Premier League: Liverpool Aim for a High Five

Liverpool vs Fulham

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool hope to keep their Premier League top-four hopes alive on Wednesday when Fulham are the visitors to Anfield, and they are looking for a fifth win on the bounce.  

This match gives the Merseysiders a chance to keep their recently discovered momentum going after picking up four wins, scoring 15 goals, though the Reds have conceded a few along the way. Klopp’s team beat Spurs 4-3 on Sunday, while Fulham come into the game on the back of a 2-1 home defeat to Manchester City, and the pre-match Premier League 2023 betting odds have the Reds at 1.25 to win this clash.

Champions League football looks a long way away but, now fifth in the table, Liverpool haven’t given up yet and if they keep on winning then a Europa League place will be all but assured. Marco Silva’s Fulham, meanwhile, have had a great season, but back-to-back defeats leaves the Cottagers in tenth place and their race is run.     

Talking Points

Liverpool’s chaotic climb

When Manchester United’s match with Aston Villa ended in a 1-0 win for the Red Devils, Liverpool found themselves ten points behind their fierce rivals in that priceless fourth place; but they responded by overcoming a traumatised Tottenham in a seven-goal thriller.

The Reds were big favourites to beat Spurs and they set off like a train as they went three goals up within a quarter of an hour. Curtis Jones, Luis Diaz and Mohammed Salah, from the penalty spot put Spurs to the sword and Liverpool had 67 per cent possession but, after their explosive start, they were pegged back by Spurs who had the better chances, with seven shots on target to their hosts’ four and the Londoners twice struck the woodwork in a frantic spell just after half-time. 

Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son had made it 3-2 before interim coach Ryan Mason threw on Richarlison and the Brazil striker headed a dramatic leveller in stoppage time. But there was still time for Diogo Jota to produce more Premier League 2023 highlights as he fired home the winner to spark bedlam in the stadium.

Klopp, who was still fuming after the referee had failed to award a foul against Spurs shortly before Richarlison struck, ran over the bellow in the fourth official’s face and he pulled a hamstring in the process!

The Liverpool manager was clearly in some pain and he copped a yellow card too, but the three points surely made up for all that. The return of Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota was a huge boost and Cody Gakpo was excellent again; having already beaten Leeds United 6-1, Nottingham Forest 3-2 and West Ham United 2-1, this team has a thirst for goals, but they can’t keep a clean sheet.    

Fulham’s absentee list grows

The Cottagers’ 2-1 loss to Manchester City cost more than three points as they picked up two serious injuries to key players. Skipper and centre-back Tim Ream suffered a broken arm which will keep him out for the rest of the campaign. And influential midfielder Andreas Pereira was stretchered off after a collision with City defender Manuel Akanji. Pereira had a big part to play in Fulham’s goal, floating over a cross for Harry Wilson to knock down into the path of Carlos Vinicius who fired home to make it 1-1.

The loss of Ream and Pereira comes at a time when star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic is still serving his eight-match ban, following his sending off for pushing referee Chris Kavanagh in a defeat to Manchester United. And wide man Willian is also struggling to get fit, having missed the loss to the Sky Blues with a back injury. The former Chelsea star has been in brilliant form since his arrival in September and he will be another big loss.

On a brighter note for Silva, striker Carlos Vinicius is growing in confidence while, at the other end of the pitch, goalkeeper Bernd Leno put in a superb display to keep his team in the game and the Sky Blues down to two goals.      

History

The head-to-head results have gone pretty much as expected with the Merseysiders winning 18 of the last 31, while the Cottagers have won seven and there have been six draws.

The two teams drew 2-2 at Craven Cottage on the opening day of this season as Mitrovic scored twice and Salah bagged a late equaliser.

Liverpool have been strong at home, winning 11, drawing four and losing just one of their matches at Anfield; and they have won four of their last six games, while Fulham have won two and lost four.   

Betting Tip

Fulham, at SBOTOP odds of 7.72, and the draw at 5.22 would have looked a decent price a few weeks ago but a string of absentees has coincided with the Reds’ uptick in form, and that all points to a fifth win in a row for Liverpool.

 

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