Fulham stun Liverpool with 3-2 victory in Premier League: Stats
What's the story
In a shocking upset, Fulham defeated Liverpool 3-2 at their home ground, Craven Cottage in matchweek 31 of the Premier League 2024/25 season.
Despite being at the top of the Premier League, Arne Slot's side suffered just their second defeat of the season.
The Reds could have extended their lead over Arsenal to 14 points but fell short with a poor first-half performance.
This loss ended Liverpool's unbeaten run of 26 games in the league.
Match overview
Liverpool's early lead and subsequent defensive collapse
Liverpool began the match on a positive note with Alexis Mac Allister scoring a long-range goal.
However, their defense fell apart in a matter of 14 minutes.
Ryan Sessegnon's equalizer for Fulham came after Curtis Jones's failed clearance off a cross.
Andrew Robertson's poor pass allowed Alex Iwobi to score Fulham's second goal via a deflection, before Rodrigo Muniz sealed the victory with Fulham's third goal.
Recovery efforts
Liverpool's struggle to recover from defensive errors
Notably, the last time Liverpool conceded three goals in the first half of a Premier League match was during their 7-2 defeat against Aston Villa in October 2020.
Despite Luis Diaz scoring a goal in the second half, it wasn't enough to turn the game around for Liverpool.
They missed several opportunities including Mohamed Salah's missed shot and Harvey Elliott hitting the bar with his curled shot.
Future prospects
Fulham's victory boosts European qualification hopes
Fulham's win over Liverpool not only ended their two-game losing streak but also boosted their hopes of qualifying for European competitions. This win lifted them up to eighth place in the Premier League standings.
Meanwhile, despite the setback, Liverpool stay 11 points ahead of Arsenal and continue their pursuit toward clinching the Premier League title.
Details
A look at the points table
This was Liverpool's 2nd defeat in Premier League 2024/25. After 31 matches, the Reds own 73 points and are 11 points above Arsenal (62).
Fulham's win take them to 8th in the standings. After 31 games, the Cottagers own 48 points. This was Fulham's 13th win of the season (D9 L9).
Opta stats
A look at Liverpool's unwanted records
Liverpool have lost a Premier League away game for the first time under manager Arne Slot.
This was Liverpool's 2nd league defeat of the season, ending their run of 26 unbeaten league games since losing 1-0 to Nottingham Forest in September.
It's also the first time they have lost a Premier League encounter when they have scored the opening goal of the game since April 2023, ending a run of 48 such games without a loss.