Liverpool got a nervy win away to Fulham to move back to the top of the Premier League table, with James Milner’s late penalty giving his side a 2-1 victory.
This could easily have been a case of dropped points for the title challengers but instead, with Manchester City not playing in the league this weekend thanks to their FA Cup game, Liverpool can experience the feeling of leading the league again.
Here’s a look at how the players performed..
STARTING XI
Alisson 5 – As a statistic, Fulham’s goal will go down as a Virgil van Dijk error, but the Liverpool goalkeeper was probably more to blame. A nervy moment that could have cost his side dearly in the title race.
Trent Alexander-Arnold 8 – Alexander-Arnold’s delivery from the right flank was superb, as he managed to find the right cross at almost every time of asking.
Joel Matip 7 – Not often that Matip will end a game as the better-performing Liverpool centre-back, so this is a moment he can relish. Strong in the air to deal with the threat of Aleskandar Mitrovic as part of a generally firm display.
Virgil van Dijk 6 – A rare error from Van Dijk contributed to Fulham’s goal, and it threatened to be the moment that derailed Liverpool’s title charge. Thankfully, the one time he needed it, the defender was bailed out by his team-mates.
Andrew Robertson 7 – Another marauding display from the left-back, who bounced back from an average game against Bayern Munich.
Georginio Wijnaldum 6 – Came close to scoring a sumptuous third goal, firing just wide after a flowing Liverpool move, but he also had a glaring miss from just four yards out, unable to get his head over the ball for a point-blank header.
Fabinho 6 – Jeopardised his game with a first-half yellow card, and there were a couple of risky tackles after that. But overall, this was another solid display from the Brazilian.
Adam Lallana 7 – A lively presence in attack, as his running had Fulham’s defence backpedalling throughout. Didn’t provide much of a goal threat, however.
Mohamed Salah 6 – What’s ailing Salah? That’s now seven straight games without a goal, his longest drought in Liverpool colours. Thankfully the rest of the attack is stepping up.
Roberto Firmino 7 – The run he made to set up a one-two with Mane that led to the opening goal was excellent, as was the pass to find his team-mate. Another display where Firmino showed he can do more than just score goals.
Sadio Mane 9 – There’s no stopping Mane at the moment. His movement for the first goal was brilliant, and it was just his mere presence as a potential threat that led to the game-winning penalty. He’s leading Liverpool’s title charge at the moment.
Sadio Mané has scored eleven goals in his last eleven games for Liverpool across all competitions.
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) March 17, 2019
Another one today. ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/kbvqHCJGTT
SUBSTITUTES
Divock Origi 6 – A decent cameo off the bench from the Belgian, who shows enough to give his manager the confidence that there is good depth in the squad, even if he doesn’t always score or have a direct impact.
James Milner 6 – It was his sliced clearance that led to Fulham’s opening goal, but he made amends by stepping up and doing what he does best: stroking home a pressure penalty.
Daniel Sturridge N/A – Came on in injury time to help see off the game.
