Liverpool vs Fulham

Fulham arrived at Anfield with three losses, zero points from their opening three Premier League games, sitting at the foot of the table, with murmurs of restlessness within the squad. They left with a point — still close to the bottom, but a lot more respectable than four losses in a row. And Liverpool, for all their possession and their shots and their xG, could not produce enough quality to find a way past the Fulham defence and goalkeeper.

Fulham actually started quite well. They moved the ball with purpose, and thanks to an error by Alisson, almost scored — but for Jeremy Jacquet’s goal-line clearance to deny Gonzálo García, the former Real Madrid striker. Fulham had a couple of other chances that went abegging due to a lack of finishing quality. The closest Liverpool came to breaking the deadlock was Victor Muñoz heading against the crossbar. The Spaniard, one of Liverpool’s more industrious performers on the day, attacked a cross from the right side and directed his header with real power onto the frame of the goal. Bernd Leno was beaten. The woodwork was not. The ball bounced to safety. Anfield groaned.

Apart from that moment, Liverpool’s attack seemed rather listless for most of the first half — lacking in energy, perhaps due to the high-intensity Champions League clash mid-week against Atlético Madrid. The brief flourishes were there, but the conviction was not.

The second half was a study in Liverpool’s frustration. After substituting three of his starters before the hour mark, Andoni Iraola’s side moved the ball with considerably more purpose, found pockets between the lines, and created half-chances with regularity — but never the clear, definitive opportunity that would settle the game. Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexander Isak and Rio Ngumoha all had excellent opportunities to break the deadlock, but were unable to put the ball in the back of the net.

Fulham, for their part, had a fair share of possession and scattered opportunities throughout, with Josh King being thwarted either by the Liverpool defence or simply lacking that final touch to score. Bend but not break — that appeared to be the Fulham approach to securing their first Premier League points of the season, and remarkably, it worked. At Anfield. And on the offensive side, they did test Alisson and the Liverpool backline, showing real moments of quality.

Josh King was the star of the show. Producing multiple runs and seemingly creating chances at will, the English teenager was incisive every time he received the ball — driving at defenders, holding up play effectively, and generally creating discomfort in a Liverpool defence that did not always look entirely sure how to deal with him. He was, by some distance, the most dangerous attacking player on the pitch for either side.

For Liverpool, this was another example that amplified the fact that the team is still a work in progress. Two points from two home games at Anfield — which always used to be a fortress. A front line of considerable individual quality that is not yet producing the collective outcomes the system demands. The gap between what Iraola’s pressing, high-tempo style requires and what this squad is currently delivering is visible, and a goalless draw against the bottom club at Anfield makes it more visible still. battleSTAR Galáctico: Josh King — relentless, incisive, a constant problem for the Liverpool defence from first to last whistle.