Sunday Fulham Stuff - 07/08/22...

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Results

Saturday
Fulham	2-2	Liverpool
Bournemouth	2-0	Villa
Leeds	2-1	Wolves
Newcastle	2-0	Nottm Forest
Spurs	4-1	Southampton
Everton	0-1	Chelsea

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Fulham 2-2 Liverpool: Mitrovic carries form into top flight as Silva's men hold Reds

Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a brace as Premier League new boys Fulham put in a tremendous performance to draw 2-2 against Liverpool.

Fulham have proven difficult opponents for Jurgen Klopp's side in recent years – the Cottagers now unbeaten in their last three top-flight meetings – and Liverpool had to come from behind twice.

The Serbia striker has notoriously struggled for goals in the top division but showed no sign of any issues against the Reds, opening his account for the campaign in the 32nd minute.

Darwin Nunez cancelled out Fulham's lead with a clever improvised backheel just after the hour mark, before a Mitrovic penalty restored the home side's advantage.

With just under 10 minutes remaining in the game, however, Nunez then set up Mohamed Salah, who calmly slotted home Liverpool's crucial equaliser.

The warning signs were there for Klopp as Liverpool struggled to get going and string passes together early on, before being caught on the break.

Although they grew into the game, it was far from a composed Reds performance, while Fulham looked completely different to the side which shipped 10 goals in their opening three Premier League matches in 2020-21.

It was not the start to the season Liverpool would have envisaged when the fixtures were released, with Fulham applying most of the early pressure and Mitrovic poking wide in only the second minute.

However, Liverpool had the ball in the back of their net with their first real attacking move of the game, Luis Diaz curling the ball past Marek Rodak, but Andy Robertson was offside in the build up.

Liverpool continued to struggle to find their way into the match and it was Fulham who took a surprise lead against the Champions League finalists.

The Cottagers made a clever move down the left, with Kenny Tete overlapping Neeskens Kebano before sending in a deep cross to the far post where Mitrovic beat Trent Alexander-Arnold to head past Alisson.

Liverpool almost levelled just minutes later – Diaz's attempted chip from just inside the box flew past Rodak but rebounded back off the post.

Klopp already had extensive injury problems going into the game, but his fortunes took a turn for the worse when Thiago Alcantara pulled up early in the second half and had to be substituted, going off holding his hamstring.

Early in the second half – after a quiet few minutes – Kebano almost scored Fulham's second when he unleashed an effort that rebounded off the inside of the post and, from the following corner, Bobby Decordova-Reid had a curled effort saved by Alisson.

There were signs of intent from Liverpool as Nunez looked to pick out Diaz at the far post, but his attempted pass was blocked by Joao Palhinha.

Liverpool found a small opportunity and Nunez equalised to open his account in the Premier League.

Harvey Elliott had played in Salah down the wing and he crossed for Nunez, who backheeled the ball into the net, which was allowed to stand following a brief VAR check for offside.

After levelling the score, Liverpool immediately looked to be closing in on a winner, with Diaz having a shot blocked and Tim Ream also having to make a clearance off the line.

Just as Liverpool looked to be pushing for a winner, Mitrovic restored Fulham's lead from the penalty spot.

The Serbia striker was judged by referee Andrew Madley to have been brought down in the box by Virgil Van Dijk, with VAR upholding the decision.

Mitrovic stepped up to take the spot-kick and Alisson guessed the right way but was beaten by the power of the shot.

Liverpool levelled again when Alexander-Arnold crossed from the right to the centre of the box, with Nunez unselfishly tapping down for Mohamed Salah to slot home.



https://www.football365.com/news/fulham-2-2-liverpool-mitrovic-carries-form-into-top-flight-as-silvas-men-hold-reds

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Liverpool draw: Pundits destroy 'clumsy' Virgil van Dijk and Reds teammate as Fulham secure surprise opening day point

Usually-reliable Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk found himself the the subject of unexpected criticism after he conceded a penalty in Saturday's 2-2 draw at Fulham.

The Cottagers were good value for their point and could even have had more after making Liverpool come from behind twice. Indeed, Marco Silva's side showed no signs of being in awe of their opponents, who have not lost a Premier League game in 2022.

The Cottagers started brightly with Joao Palhinha breaking up play superbly well in his defensive midfield role.

And the Cottagers took a deserved lead on 32 minutes when a slick move saw Kenny Tete whip over a deep cross where Mitrovic rose above Trent Alexander-Arnold to power home a close-range header.

For Mitrovic, the header was exactly the sort of goal for which he has made his name. And BT Sport pundit Peter Crouch said his "eyes must have lit up" when the ball was floated over.

However, Sky Sports pundit Kris Boyd had questioned the softness of Alexander-Arnold's defending.

He said: "Trent Alexander-Arnold's defending on the goal is atrocious. He doesn't even know Mitrovic is behind him and he just comes in and bullies him.

"Fulham deserve to be ahead."

Indeed, Alexander-Arnold's performance was well below his best in that opening half. But it wasn't just his defending that earned him criticism.

To that end, his pass success rate was also down at 68 per cent – the lowest of any Liverpool player in that half. He also surrendered possession 18 times – the most of any player on the pitch.

Virgil van Dijk criticised by pundits
Indeed, Fulham continued to press second half with Liverpool again second best in the early exchanges.

"It's so odd to see Liverpool so downbeat. Really, really odd. But that's where you have to give credit to Fulham," Jermaine Jenas said to BT Sport.

However, an equaliser from Darwin Nunez appeared to change the complexity of the game, with Liverpool pressing for the lead.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp had earlier defended his decision to start with his club-record signing on the bench.

But with pressure building, it was Fulham who broke away with Mitrovic winning and then coverting a penalty when Van Dijk chopped him down.

Showing the ball to Van Dijk, his quick feet dragged it away from the Dutchman with his lunge bringing him down.

The part Van Dijk played in that moment certainly raised eyebrows among the commentators.

Indeed, Jenas was very vocal of the usually-reliable Liverpool defender.

"He's normally so assured in those situations. It's a clumsy challenge and one he didn't need to make. He had Trent back alongside him," Jenas began.

"It's great play from Mitrovic, he's slowed it down, moved the ball, lured him into the challenge. He's feeling confident, feeling good and deserves those two goals," Jenas added.

Aleksandar Mitrović is loving it out there! ⚽️⚽️

He tucks home the penalty he won to restore Fulham's advantage 👌

What a day for the newly promoted side so far! pic.twitter.com/4gZPTQu9B7

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) August 6, 2022

Darren Fletcher on commentary duty was equally surprised.

"Every one is counting up, trying to remember the number of times Van Dijk has come off second best like that when one on one!"

Liverpool did manage to find an qualiser when Mohamed Salah poked home after Nunez's lay-off. The strike means he has scored on the opening day of the season for the sixth successive season.

The Reds also hit the bar in added-on time when Jordan Henderson's 25-yard strike hit the bar.

But truth is that would have been harsh on Fulham, who more than deserved their point.



https://www.teamtalk.com/liverpool/1-1-fulham-draw-pundits-destroy-clumsy-virgil-van-dijk-trent-alexander-arnold-shock-result

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Fulham 2-2 Liverpool

Fulham re-entered the Premier League with a bang, holding title contenders Liverpool to a 2-2 draw at the Cottage.

An Aleksandar Mitrović double twice put us ahead, but goals from Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah meant we could only take a point in the end.

Marco Silva named the same team that grabbed a 1-1 draw against Villarreal in our final pre-season game, but with new recruits Bernd Leno and Shane Duffy featuring on the bench.

João Palhinha and Andreas Pereira were set for their Fulham league debuts and for the first time since joining us, Manor Solomon was also an option for the boss, starting as a substitute.

For Liverpool, goalkeeper Alisson Becker returned after a stint out with injury. Salah, Luis Diaz and Roberto Firmino formed the front three, with new signing Nunez on the bench. He sat alongside Fabio Carvalho, who returned to the Cottage for the first time since securing promotion with us.

We made a bright start, with Mitro gathering the ball high up the pitch after Trent Alexander-Arnold's attempted clearance was blocked. Our front man brought the ball down excellently, but his low effort rolled wide of the far post.

It was all Fulham in the early stages, and the crowd were right behind the boys. Antonee Robinson burst down the left side before having his cross sent out for a corner. The resulting delivery was headed clear.

Liverpool thought they had the lead 15 minutes in, when Diaz curled a right-footed shot into the far corner. Thankfully, the flag was raised, with Andy Robertson shown to be offside earlier in the move.

Kenny Tete was the first to go into the book, sliding in late and catching Dias after he'd released the ball.

We were looking dangerous going forward. Andreas whipped a brilliant free-kick into the area, which was cleared before Mitro had an effort on goal.

The Fulham attacks kept coming. Harrison Reed's attempt from the edge of the box was well blocked before Neeskens Kebano darted down the right and crossed towards Mitro. He couldn't quite reach it and the ball rolled out for a throw.

We took a deserved lead just past the half-hour mark. Kebano found the overlapping Tete, whose floated cross towards the back stick was superbly headed home by Mitro. The forward towered over Alexander-Arnold to get to the ball first.

Liverpool reacted well as they searched for a leveller. The full-backs combined, with Alexander-Arnold finding Robertson with a diagonal ball, before the Scot fired a low shot wide.

A couple of minutes later, Diaz' powerful strike from the left rattled the post after taking a small nick off Tete.

After an excellent opening 45 minutes, we went in at the break ahead.

Jürgen Klopp made a couple of changes just minutes after the break, with Nunez replacing Firmino up top and ex-Fulham man Harvey Elliott coming on for Thiago, who limped off holding his hamstring.

We created a great opportunity on 56 minutes. Bobby De Cordova-Reid pounced on an Elliott error before charging towards the Liverpool goal. He found Andreas, whose attempted ball across goal was well blocked.

Then, just moments later, Tim Ream did brilliantly to beat Nunez to the ball before feeding Kebano, whose right-footed strike crashed against the far post before bouncing back out. So close to building a two-goal cushion.

Up the other end, a Tosin error very nearly led to an equaliser for Liverpool. Nunez tried to square the ball to Salah or Diaz, but in the end, his effort found neither of them and was cleared.

The away side were applying pressure and soon found an equaliser just after the hour mark. Salah broke away down the right and crossed to Nunez, who cleverly flicked the ball over Marek Rodák.

Marco opted for a change after the goal, with Manor Solomon introduced in place of Kebano.

Nunez almost added a second minutes later, using his strength to ward off Tosin before having his low shot cleared off the line by Ream.

Just as Liverpool were beginning to dominate, Mitro powered forward towards the Hammersmith End and won a penalty after getting tripped by Virgil van Dijk. Our Serbian bagsman made no mistake, slotting his spot kick into the bottom right corner.

We weren't able to enjoy the lead for long, with Liverpool getting themselves level for the second time with around 10 minutes remaining. Nunez brought down an Alexander-Arnold ball before laying it off to Salah, who prodded home.

Jordan Henderson gave us a late scare, as his long-range hit rifled off the crossbar with just a few minutes remaining.

A fantastic performance on our return to the top flight and our first point already on the board.

Fulham FC: Rodák, Tete, Robinson, Ream, Tosin, Reed, João Palhinha, Andreas Pereira (Cairney 89'), Kebano (Solomon 66'), De Cordova-Reid (Duffy 94'), Aleksandar Mitrovic

Subs: Mbabu, Solomon, Duffy, Rodrigo Muniz, Cairney, Francois, Leno, Stansfield, Harris

Liverpool: Alisson, Matip, van Dijk, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold, Thiago (Elliott 51'), Fabinho (Milner 59'), Henderson, Roberto Firmino (Núñez 51'), Mohamed Salah, Díaz (Fábio Carvalho 78')

Subs: Adrián, Chambers, Bajcetic, Gomez, Fábio Carvalho, van den Berg, Milner, Elliott, Núñez



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2022/august/06/Fulham-2-2-Liverpool/

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Post-Liverpool Press Conference

Marco Silva was pleased with his players' performances against Liverpool, and believes there's an argument that they deserved the win.

Twice Fulham led last season's Premier League runners-up through Aleksandar Mitrović's brace, but they hit back on each occasion to claim a 2-2 draw.

"If you ask me if I deserve something more, I think our players deserve something more from the game," Silva told the gathered press.

"I know Liverpool – more in the second half than the first – had more control of the game, but I think our organisation was great.

"Great first half, the way we blocked almost everything from them. In terms of organisation, our first half was almost perfect. The way we started the game, the intensity we played first half, was really, really good.

"I have to congratulate our players and our fans as well. To play like we played against Liverpool first half, how they are aggressive when they attack the space, we controlled all those moments really well.

"We matched them, and we know they are not just really good on the ball, without the ball they are really aggressive.

"I think we matched them from the first until the last minute of the match. We did really well, and maybe our players deserved something more from the game.

"It's just one point, but I think it was a good performance from ourselves, and we have to go again."

One of the most boring statements in football is about Mitrović's apparent inability 'to do it in the Premier League.'

Silva, like all of us, knows it's nonsense.

"For me, it's not important what people say about him," he stated. "I'm here to get the best out of these players.

"I'm saying every time that I get this question about Mitro in the Premier League, we have to keep playing our way, keep providing the chances for him, and in the box he will score.

"I repeat something I said maybe 20 times last season, Mitro is not just a goal scorer for us. He did an unbelievable job this afternoon without the ball. Unbelievable.

"The way he pressed, the way he helped the midfielders, in some moments he helped the backline as well.

"Even after all the work he did, 70 minutes of the game, he can take the ball 30, 40 metres and run and win a penalty.

"He was fantastic, and he really deserved the two goals with the good performance that he put on the pitch. I'm really pleased for him because he deserved it."



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2022/august/06/post-liverpool-press-conference/

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Klopp says Liverpool's season-opening draw at Fulham felt like a defeat after Mitrovic double
Reds struggled to deal with Fulham's physicality in Premier League opener at Craven Cottage


Aleksandar Mitrovic of Fulham scores their side's second goal from a penalty against Liverpool. Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty

Fulham 2 Liverpool 2

Jurgen Klopp admitted Liverpool's 2-2 draw at newly promoted Fulham felt like a defeat for last season's Premier League runners-up.

Mohamed Salah's late equaliser helped cancel out two goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic, with Darwin Nunez having earlier levelled for the Reds after Fulham's opener.

Serbia striker Mitrovic looked every part the player who smashed Championship records with 43 goals last season when he opened his account for the campaign in the 32nd minute, before following it up with a second-half penalty.

Nunez had followed Mitrovic's first with a clever improvised backheel goal, before turning provider on his league debut for Salah, who slotted home Liverpool's crucial second 10 minutes from time.

Despite rescuing a point, Klopp believes his side were far from their best at Craven Cottage.

"We started exactly the opposite way than we wanted," the Liverpool boss said.

"We are used to more dominance and we couldn't get that because we played just not good enough, not quick enough, not precise enough, all these kind of things.

"I'm really fine with the point. I know we could have won the game – that wouldn't have made our performance a little bit better, but we could have.

"I'm happy for the punishment we got with losing two points. I know we can see that differently – for them (Fulham) I'd say as well they lost two points."



https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/2022/08/06/mitrovic-nets-twice-as-fulham-hold-liverpool-to-draw-in-their-opening-premier-league-game/

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Nunez saves Liverpool from opening day defeat at Fulham
Aleksandar Mitrovic twice put the hosts ahead at Craven Cottage.

LIVERPOOL TWICE HAD to come from behind against newly-promoted Fulham to salvage a 2-2 draw in a pulsating start to the Premier League season on Saturday.

Aleksandar Mitrovic twice put the impressive hosts ahead, but Darwin Nunez came off the bench to make a huge impact on his Premier League debut.

The Uruguayan, who arrived at Anfield in a deal that could rise to €100 million from Benfica, flicked home to level at 1-1 and then teed up Mohamed Salah for an equaliser 10 minutes from time.

Liverpool's season had got off to a flying start by getting the better of Manchester City to win the Community Shield in what was billed as an early showdown between the two title contenders.

However, the Reds were punished for a sluggish performance in the first hour in what could prove a costly concession of two points.

Mitrovic scored 43 goals in as many games last season as Fulham romped to the Championship title and gave Liverpool an early warning as he stabbed just wide inside the first minute.

Much to Jurgen Klopp's frustration on the touchline, the visitors did not wake from their slumber and were finally punished on 32 minutes when Mitrovic outmuscled Trent Alexander-Arnold at the back post to head in Kenny Tete's cross.

Liverpool flickered into life before the break as Luis Diaz smashed against the post from a narrow angle.

However, it was not until the introduction of the towering presence of Nunez that the Champions League finalists began to pose a persistent threat.

Nunez was at fault when Fulham were inches away from doubling their lead when he was caught in possession and the ball was fed to Neeskens Kebano, who drilled off the inside of the post.

At the other end, Liverpool's new striker quickly made his presence felt as an audacious flick from Salah's cross was saved by Marek Rodak.

Moments later a replica move did deliver Nunez's first Premier League goal as he backheeled in from Salah's low cross 26 minutes from time.

At that point there appeared only one winner, but Mitrovic showed a surprising fleetness of foot to turn Virgil van Dijk, who clipped the Serbian striker inside the box.

Mitrovic coolly slotted the resulting penalty low past Alisson Becker, but Fulham failed to hold out in the final 18 minutes for a famous win.

Another long ball into the box towards Nunez caused panic in the Fulham defence and the ball eventually fell kindly to Salah to score on the opening weekend of the Premier League for a sixth consecutive season.

Liverpool could even have snatched victory five minutes into stoppage time when Jordan Henderson's long range strike came back off the crossbar.

But a point was the least Fulham deserved as they made a strong start in their bid to avoid relegation for a fourth consecutive season when in the top flight.



https://www.the42.ie/liverpool-fulham-2-5834853-Aug2022/

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Crouch And Rio Single Out One Brilliant Element Of Mitrovic's Performance v Liverpool

Fulham hosted Liverpool on the first day of the new Premier League season, and they and star man Aleksandar Mitrovic certainly made their mark on opening day.

Last season's Championship winners unexpectedly took the fight to Liverpool, taking the lead twice before valiantly holding out for a draw.

Mitrovic was the star for the Cottagers, scoring both goals for the newly promoted side.

After the draw with Liverpool, BT Sport's punditry team praised Mitrovic's performance against a famously resolute Liverpool backline. Rio Ferdinand would even say that Mitrovic was the kind of player he would have hated to play against.

Fulham v Liverpool: Ferdinand and Crouch praise unique Mitrovic performance
Fulham were given one of the toughest possible prospects on opening day of the Premier League, as they were pencilled in to host Liverpool on Saturday afternoon.

Fulham took a surprise lead into half-time after Aleksandar Mitrovic got the better of Trent Alexander-Arnold to head the ball home late in the first half. Liverpool equalised in the second half through Darwin Nunez, but they were to be stunned once more when Mitrovic won and converted a penalty to restore Fulham's lead with less than 20 minutes to go.

Mo Salah would ultimately save Liverpool's blushes with a late equaliser, but a point away to newly promoted opposition is certainly not an ideal way to start the season for last year's runners up.

Mitrovic's performance was a positive indicator that he may be able to perform at Premier League level. He disappointed with Fulham on their last stint in the top flight in 2020-21, scoring only three goals, but 43 goals in 44 Championship games last year had punters hoping that he could perform better in the top flight this time around.

After the game, BT Sport's punditry team analysed the performance of the Serbian, with Rio Ferdinand and Peter Crouch noting that few players have been able to intimidate Virgil van Dijk like Mitrovic did.

Former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch was the first to speak about Mitrovic's performance, and noted how the Fulham man had done well against Liverpool's resolute defensive duo of van Dijk and Joel Matip.

Crouch noted that, often, Liverpool's defence is so well organised that viewers "don't notice" the presence of van Dijk and Matip on the pitch, but said that Mitrovic had made sure their presence was felt with his movement and physicality during the game.

Similarly, Rio Ferdinand went on to say that there were not many players in the league who could put a challenge up against van Dijk in the manner that Mitrovic had at Craven Cottage. He added that Mitrovic's physicality made him the kind of player he would have hated to defend against during his playing days.

