Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw by Fulham in a pulsating Anfield encounter defined by an early Andy Robertson red card.
The Reds trailed after just 11 minutes as Andreas Pereira produced an incredible volleyed finish, and their misery was compounded when Robertson was sent off for a last-man challenge shortly after.
Cody Gakpo’s equaliser early in the second half stoked hopes among the home support of an unlikely win, but those appeared to have been extinguished by Rodrigo Muniz’s late strike.
However, Diogo Jota marked his return from injury with a well-taken goal, leaving Fulham hanging on for a point in the end.
How the game unfolded
Liverpool were almost gifted a dream start as a loose backpass put Curtis Jones in on goal, but the midfielder was denied by a well-timed Issa Diop challenge.
And it was Fulham who then, in fact, got themselves ahead, Pereira producing an incredible, acrobatic finish to squeeze the ball into the top corner after Antonee Robinson had crossed from the left.
Things went from bad to worse for the hosts soon after with Robertson seeing red for a last-man challenge on Wilson and missing out on a reprieve after VAR confirmed the Welshman to be onside.
Only a desperate Joe Gomez block then prevented Wilson from making it 2-0 as Fulham continued to threaten, though Liverpool eventually began to settle as the half wore on. It was they who finished strongest, with Cody Gakpo forcing a save with a header from a free-kick before Luis Diaz nodded over a huge chance from a Dominik Szoboszlai cross.
And the momentum continued into a second half that began with Gakpo heading home a delicious Mohamed Salah cross to send Anfield into raptures.
The Dutchman almost had another moments later, forcing Bernd Leno into a save low down to his right as Fulham struggled to calm the game and the crowd.
The visitors did, though, eventually regain control, meaning Liverpool’s best chances came almost exclusively on the counter. However, they twice almost profited through Salah, though he drove wide and over with each respective chance.
Unfortunately for the Reds, it felt inevitable that Fulham’s numerical advantage would eventually tell, and so it proved as Muniz turned Robinson’s cross home to spark scenes of joy in the away end.
Yet there was still another twist in the tale remaining, and it was provided by the returning Jota, whose clever feint after being played through opened up the goal for a customarily composed finish to make it 2-2.
And that is how it finished as Fulham saw off a late siege on their goal, despite their man advantage.
In any other circumstances, a draw at home to Fulham would feel like a serious blow to a Liverpool side hoping to go on and lift the Premier League title.
But it would be foolish not to consider the circumstances, the most significant of which was the early red card received by Robertson.
Playing with ten men is hard, and coming from behind twice in such situations even harder, and so Arne Slot will surely find it easy to pick the positives out of this one.
That is even more true after Liverpool’s main title rivals, Arsenal, dropped points in a home clash with Everton that kicked off at the same time.
Liverpool’s No.9 berth has been shared by Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz in recent weeks, but the fact is neither man has nailed the position down.
As such, Reds fans probably didn’t need a reminder of Jota’s strong claim to that role, but he offered one up anyway during a brilliant 20-minute cameo that helped turn the game.
Of every Liverpool attacker, only the Portuguese gets close to matching Salah’s deadliness in the box, and he proved it by coolly scoring here to level it up.
Although this game resulted in dropped points for Liverpool, the most important aspect could be the return of a player who has the quality to fire this team to glory.
It was interesting to see the contrasting fortunes of the similarly named left-backs who started the game, with Robertson heading for an early bath and Robinson shining for Fulham.
The 27-year-old did a job on Bukayo Saka during the Cottagers’ 1-1 draw with Arsenal last time out, and he was equally impressive in shackling Salah here.
He then capped things off by providing both assists, showing he really is a phenomenal all-round fullback – the sort Liverpool might just need, in fact.
