was also refusing to get carried away by his team's 12-point lead at the top of the Premier League with eight games left.

"We are not working on theories about how many points [this or that would be]," he said. "We are taking the challenge of Fulham on for Sunday, when we will have to be at our best again to get a result."

Watch the Match of the Day panel explain why Diogo Jota's Merseyside derby winner was allowed to stand despite Luis Diaz initially being in an offside position in the build-up before entering play and assisting the goal.

Do you think the goal should have been allowed to stand? And should James Tarkowski have been sent off for his earlier challenge on Alexis Mac Allister?

Make your decisions here