Alex Iwobi got a goal as Fulham put a dent in Liverpool’s stride to the Premier League title, following a come-from-behind 3-2 victory at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
The reverse fixture between both sides ended in a thrilling draw, with Liverpool looking to extend their lead at the top of the table this time after closest challengers Arsenal faltered to a 1-1 draw at Everton on Saturday.
But it was Fulham that started the game at Craven Cottage well, with Andreas Pereira forcing a mistake from Ibrahima Konate in his own box, although Virgil van Dijk was on hand to keep Rodrigo Muniz from scoring from the chance.
It was not long before the Reds found themselves in front in the 14th minute, as Ryan Gravenberch regained possession and set up Alexis Mac Allister to score with an outrageous strike from range beyond the reach of Bernd Leno.
Fulham responded with an equaliser just nine minutes after, when Curtis Jones failed to deal with a cross from Andreas Pereira and Ryan Sessegnon pounced to score in what was his first league start at Craven Cottage since May 2019.
The Cottagers then went ahead in the 32nd minute after Iwobi benefitted from sloppy play by Andy Robertson as the Scottish international headed the ball back to the Nigerian, before deflecting his shot past goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
It went from bad to worse for the Premier League leaders when Fulham made it 3-1 shortly before the interval through Muniz, who superbly held off Van Dijk and controlled Iwobi’s looped ball before firing through Kelleher’s legs.
Arne Slot’s team showed urgency in the second period and got a consolation when Conor Bradley laid the ball off for Luis Diaz to fire home midway through the second half. Harvey Elliott then came close to grabbing an equaliser for Liverpool only to be denied by the crossbar.
The Reds almost came close to grabbing the leveller but Harvey Elliott hit the crossbar before he and Federico Chiesa both saw an attempt held by Bernd Leno.
Leno denied Elliott and Federico Chiesa as Fulham held on for a shock victory to keep alive their prospects of playing European football next term, while Liverpool fell to a third defeat in their last four games across all competitions.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Chelsea were held to a goalless draw by Brentford to remain fourth on the table, while Southampton’s relegation from the top-flight was confirmed with seven games to spare – the earliest a team has been relegated – following a 3-1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur.