Liverpool fail to win Fulham thriller but show key trait in title race
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Liverpool 2-2 Fulham: A frantic game at Anfield saw Andy Robertson sent off early and the returning Diogo Jota snatch a late equaliser for Arne Slot’s men but that only tells half the story. Two points dropped, one test of character passed. It remains to be seen which proves more significant in the final reckoning but this was stirring stuff from Liverpool fc.
![[Diogo Jota was Liverpool’s hero late on]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/14/17/newFile.jpg)
Twice in the position of being both a goal and a man down, they conjured two equalisers in a demonstration of their spirit and Arne Slot’s resourcefulness. If the Dutchman was supposed to be about control, this was a sequel to the chaos of the 3-3 draw at Newcastle. Slot, normally that byword for calmness, was caught up in the emotion of the occasion, getting cautioned at one point, his head in his hands at another.
![[But Andy Robertson had left them a big task with his sending off]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/14/15/SEI233202157.jpg)
Yet if he displayed some cool thinking to extend Liverpool’s unbeaten run to 19 games, so did Diogo Jota. Seven minutes into his comeback after more than seven weeks out, the substitute showed the composure to level. In a match of fluctuating feelings, Slot was left with contrasting thoughts. “I think it is the opposite from Girona where I was pleased with the result but not the performance. Here I am very, very pleased with the performance - I couldn’t have asked for more - but if you drop points in a home game against Fulham, that is definitely not what you expect.”.
![[Gakpo’s diving header had brought Liverpool level early in the second half]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/14/16/SEI233208343.jpg)
The bare facts are that victory eluded Liverpool for a second successive league match just as Fulham fc, after holding Arsenal, made another intervention in the title race. In a match that turned into a 107-minute epic of 28 shots, seven yellow cards for the players – plus one for Slot – and a red, Fulham held their own.
![[Fulham impressed and were well worth their point]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/14/15/SEI233200067.jpg)
