Liverpool`s second Premier League defeat of the season might not seem important now, but it raises concerns for their title challenge next season. Fulham won at their home ground, Craven Cottage. They came back from being down early in the game to score three goals in the first half. Then, they defended strongly against Liverpool, who are currently leading the league.
For the past eight years, Liverpool`s success has relied heavily on their full-backs. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson have been crucial in attacking, making the field seem wide and creating many opportunities. They have been a key part of Liverpool`s defense, similar to great pairings in Premier League history.
Alexander-Arnold might leave for Real Madrid in the summer and is currently injured. This means the famous full-back partnership is changing. The game against Fulham showed that Liverpool may need to improve not just at right-back. While Robertson is still good at attacking, his defending has been questioned recently. This was evident when Fulham scored their first goal. A weak pass from Robertson across his own penalty area found Alex Iwobi, who scored. Liverpool couldn`t clear the ball, and Fulham took the lead.
Liverpool`s defense was also poor for Fulham`s equalizing goal. Robertson was slow to react to Andreas Pereira`s cross. But the bigger problem was on the other side. Ibrahima Konate was focused on Curtis Jones instead of the ball. He missed the cross, and the ball bounced off another Liverpool defender to Ryan Sessegnon, who scored.
Even Virgil van Dijk, usually very reliable, made a mistake. He should have easily dealt with a high ball, but he allowed Rodrigo Muniz to win a header. Muniz controlled the ball well and shot through the goalkeeper`s legs to score Fulham`s third goal.
In the second half, Liverpool played better. Conor Bradley came on at right-back and quickly made an impact. He ran through the middle and set up Luis Diaz to score, reducing Fulham`s lead. Harvey Elliott almost equalized with a shot that hit the bar at Fulham, a ground where he is not popular since leaving as a young player. However, Fulham defended well, and Calvin Bassey was particularly strong as Fulham moved closer to qualifying for European competitions.
This defeat might only delay Liverpool manager Arne Slot`s success. Liverpool still need 11 points from their remaining seven games, and they have some easy matches coming up. But, if they don`t have a comfortable lead, it`s fair to wonder if Liverpool`s defense is good enough to be at the top. If Bradley replaces Alexander-Arnold, they will need a better left-back than Robertson. Van Dijk`s contract ends soon, and while he is still a top center-back, he has had some weaker moments this season, like against Muniz. It`s also uncertain if Konate is ready to become a leading defender when Van Dijk gets older, especially as Konate`s contract also ends in 2026.
These are important issues that Liverpool needs to think about. They have the rest of the season to consider them. However, they must fix these problems if they want to be in a strong position next season, like they are now.