Ferdinand also pointed out that Fulham's plan appears lasered in on playing to Mitrovic's strengths, saying:

    I don't think we can get carried away, but I think a big difference today - and you'd like to think it will carry on now, given what we've seen today - is that last time they were up I don't think they played completely to his strengths. Whereas this first evidence we're getting today - Pereira is new in the door, he can get on the ball. Everytime he got the ball, he's looking for Mitrovic.

    Everytime they get wide, they're crossing - 14 crosses in the first half. Wilson's missing, who was a big provider of chances last year for Mitrovic. They're going to need to make him the vocal point.

Liverpool got a bit of a shock at Fulham on opening day, thanks in no small part to the excellent work of Aleksandar Mitrovic up front. Fans of the Cottagers will hope that Saturday's game is a sign that Mitrovic may be able to bang them in more regularly this season.



https://www.balls.ie/football/fulham-liverpool-aleksandar-mitrovic-519795

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Klopp Talk: We Didn't Deserve to Win

Liverpool dropped points against Fulham despite goal-scoring debut from Darwin Nunez

Liverpool failed to win their league season opener for only the second time of the Jurgen Klopp era, drawing away to Fulham 2-2 despite mounting a furious comeback.

Twice down through goals from the Championship's record scorer, Alexander Mitrovic, the visiting Reds fought back and only the frame of the goal prevented captain Jordan Henderson's long-range strike from snatching the win in extra time.

Pressed back and down a goal by the newly-promoted side after the first half of play, the 50th minute introduction of big money striker Darwin Nunez for his debut sparked the Reds to life. The Uruguayan began putting shots on target from the moment he came on, finally managing to flick home from close range from Mohamed Salah's deflected cross.

Nunez returned the favor moments later, helping Trent's long ball into the box into the Egyptian's path to tie the game again after Mitrovic scored his second through a dubious penalty. It was Salah's club record sixth opening day goal.

However, despite the energy injections of James Milner late on as well as ex-Fulham players Fabio Carvalho and Harvey Elliott, the Cottagers were able to do just enough to hang on for the point.

"Best thing about the game is the result," Klopp admitted in his post-match interview. "We played a really bad game. The attitude was not right at the start."

"The result is fine. We didn't deserve more, but the performance is massively improvable."

"We never had momentum. We could have won the game as we had the bigger chances, but we probably didn't deserve to win."

The Reds will have nine days until their next fixture in the league against Crystal Palace to mull over a disappointing opening day result.



https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2022/8/6/23294691/jurgen-klopp-talk-we-didnt-deserve-to-win-fulham-liverpool-premier-league-darwin-nunez-mohamed-salah

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Fulham's new faces and old give early optimism over survive and thrive Premier League plans

Marco Silva has said he wants more new players but The Cottagers went close to making the perfect start to the season anyway

At the interval on the opening weekend of the season, Fulham fans would have been riding high on optimism, not just for the 90 minutes but for the season and even beyond.

It wasn't just that they were beating Liverpool, nor even that they were deservedly ahead. Nor was it solely about the usual (and warranted) over-excitement of a Premier League return, more impending transfer arrivals in the final week of the window or the prospect of clocking up about 8 per cent of the points required to stay up already, on day one.

The added surge of hope and belief would also have been in part due to the debut performance of Joao Palhinha, a summer signing from Sporting CP who had previously been linked with bigger, more established top-flight clubs. On the basis of how he handled Liverpool's midfield in that opening period, maybe a few are already regretting their hesitation.

Ultimately, the Cottagers didn't quite over the line for three points, though even claiming one by the final whistle was clearly big for the home fans, who had roared on their team and berated the officials all afternoon in equal measure en route to a 2-2 draw.

And yet despite that, this would very much count as a "point won" rather than two dropped, in the theoretical plan of the season and where they could pick points up along the way to survive - and perhaps rather more than that.

Aside from in the immediate aftermath of the game, there will be obvious concerns about sustaining the performance level from this game, which was extremely good from the promoted side. They were energetic, aggressive, combative, quick to react to changes of the flow of the game - all of those they did better than Liverpool.

But the squad remains thin, hence Marco Silva's call for significant recruits before the transfer window shuts, and there's a huge world of difference between being up for the club' first big game in the top flight for well over a year, and maintaining that type of intensity game after game, week after week.

Two key figures, though, showed they will have a massive impact on Fulham's fortunes, starting with Palhinha in the middle.

The new signing was exceptionally quick into the challenge, strong in the air and relentless in giving the visitors' midfield no chance to settle into a passing rhythm or even play forwards - he was constantly forcing Thiago and Co to turn back to the full-backs or central defenders, rather than being able to link with Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah.

Six tackles from the Portuguese was easily the best on the park in that category, while he also strode forward often enough to get a couple of shots away and help relieve pressure at times.

He's new, he's exciting, he gives hope to the supporters that the recruitment team is going to get it right more frequently this time, given the horror show of 2018 and the half-hearted 2020 version.

Further forward, it was a much more familiar face who made the crucial difference. Aleksandar Mitrovic has been at Fulham for more than four-and-a-half years now, including the original loan, but his Premier League impact has been minimal until now.

Here he scored, won a penalty, scored again and showed all the defensive contribution, hold-up play, ball-carrying abilty and willingness to help out his side in deeper zones that Fulham are going to badly need if they are to maintain this early season optimism. The Serbian striker already only needs one more goal to match his haul from the entire campaign in 20/21.

Silva, in the dugout, won't be getting carried away just yet. He will likely allow himself an amount of satisfaction in putting a ridiculously early dent in the title hopes of the team who beat him in his final game in charge of Everton, before being sacked, but far more importantly, he has an early barometer to point his team towards for what's required every single time this season.

It has been said a thousand times before, but if a side plays with that vigour and direction more often than not, they'll be unlikely to go down. The challenge is maintaining that energy once the newness of the season wears off, and in a run-of-the-mill away day to a mid-table side, rather than a high-profile meeting with a titan.

But the positive signs were there right from kick-off, with both new signings and old guard contributing to making Fulham's return to the elite of English football a happy one for the home support.



https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fulham-liverpool-aleksandar-mitrovic-joao-palhinha-b2139517.html

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PLAYER RATINGS: Virgil van Dijk endured arguably his worst display for Liverpool but Aleksandar Mitrovic was simply UNPLAYABLE... and Darwin Nunez enjoyed the perfect debut

    Aleksandar Mitrovic put Fulham in front against Liverpool in the 39th minute
    The striker towered over Trent Alexander-Arnold to head his side into the lead
    Liverpool's Darwin Nunez started on the bench but was introduced at half time
    The Uruguayan scored on his Premier League debut to pull Liverpool level
    Before Mitrovic scored a penalty after being brought down by Virgil van Dijk
    Mo Salah scored 10 minutes from time to rescue the visitors a point

Liverpool came from behind to steal a point at Craven Cottage on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.

