Liverpool twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Fulham at Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

The Cottagers took the lead in the 11th minute when Andreas Pereira converted a cross from Antonee Robinson and was headed home by a block from Andrew Robertson. The Scotland international played a strong role in the opening 17 minutes but his involvement ended when he was sent off for a negligent foul on Harry Wilson, denying a goal-scoring opportunity.

Liverpool maintained control of the game despite being outnumbered by ten players, but only created one promising chance when Dominik Szoboszlai’s instinctive cross found Luis Díaz, who failed to trouble the goalkeeper.

The Reds looked better after the restart and it didn’t take long for them to equalize when Mohamed Salah’s cross found Cody Gakpo at the back post and the Anfield crowd helped keep Arne Slot’s side going. Fulham took the lead again when Jarell Quansah should have been stronger against Robinson before being allowed to play the ball back to Rodrigo Muniz.

Slot responded by bringing on Diogo Jota three minutes later and it was the Portugal international who equalized with a well-placed finish past Bernd Leno. Nine minutes of stoppage time presented the chance for a late winner, but Díaz was unable to secure it, putting the finishing touches to a late, promising attack in what was the final great moment of the game.

Positive

Liverpool showed determination to equalize after two defeats and were the better team despite the numerical deficit. A performance that the Reds can take positive things from.

Negatives

The chance generation in the first half had to be better, but due to the red card, Slot didn’t have time to properly optimize his system until the break.

Manager Rating (1-10; 10 = best)

Arne Slot, 9 — Slot’s side never lost control of the game despite going down to 10, and there were clear signs of a game plan in the second half as Liverpool began to create chances with regularity. Slot’s yellow card in the 58th minute means he now has to serve a sideline ban for the next Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur.

Player ratings

TK Alisson Becker 6 — Alert to danger and controlled his area well. There was little Alisson could have done about both goals conceded.

DF Andrew Robertson 1 – Seventeen minutes to forget for the Liverpool left-back saw him face a heavy attack from Issa Diop early on, help Pereira’s shot past Alisson and then be sent off for a foul on the last defender, Harry Wilson.

DF Virgil van Dijk 7 — Confident in defense and impressed with moving the ball into midfield to help Liverpool overcome the numerical advantage. Showed impressive alertness when defending on the counterattack to limit Fulham’s chances.

DF Joe Gomez 7 – A crucial block prevented a dangerous chance for Fulham as the 27-year-old crossed from left-back. Tried to support attacks by going forward but could have done better with his final ball on the cross into the box.

DF Trent Alexander-Arnold 7 – He had to work hard as many of Fulham’s counter-attacks went down his flank and he constantly used right angles to prevent shooting opportunities. Later in the game he was deployed in midfield and helped Liverpool maintain control after the Reds changed shape following the introduction of Darwin Núñez.

MF Ryan Gravenberch 7 – Deployed at centre-back as Liverpool fell to 10 and linked well with Van Dijk to overcome Fulham’s initial pressing. He moved back into midfield and allowed the ball to pass impressively alongside Alexander-Arnold.

MF Curtis Jones 7 — He worked tirelessly in midfield alongside Dominik Szoboszlai, applying pressure to win the ball back. Booked for an overzealous challenge against Alex Iwobi.

MF Dominik Szoboszlai 8 — An outstanding player for Liverpool on the day, impressing with both his work rate in supporting the defense and his decision-making in the final third, where he used his pace to gain space before releasing play to the forward line .

FW Cody Gakpo 7 – He brought Liverpool back on level terms by meeting Mohamed Salah’s cross and showed his intelligence on counter-attacks, holding the ball up to bring others into play and choosing the right moments to challenge defenders directly.

FW Luis Diaz 5 — was harshly booked for an innocuous bicycle kick attempt, but was eliminated from the game when Liverpool fell to 10 points and had no chance with a header that he should have taken better advantage of. I found it difficult to influence the game as a whole. The first goal should have come in the 94th minute.

FW Mohamed Salah 7 — Consistently enjoyed the better duels against Robinson and was an outlier for Liverpool by staying wide on the right. He played an important role in getting his team back on level terms by helping Gakpo equalize with an excellent ball.

Substitute players (players are substituted after 70 minutes = no scoring)

Darwin Núñez (Gakpo, 70″) 6 — Got into some positive central areas and pressed well from the front. Assisted Liverpool’s second equalizer with a ball for Jota.

Jarell Quansah (Jones, 70″) 3 – Allowed Robinson to get past him too easily eight minutes after coming on before Fulham’s second goal. A crucial mistake at the wrong time.

Harvey Elliott (Szoboszlai, 79″) N/R – Bad luck with a swerving attempt in the penalty area that just missed the post.

Diogo Jota (Alexander-Arnold, 79″) N/R — Gave immediate impetus to Liverpool’s attack and capped his performance with a superb finish to level the score.