By Steven Northover
After a few demoralising performances and results over recent weeks, Liverpool returned to winning ways against Fulham at Anfield.
The Reds, without a win in the Premier League since the end of February, will look to build on this result to achieve Champions League qualification next season.
Match Report
With PSG in mind, Arne Slot made five changes, with Rio Ngumoha and Salah the notable returnees, as well Andy Robertson - who announced he would be leaving Liverpool in the summer - coming in for Milos Kerkez. But with those returnees, Liverpool regained their pressing masterclass, and we're back to their attacking best against a Fulham side who found the going hard at an Anfield somewhat quietened by ongoing peotests over ticketing prices - notably, on the Kop where flags and banners had been removed in support of the protest.
Young & Old
Credit: This is Anfield
Credit: Liverpool.com
Just as Fulham seemed to grow into the match and beginning to threaten, Rio Ngumoha - still only 17 - broke the deadlock after 37 minutes with a sumptuous curling effort, that beat Fulham's Bernd Leno and a host of white shorted defenders, into the bottom right of the corner.
Minutes later, Mohammed Salah - who had been a threat throughout the first half, was able to curl his own shot into the opposite corner - taking the Reds into a comfortable, and well deserved, lead.
Liverpool remained strong into the second half, however we're not able to turn that confident scoreline into something more eye-catching, but it was nonetheless an extremely professional performance - where even when Fulham looked threatening at times, especially former Liverpool man Harry Wilson, it never really looked likely that the lead would slip.
It has looked, at times, that Liverpool this season have lost that ‘spark’ that made then such a formidable team in last near-decade, and with Andy Robertson set to leave with Mo Salah, it feels that that era of Liverpool Football Club is coming to an end. But there was much to be excited about, with the continued influence of Dominick Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz and the return to fitness of Alexander Isak, Liverpool have just the right players and then right team “makeup” to help a prospect so promising as Rio Ngumoha flourish under the Anfield lights for years to come.
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