Jurgen Klopp's men left it late in London as Mo Salah rescued his side a point against the newly-promoted outfit.

Serbian Aleksandar Mitrovic opened the scoring as he towered over Trent Alexander- Arnold to finish with a bullet header past Alisson Becker in the 39th minute.


Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic towers over Trent Alexander-Arnold to score in the 39th minute


Salah scored late to pull his side level in the Premier League encounter at Craven Cottage

New star striker Darwin Nunez restored parity between the two side's, coming off the bench to score on his Premier League debut.

Mitrovic holds the record for the most goals scored in a single championship season having helped the club clinch promotion last season, and started the new season in the England top-flight with two goals.

He put Fulham ahead for the second time in the match after scoring from the penalty spot having been brought down in the box by Virgil van Dijk.

However, the hosts failed to keep out Liverpool as Salah scored 10 minutes from time to ensure spoils were shared in West London.

Sportsmail's James St Denis gives his player ratings following the high-scoring encounter below.


Mitrovic - the Championship's top scorer last season - scored both of Fulham's goals


Darwin Nunez made an instant impact after being left out as he came on to score for Liverpool

FULHAM (4-3-3)

Marek Rodak 6

Rarely troubled in the Fulham goal. Couldn't do much about Liverpool's equaliser but very solid overall.

Kenny Tete 6

Another decent all-round display. Got the assist for Fulham's opener and did his defensive duties well.

Tim Ream 5.5

Patrolled the back-line with relative ease in the first half, but was at fault for Liverpool's second.

Tosin Adarabioyo 6

Faced up well to Firmino and then substitute Nunez. Solid partnership with Ream in the centre of defence.

Antonee Robinson 6.5

Linked up well with Reid down the left-hand side. Limited Salah's involvement throughout the game.

Harrison Reed 7

Absolute menace in the heart of midfield. Never allowed Thiago and Henderson to penetrate the game.

Joao Palhinha 8

A brilliant debut from the robust Portuguese. Unplayable at times and looks at home in the Premier League.

Andreas Pereira 7

Another tidy debut for the home side. Caused Alexander-Arnold loads of problems but end product wasn't there.

Neeskens Kebano 6.5

Fared well on the Fulham right-hand side. Capitalised on various Liverpool mistakes but lacked end product.

Bobby De Cordova-Reid 5

Non-existent. Rarely involved in the action and struggled to make any meaningful impact into the game.

Aleksandar Mitrovic 9 (Star man)

Unplayable. Despite coming up a league, the Serbian continued his fine form. An absolute nuisance.


Mitrovic blows a kiss to the Craven Cottage faithful after scoring his second goal of the game

SUBSTITUTES 

Manor Soloman 6

Not involved much when he entered the fray. Looks a decent player with a wealth of top-level experience.

Manager: Marco Silva: Fourth time lucky in the Premier League? Tactics were spot on and never allowed Liverpool to be on the front-foot.

LIVERPOOL

Alisson 5.5

Could've done much better for the first goal, and his distribution throughout was poor.

Trent Alexander-Arnold 5.5

More awareness needed for Fulham's first goal and struggled to contain Pereira, but improved after the break.

Joel Matip 6

The better of the two centre-halves, but not at his usual best. Overall a decent display from the Cameroonian.

Virgil van Dijk 4

Arguably his worst performance in a Liverpool shirt. Mitrovic had the better of him and at fault for Fulham's second.

Andrew Robertson 5.5

Rash decision making throughout the match.

Liverpool's main attacking output in the first half but quiet in the second.

Fabinho 5.5

Overshadowed by Fulham's aggressive midfield. Was always on edge and got shipped off early in the second half.

Thiago 5

Off the pace in the first half with Fulham silencing his threat. Off injured to the dismay of Reds supporters.

Jordan Henderson 6

Like his midfield partners, struggled to deal with Fulham's ultra aggressive midfield. Denied last-minute winner by bar.

Mo Salah 7.5

Almost non-existent in the first half, but a goal and an assist in the second shows his importance to Liverpool.

Roberto Firmino 4.5

A lacklustre display from the Brazilian. Failed to trouble the Fulham defence and was overshadowed by Nunez's arrival.

Luis Diaz 6.5

Liverpool's main threat and unlucky to not score in the first half. Faded away in the second.

SUBSTITUTES

Harvey Elliot 7

Impressed on his return to Craven Cottage. Injected drive into Reds misfiring attack leading to two goals.

Darwin Nunez 8

Perfect debut off the bench. A goal and an assist, overall looked a handful throughout.

James Milner 6

Played a conservative role in the midfield upon his arrival, not a huge impact but a decent display.

Manager:  Jurgen Klopp: His substitutions worked, though maybe frustrated by his team's slow first half showing against the promoted side.


Not so happy! Jurgen Klopp collects his thoughts in the dugout after Liverpool conceded



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11087225/PLAYER-RATINGS-Aleksandr-Mitrovic-simply-UNPLAYABLE-against-Liverpool-2-2-draw.html

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Fulham 2-2 Liverpool

Aleksandar Mitrovic scored his first Premier League goal for Fulham at Craven Cottage since 29 January 2019, when he netted two headers in a 4-2 win against Brighton

Darwin Nunez came off the bench to score one and create another as Liverpool were forced to twice battle back to salvage a point in a chaotic game at newly promoted Fulham.

The Reds, who pushed champions Manchester City all the way in the title race last season, fell behind when Aleksandar Mitrovic got the better of Trent Alexander-Arnold to head Fulham ahead after meeting a superb cross by Kenny Tete.

Luis Diaz had a goal ruled out for offside at 0-0 before curling a shot against the post after Fulham had taken the lead.

In a thrilling match, substitute Nunez marked his Premier League debut by equalising with a close-range flick before Fulham restored the lead from the penalty spot after Mitrovic was fouled by Virgil van Dijk.

Mitrovic picked himself up to beat Alisson from the spot before Mohamed Salah equalised from close range after a pass by Nunez, a £64m signing from Benfica.

Jordan Henderson went close to winning it at the end when he hit the bar in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Fulham give Reds a real scare
Fulham's previous Premier League win was against Liverpool on 7 March 2021 but, on that occasion, it was not enough to save them from relegation.

On a gorgeous day in west London, they showed they are up for the challenge facing them on their return to the Premier League after giving Jurgen Klopp's side a real scare.

Their aim this season is to establish themselves in esteemed company and, while there is a long road ahead, this was a highly encouraging start.

Last season's champions of the Championship were certainly not intimidated as they took the game to the Reds, the lively Mitrovic signalling his intention by firing wide with 50 seconds on the clock after darting into the box.

Marco Silva's side were well organised and played with confidence as they created nine chances - three on target - during an entertaining match.

They went close to going 2-0 ahead when Neeskens Kebano hit the post while new signings Joao Palhinha and Andreas Pereira added creativity.

