Diogo Jota rescues a point for 10-man Liverpool to deny Fulham the famous victory | first division

In the cold light of a relentless title race, Liverpool dropped two points. In the heat of a grueling task against Fulham and the glow of a grateful Anfield, the feeling was very different. Reduced to 10 men after 17 minutes, and 2-1 down in the 85th minute, Arne Slot first division The leaders delivered another challenging and tactically astute performance until the end. Victory eluded Liverpool, but the character shown will embolden them.

Marco Silva's dangerous team took the lead twice thanks to Andreas Pereira and substitute Rodrigo Muñiz. The visitors also had the important advantage of seeing Andy Robertson sent off early for denying Harry Wilson a goal-scoring opportunity. They were unable to take full advantage of Liverpool's stirring response. Cody Gakpo equalized early in the second half and Diogo Jota, fit again, showed what Slot's side had been missing during his injury absence with another clinical goal.

It was an exciting game that both coaches believed they should have won. Liverpool have dropped points in their last two league games and failed to convince Girona in the Champions League in between, but Slot here had nothing but praise for his players. However, not because of the referee nor because of Fulham's tendency to interrupt Liverpool's momentum by calling for medical attention.

Fulham's Issa Diop and Pereira almost received a red card in the first seven minutes. While Liverpool could complain that both received only a yellow card, and that Luis Díaz was also booked for a perfectly legitimate attempt at a shot from above, nothing could detract from the excellence of the visitors' advance. A consummate team goal began with a clearance from Diop to Wilson. The former Liverpool winger, a potent threat throughout, switched play to Alex Iwobi, who released Antonee Robinson on the overlap. The Fulham captain's cross was met by a volley from the stretching Pereira and his shot went into the roof of Alisson's goal through Robertson's thigh.

Misfortune stalked the Liverpool left-back during his short time on the pitch. In the first seconds he received a strong blow on the outside of Diop's knee. An offside flag had already been raised and Robertson required prolonged treatment while the video assistant referee checked for a possible red card offence. Tony Harrington's original yellow card for a reckless challenge was upheld. Pereira soon followed the defender for leaving his studs on Ryan Gravenberch's ankle, without having attempted to play the ball.

Robertson's afternoon was even worse, unlike the task Liverpool faced when he received a straight red card five minutes after Fulham's goal. Slot insisted the early injury and layoff were related. Trying to cut out another penetrating cross, this time from Sasa Lukic towards Wilson, the Scottish captain's strong first touch only saw the Welsh international through on goal. His next kick dropped Wilson and an inevitable red followed after Virgil van Dijk hooked Raúl Jiménez's follow-up off the line. Only a lengthy VAR review for a possible offside against Wilson could save Robertson. The Fulham man was eventually ruled out and the Liverpool man was left out.

Slot responded to the initial crisis by placing Mohamed Salah in a central role alongside Díaz, pushing Trent Alexander-Arnold into right midfield and placing Gravenberch in defense in a 3-4-2 formation. It was a risky strategy to offer even more space to the dangerous Wilson but, once again, the Liverpool head coach's tactical adjustments paid off. Fulham could have benefited from the 10 men, but a poor final pass, plus an important block by Joe Gomez on Wilson, allowed Liverpool to escape and settle. The home side were the dominant force as half-time approached. Diaz had a great chance to equalize, but headed in from close range as Dominik Szoboszlai's cross found him for the first time.

The break did not disrupt Liverpool's momentum. Two minutes after the restart, Salah delivered a delightful cross to the far post where Gakpo, unmarked, beat Bernd Leno with a diving header. Anfield went crazy when the VAR checked whether Díaz had fouled Kenny Tete when the cross went in. The celebrations increased when it was confirmed that he had not done so, or certainly not enough to justify the Fulham defender collapsing upon feeling a touch on his arm.

Silva's team was baffled. However, little by little Fulham regained its composure and the lead. Wilson and Iwobi combined to release Robinson behind Liverpool substitute Jarell Quansah, who should have been stronger in the contest. Muñiz launched a cross from the full-back past Alisson and Gómez at close range.

Liverpool returned, inspired by the calm and vision of substitutes Jota and Harvey Elliott. Jota received a pass from another substitute, Darwin Núñez, turned inside the central defender Jorge Cuenca and finished with precision against Leno. Chaos ensued in the added nine minutes. Jota, Núñez and Díaz were shot at point-blank range. Alisson denied Adama Traoré as Fulham took the lead again. It was an exciting show and Slot took advantage of the positive.