Fulham 1-2 Liverpool: 5 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis | Premier League 2018-19

#4 Parker working his magic, but it's too late

Parker's arrival has coincided with a tough run of fixtures

Fulham put the kibosh on the Claudio Ranieri project earlier in the season following a catastrophic run of just three wins from 16 games in charge and 10 defeats in the process. Scott Parker was roped in as the caretaker manager, and even though there have been considerable improvements in the side, it's appointment has come a bit too late for him to prevent this team from going down.

His first three games - at home to Chelsea and Liverpool and away to Leicester City - have only yielded defeats so far, but the Cottagers have become more obdurate under their new manager - their third of the season - and don't fold so easily.

Today after conceding the first goal, Fulham closed down areas for Liverpool to exploit from the middle by forming a resilient mid-block. This forced the visitors to try their luck from out wide, while Fulham's counter-attacking moves were pretty darn threatening too. Take Babel's goal for example.

Had Parker been appointed earlier, or even instead of Ranieri, Fulham would have at least stood a slim chance of digging themselves out of the hole. But now, with games to Manchester City, Everton, Watford, and Wolves still to come, his arrival has coincided with a tough run of games.