"I think that our organisation, our great first half, the way we blocked almost everything from them, in terms of organisation in the first half - it was almost perfect," said Fulham boss Silva.

It took Fulham until the fifth game to register a first point the last time they started a Premier League season in 2020-21.

They are up and running after one game this time thanks, in part, to a dynamic performance from Mitrovic.

"In the box Mitro will score if you provide him good chances," added Silva. "But I repeat something I said last season maybe 20 times: Mitro is not just a goalscorer for us. He did an unbelievable job for us without the ball."

Thiago injury adds to Klopp's worries
This is the fourth straight season the Reds have opened a Premier League campaign against a promoted side, but it was anything but a straightforward start for Klopp's side.

With Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota, Konstantinos Tsimikas, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ibrahima Konate either ill or injured, Liverpool's bench included a 20-year-old, one 19-year-old and 17-year-old Stefan Bajcetic.

Fortunately, it also included Nunez.

For the second successive weekend he came off the bench to make a valuable contribution as he followed up his performance in the Community Shield win over Manchester City with another goal.

He produced a clever flick to make it 1-1 before the Uruguay forward was heavily involved in Salah's equaliser to make it 2-2.

A concern for Klopp will be a mounting injury list with the season barely under way.

The loss of Thiago Alcantara to a suspected hamstring injury early in the second half will add to Liverpool's worries, and it remains to be seen whether they will turn to the transfer market to ease their problems before the 1 September deadline.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62358041

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Aleksandar Mitrovic 'more than just a goalscorer' for Fulham after Liverpool heroics, says Marco Silva

Marco Silva hailed an "unbelievable" performance from talisman Aleksandar Mitrovic after the forward's double saw Fulham start their Premier League campaign with a terrific 2-2 draw against Liverpool.

Mitrovic was magnificent for the west Londoners in the Championship last term, blitzing a record 43 goals in 44 appearances as Silva's side secured an immediate return to the top fight.

The Serbian picked up where he left off, opening the scoring with a trademark back-post header, and then put the home side back in front by winning and converting a penalty after substitute Darwin Nunez had equalised for the Reds.

Mohamed Salah eventually earned the visitors a share of the points but Silva was left delighted by his forward's display.

"In the box, he will score if you provide him good chances but I repeat something I said last season maybe 20 times: Mitro is not just a goalscorer for us," he said.

"He did an unbelievable job for us without the ball. The way he pressed, the way he helped the midfielders, the way he helped sometimes the backline as well.

"It's fantastic to see that even with the work he did, in the 70th minute he can take the ball and run 30 or 40 metres and win a penalty like he won. He was fantastic. He deserved the two goals for the good performance and I'm really pleased for him."

The season began with question marks over Mitrovic's ability to replicate his Championship form in the top flight, having scored just three goals during the Cottagers' last Premier League campaign two seasons ago.

That year, he was eventually dropped from the side amid a falling out with then manager Scott Parker but Silva says he has never doubted the 27-year-old's ability.

"For me it's not important what people say about him," he added. "Mitro is the top scorer of his national team and national teams do not play just against Championship clubs. They play against the best national teams in the world. He will be at the World Cup, he was decisive in the qualification playoff against Portugal. So for me, some of the questions don't make sense.

"Mitro has his own profile. It's up to us to deliver and get the best from him. Of course, in some games he will score like this afternoon and in others he will not be then he has to do the other part of the game as well."



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/marco-silva-fulham-mitrovic-liverpool-b1017060.html

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Fulham 'deserved more', says Silva

Marco Silva felt his spirited Fulham players "deserved more" following their draw against Liverpool at Craven Cottage.

The Whites kicked off their return to life in the Premier League with a 2-2 stalemate against Jurgen Klopp's side, thanks to two goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic – one a penalty – although they were ultimately denied by a late leveller from Reds' attacker Mo Salah.

Nevertheless, head coach Silva was encouraged by what he saw against a team that claimed two domestic cups last term.

He said: "I think our players deserved more. Liverpool had more control in the second half but our organisation was great and you know the quality Liverpool have when you give them chances. Our first half and intensity was almost perfect. We were really, really good.

"You know Liverpool are really aggressive when they don't have the ball too but we worked hard from first minute to last. It was a good performance from ourselves the whole game."

Mitrovic netted 43 goals in the Championship last season to help Fulham to a memorable promotion back to the top tier. And Silva endorsed the Serbians' all-round quality.

"We have to keep providing the chances for him in the box," he added.

"Mitro is not just a goalscorer, he is unbelievable off the ball. He deserved his two goals. I am really pleased for him. Mitro plays at a high international level too – he has his own profile."



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-deserved-more-says-silva

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Aleksandar Mitrovic proves he's ready for the Premier League with stunning two-goal performance against Liverpool - after tormenting both Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold

    Liverpool came from behind to rescue a 2-2 draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage
    Aleksandr Mitrovic produced a stunning performance as he scored twice
    Darwin Nunez scored on his Premier League debut for Jurgen Klopp's side
    Mo Salah scored late to pull Liverpool level and secure a league point for his side

With just 47 seconds on the clock, you wondered whether old habits were going to die hard. Trent Alexander-Arnold had carelessly conceded possession and handed the opportunity for Aleksandar Mitrovic to scuttle forward.

Mitrovic was Fulham's 'killer' – a description given to him by captain Tom Cairney – in the Championship, with 43 goals in their title-winning campaign.

It would do his team-mates a disservice to call him a one-man band but, without him, there prospects of playing in the Premier League would have been horribly diminished.


Aleksandar Mitrović came out on top in his battle with Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk


Fulham's Serbian towers over Trent Alexander-Arnold to open the scoring against Liverpool

The Premier League, however, has been a challenge for the Serbian. The last time he was here with Fulham, he managed three goals in 27 appearances.

It had been better in 2018-19, with a tally of 11 in 37 games, but not enough to suggest he was going to be a nuisance for top defenders.

So in that first minute, as he charged towards Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker, you wondered what would happen – a dead-eyed finish or ammunition for those who want to call him 'jigsaw', in that he falls apart in a box? A scuffed toe-poke wide suggested the latter.

Perhaps it was nerves. In the opening half-hour, he had not given Virgil van Dijk or Joel Matip any indication that they would be taken out of their comfort zone; a chance was spurned in the 24th minute, a terrible pass out wide in the 28th minute took the sting out of one counterattack.

Most glaring of all was his failure to connect with a peach of a cross from the terrific Neeskens Kebano, whose ball had whistled into the six-yard area and demanded a finish be applied.

Mitrovic grimaced as the chance came and went. His manager Marco Silva looked to the sky in despair.

A case of déjà vu again? Not a bit of it. It was as if that last moment flicked a switch for in the next attack, it felt like everyone in Craven Cottage was singing 'Mitro's On Fire!' after he arrived at the back post to power in another superb ball from Fulham's right, this one delivered by Joao Palhina.

On an afternoon when few had given Fulham much chance, here was a thrilling change of direction.

