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Steven Gerrard of Liverpool celebrates scoring their third goal from the penalty spot during the Barclays Premier League match between Fulham and Liverpool
Liverpool’s suddenly precarious away form secured a boost at Craven Cottage, as they crawled back from a 2-1 deficit, to escape with a 3-2 victory against Fulham. With so much to garner from the game, there is a clear indication that if Liverpool improve on these minor points, they can seriously be considered as a title challenger, not as jokingly mentioned by Brendan Rodgers, a Chihuahua among horses.
While so much was expected from Liverpool after their 5-1 thrashing of Arsenal last week, it was Fulham who surprisingly took the lead. However, the goal came from a well-known resource these days. After the horrendous mistake at West Brom, Kolo Touré repeated his antics again, as he ridiculously cleared a slow Kieran Richardson ball into his own net. Nobody could realise what exactly Touré did there; not even him, but it was something to rejoice for Fulham.
Liverpool drew level with a sumptuous through ball by Steven Gerrard, with Daniel Sturridge yet again appearing on the score-sheet. The ball was sent through rather unusually from the outside of his right foot by Gerrard from the midfield. It flew over William Kvist and cut through the two central defenders, to allow Sturridge to place a calm finish past Maarten Stekelenburg.
The second half started as Fulham, with renewed confidence, continued to press Liverpool. Liverpool succumbed to this in the 63rd minute as Martin Skrtel’s unfortunately poor clearance resulted in Kieran Richardson scoring only his second goal of the season in the Premier League. It appeared that Liverpool had no clue what to do next, as defeat could have seriously dented their title hopes, and more importantly, their morale, going into the FA Cup clash at Arsenal.
However, Liverpool maintained their composure, and were rewarded with a leveller from Philippe Coutinho. His slightly deflected shot into the net gave Liverpool belief that they can win this match. The unfortunate Sascha Riether can be the man Liverpool should thank, as his needless foul on Sturridge earned them a penalty in added time. Then Gerrard stepped up to score his 6th penalty of the season. The celebration was the perfect example of what Liverpool Football Club means to him.
After heavy defeats at Craven Cottage against Southampton and Sunderland, Fulham were all but demoralised, till they miraculously snatched a point at Old Trafford. Their gameplay appeared to have marvellously changed, thanks to the presence of the tactical German Lewis Holtby- on loan from Tottenham Hotspur. Added with Kieran Richardson and Darren Bent, Fulham were the better side throughout the game, but unfortunate to have lost it.
Liverpool, too, have points to ponder upon, most of them defensively. Kolo Touré needs to improve, and Liverpool desperately need Daniel Agger or Mamadou Sakho to take his place in the squad. Martin Skrtel has been excellent this season, but he appears shaky in certain cases too. But there is one thing Liverpool can definitely gain from this game. That is, the arrival of the new kid on the block- João Carlos Teixeira.
After being loaned out to Brentford, where he could not gather many appearances, he was given a chance by Brendan Rodgers in the 82nd minute at Fulham. And he made an immediate impact in the game, with an essential block from a Lewis Holtby shot. So much that club captain was impressed with this, and he ran to Texeira to acknowledge him.
The unity that Liverpool have shown this season is commendable. Excluding the war of words between ‘SAS’ against Everton, Liverpool seem to be totally united and committed to their cause. In the game against Fulham, this unity was visible. When Coutinho scored, Gerrard and Suárez rushed to him to cut short his celebration, to focus on winning. When Gerrard scored, he removed his shirt to celebrate. But rarely did anyone notice that Aly Cissokho – on loan from Valencia – picked up Gerrard’s armband.
These are only two instances – what is important is that Liverpool stay unified, which will help Liverpool reach their goal: Champions League qualification. Perhaps, winning the Premier League will be the icing on the cake, for what has been a miraculous season for Liverpool so far.