From here, you could see him visibly fill with confidence and the impact it had on his team was profound – they didn't play with any sense of being Liverpool's inferior and went toe-to-toe.

Nobody epitomised this approach more than Mitrovic, who went up a gear in the second period.

A sign of how much he was enjoying things came in the 56th minute when he bounced off Jordan Henderson and then turned van Dijk before setting his team away again.

It seems churlish to be questioning a player whose goal record at international is 46 in 74 games but sceptics wanted to see evidence that there would be no famine for the 27-year-old, whom Fulham boss Silva once wanted to sign for Everton.

Seeing him battling with van Dijk and becoming a focal point for Kebano to run off will have given everyone at his club belief that he can be their talisman and prove those who anticipate they will be relegated in May wrong.

Every point and every goal will be vital and Mitrovic's penalty – awarded after VAR felt van Dijk had tripped him in the 72nd minute – was expertly dispatched.

For a short period, it seemed like he would be the match winner but Mohamed Salah had other ideas.

A shame for Mitrovic, then, but this indicates there will be even better days to come.

This has to be the Launchpad for a season in which he is talked of in terms of being prolific, not profligate.



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11087427/Aleksandr-Mitrovic-proves-READY-Premier-League-against-Liverpool.html

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Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool's season-opening draw at Fulham felt like a defeat

The Reds had to come from behind twice to salvage a point at Craven Cottage.

JURGEN KLOPP ADMITTED Liverpool's 2-2 draw at newly promoted Fulham felt like a defeat for last season's Premier League runners-up.

Mohamed Salah's late equaliser helped cancel out two goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic, with Darwin Nunez having earlier levelled for the Reds after Fulham's opener.

Serbia striker Mitrovic looked every part the player who smashed Championship records with 43 goals last season when he opened his account for the campaign in the 32nd minute, before following it up with a second-half penalty.

Nunez had followed Mitrovic's first with a clever improvised backheel goal, before turning provider on his league debut for Salah, who slotted home Liverpool's crucial second 10 minutes from time.

Despite rescuing a point, Klopp believes his side were far from their best at Craven Cottage.

"We started exactly the opposite way than we wanted," the Liverpool boss said.

"We are used to more dominance and we couldn't get that because we played just not good enough, not quick enough, not precise enough, all these kind of things.

"I'm really fine with the point. I know we could have won the game – that wouldn't have made our performance a little bit better, but we could have.

"I'm happy for the punishment we got with losing two points. I know we can see that differently – for them (Fulham) I'd say as well they lost two points."

The warning signs were there for Klopp as Liverpool struggled to get going and string passes together early on, before being caught on the break.

Although they grew into the game, it was far from a composed Reds performance.

"I feel much more responsible for defeats than when we win, so that's unfortunate," Klopp added.

"The performance was a defeat. The result is not a defeat but the performance was a defeat.

"So that's why we have to figure out what happened. That's not us today.

"But we don't want to take anything away from Fulham, they did really well."

Marco Silva believes his Fulham side's performance merited more than the point they came away with against a side who reached the Champions League final in May.

"I think that our players deserve something more than just one point," the Fulham manager said.

"They had more control of the game, but I think that our organisation, our great first half, the way we blocked almost everything from them, in terms of organisation in the first half – it was almost perfect.

"In terms of intensity the first half was really good and I have to congratulate our players and our fans as well."

When asked about the performance of Mitrovic, he added: "In the box he will score if you provide him good chances.

"But I repeat something I said last season maybe 20 times: Mitro is not just a goalscorer for us. He did an unbelievable job for us without the ball."



https://www.the42.ie/jurgen-klopp-liverpool-20-5834944-Aug2022/

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'He simply has to' - Referee accused of falling for Aleksandar Mitrovic dive during Liverpool draw

Virgil van Dijk was adjudged to have fouled Aleksandar Mitrovic as Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw with Fulham

Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic has been accused of "diving" during the draw with Liverpool in the Premier League.

The Reds were held to a 2-2 draw in the early kick-off at Craven Cottage, dropping points early on in the title race. Second half goals from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah helped earn a point in West London.

Both of Fulham's goals came from Mitrovic, one in each half, with his second coming from the penalty spot. The home side were awarded a spot-kick after Virgil van Dijk was deemed to have fouled Mitrovic in the box by referee Andy Madley.

Former Chelsea star Andy Townsend was commentating on the game at Craven Cottage and has given his verdict on the penalty decision. Townsend believes that while Van Dijk may not have defended well, he has made a "dive" claim about Mitrovic.

"I saw Van Dijk say to the referee, 'no chance' and it looked like Mitrovic went down a little easily, for me," Townsend told Talksport .

"Does he offer out a leg towards Van Dijk? I'm not sure he touches him, but either way it's not good defending.

"I didn't see a lot of contact and if there's no contract you can't give it.

"It looks like a dive to me. He hasn't touched him.

"The referee has got to have a look at the monitor there. If there is serious doubt over whether that was a penalty, he simply has to look at the monitor.

"It's a contentious pen, I didn't see a lot of contact.

"I'd love to hear the talk between the refs. We should be capable of that. Nobody in this ground had a clue what was happening, so we should be doing it."



https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/he-simply-to-referee-accused-24689936

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Mitrovic and Fulham prove their point

Conventional wisdom hardens when unchallenged. The pundits proclaimed Aleksandar Mitrovic a flat track bully and Fulham Premier League cannon fodder. The likes of Chris Sutton, Robbie Savage, even the erudite Ali Bruce-Ball, might be eating a slice of humble pie this evening after Marco Silva's side more than matched Liverpool in a rip-roaring start to their latest battle to beat the drop. Mitrovic was lean and mean, monstering Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk all afternoon, dropping into pockets of space to give his disciplined defence some respite and bagging two goals. The Serbian striker might have had a hat trick if he hadn't dragged a presentable chance wide of goal in the first minute.

Silva had promised his side would attack the top tier in the same way that the Whites had committed to adventure in the Championship. Such disdain for pragmatism stood in stark contrast to Scott Parker's approach, but it also did for Slavisa Jokanovic at Craven Cottage. Last week, the Portuguese head coach bemoaned his club's slowness in bringing in the bodies neccessary to establish themselves at English football's top table – echoing the words of his predecessors. There was a sense of deja vu echoing around Craven Cottage. The gloom lifted within seconds of the first shrill blast of Andy Madley's whistle.

Fulham utterly overwhelmed a rusty Liverpool from the outset. Mitrovic might have done better with his first sight of goal, but the hosts – roared on by an animated home crowd – harried the Champions' League finalists from the outset. Harrison Reed and Joao Palhinha, paired together at the base of the hosts' midfield, conclusively won the battle for the engine room and the Whites were rampant. Antonee Robinson raced along the left flank with glee, both keeping Mo Salah quiet and curbing the attacking instincts of Trent Alexander-Arnold for good measure.

Liverpool's first attack fifteen minutes in ended was academic once an offside flag ruled out Luis Diaz's curler that had found the top corner. But Fulham's raids were much more threatening. A devilish free-kick from Andreas Pereira was half cleared but Mitrovic sent in a speculative shot. Reed rattled an effort goalbound from outside the area but Matip got his body in the way and a dangerous ball in from Neeskens Kebano flashed right across goal, narrowly missing Mitrovic.

The lead arrived just after the half hour mark and it was a fitting reward for Fulham remaining on the front foot. Pereira, a player Jokanovic wanted to sign only to to be overruled by the club's analytics department, released Neeskens Kebano. The Congolese winger – another player revitalised by Silva – used the overlapping run of Kenny Tete and the Dutchman's deep cross allowed Mitrovic to soar above Alexander-Arnold at the back post and plant a header past Allison. Craven Cottage erupted in joy.

The shock of going behind seemed to enliven Liverpool from their lunchtime lethargy. Andrew Robertson shot across the face of goal before Diaz rattled the far post with a clever strike that took the tiniest of deflections off Tete. The hosts were cheered off at half time and Klopp jogged off the pitch, intend on telling his players a few home truths. He responded to Thiago limping off with a hamstring strain with a double change that saw former Fulham midfielder Harvey Elliott enter proceedings. Elliott, whose switch to Anfield proved more acrimonious than the one made by Fabio Carvalho this summer, changed the balance of the game with his raids forward from mdifield.

Fulham might have extended their lead when Decordova-Reid stripped Elliott of possession and slipped a lovely ball through to Pereira, but the Brazilian's return ball was scrambled clear by a stretching Matip. Tim Ream then joined the fun, venturing forward from centre back to feed Reed and Kebano, who cut in from the right and dispatched a right-footed effort that bounced back off the inside of the far post. Silva's side were so close to a two-goal cushion, but their advantage was soon wiped out all together.

Elliott played a prominent role with a glorious touch to give Salah some space in which to operate on the right and the Egyptian's low ball was brilliantly finished by Darwin Nunez, who deftly lofted it over a helpless Rodak – who had already denied him with a wonderful reflex save. The Uruguayan almost turned the game on its head a minute later, holding off Tosin Adarabioyo to shoot past the Fulham goalkeeper but veteran Ream arrived in the nick of time to clear off the line – a quite brilliant piece of defensive cover.

Liverpool looked set to press for a winner, but it was the hosts who went ahead again. Manor Solomon, who contributed an eye-catching cameo on his Premier League debut, played Mitrovic through one-on-one against van Dijk. The Serbian twisted and turned his way past the revered Dutch defender, inducing the clumsiest of challenges, and Madley pointed to the spot. Gone are the days when Mitrovic was fallible from twelve yards – he thumped the spot-kick past Allison into the bottom corner.

Fulham weren't able to hold on for a famous victory. Ream and Adarabioyo went for the same ball with the American's clearing header only reaching Alexander-Arnold. The full back found Nunez and Salah slotted home to set up a grandstand finish. Jordan Henderson did the bar in stoppage time, but if Liverpool had escaped SW6 with all three points, a Metropolitan Police crime reference number for robbery would have been in order. Fulham were fantastic, flawlessly executing Silva's game plan, in a showing that suggests this season in the Premier League could just be different.

FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Rodak; Tete, A. Robinson, Adarabioyo, Ream; Reed, Palhinha; Kebano (Solomon 66), Decordova-Reid (Duffy 90), Pereira (Cairney 10); Mitrovic. Subs (not used): Leno, Mbabu, Francois, Harris, Stansfield, Muniz.

BOOKED: Tete, Decordova-Reid.

GOALS: Mitrovic (32, pen 72).

LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Becker; Alexander-Arnold, A. Robertson, Matip, van Dijk; Henderson, Fabinho (Milner 59), Thiago (Elliott 55); Salah, Diaz (Carvalho 78), Firmino (Nunez 51). Subs (not used): Adrian, Gomez, Bajcetic, van der Berg, Chambers.

GOALS: Nunez (64), Salah (80).

REFEREE: Andy Madley (Yorkshire).



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2022/08/mitrovic-and-fulham-prove-their-point/

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"Along with Fulham": BBC pundit makes interesting claim about Leeds

Writing for the BBC, Chris Sutton has revealed that he thinks Leeds will be relegated from the Premier League this season, along with Fulham.

What's the story?

Well, despite some impressive business from Victor Orta this summer, the 49-year-old believes Leeds will not survive this season.

Sutton wrote: "Along with Fulham and Bournemouth, I've got Leeds as going down this season. They only just stayed up last time and then sold their two best players, Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, this summer."

In our view, Leeds will stay up this season.

Yes, Jesse Marsch has lost Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, but the American has also gained a number of exciting players such as Luis Sinisterra, Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen and Marc Roca.

Tyler Adams and Darko Gyabi are also smart additions by Leeds, as both players have time on their side to grow into gems.

Of course, it will be a tough campaign, as none of these signings have any experience of playing in the Premier League, but with leaders such as Luke Ayling and Liam Cooper at Elland Road, Leeds have enough knowhow to see themselves safe.

Leeds must gel signings quickly

As talented as we believe Marsch's new signings are, it is imperative that they gel together quickly.

As we've seen in the past, when the likes of Fulham and QPR have signed a significant amount of players in one summer, it can often take a while until they start to get results – if any.

A good start is vital for any side hoping to avoid relegation, so if Marsch cannot get his new recruits to click, it could end up costing them at the end of the season.

In truth, just like with Marcelo Bielsa, it could also cost the American his job in Yorkshire if he cannot keep his side's head above water throughout the season.



https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2022/08/06/along-with-fulham-bbc-pundit-makes-interesting-claim-about-leeds/

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Silva: Fulham deserved more

Marco Silva was delighted with Fulham's performance as they held Champions' League runners-up Liverpool to a 2-2 draw on the opening weekend of the Premier League season – and argued that his side may have deserved more.

Aleksandar Mitrovic twice put the Whites ahead but goals from Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah rescued a point for a below-par Liverpool side.

Silva told his post-match press conference:

"If you ask me if I deserve something more, I think our players deserve something more from the game. I know Liverpool – more in the second half than the first – had more control of the game, but I think our organisation was great. Great first half, the way we blocked almost everything from them. In terms of organisation, our first half was almost perfect. The way we started the game, the intensity we played first half, was really, really good.

I have to congratulate our players and our fans as well. To play like we played against Liverpool first half, how they are aggressive when they attack the space, we controlled all those moments really well. We matched them, and we know they are not just really good on the ball, without the ball they are really aggressive.

I think we matched them from the first until the last minute of the match. We did really well, and maybe our players deserved something more from the game. It's just one point, but I think it was a good performance from ourselves, and we have to go again."



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2022/08/silva-fulham-deserved-more/