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Liverpool beat Fulham 1-0 in the Premier League on Wednesday for their fifth straight win. Mohamed Salah scored the only goal of the game from the spot in the 39th minute as the Reds consolidated their position in fifth place.
Coming off four consecutive wins, the mood in the home side's camp was confident, as Jurgen Klopp's side were favourites to prevail once more. However, it wasn't straight-forward. The Cottagers testing their mighty hosts in the first half with good shots but fell behind when Salah converted a penalty after Darwin Nunez was fouled by Issa Diop.
Liverpool remained cagey in attack in the second half, contrary to their devastating attacking displays in recent games, and were lucky that Fulham constantly fluffed their lines.
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In the fourth minute of added time, the visitors had a glorious chance to equalise when Daniel James fizzed a cross for Bobby Reid in the six-yard box. but his flicked attempt was over the bar.
Liverpool heaved a huge sigh of relief as they emerged victors once more and came withing four points of fourth-placed Manchester United, who albeit have two games in hand.
Meanwhile, Fulham, reeling from a third consecutive top-flight loss, dropped to tenth in the standings.
On that note, here are the player ratings for Liverpool:
Alisson - 8/10
Liverpool's unsung hero of the night with three vital saves, including a great one on Carlos Vinicius in the 15th minute and another in the 78th minute, much to the Fulham forward's chagrin.
He was also quick off his line to retrieve the ball when Booby Reid raced through on goal late on, showing excellent reading and concentration.
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 8.5/10
He's on fire right now and turned in another stellar performance, marked by several chances created and a defensive masterclass.
The 24-year-old made two clearances and interceptions apiece and one block while completing three tackles. Colossal.
Ibrahima Konate - 8/10
The Frenchman was an impenetrable wall in defence for Liverpool, who made a vital block on Sasa Lukic in the 26th minute and ended the game with four clearances. His aerial prowess was on show as well, with Konate winning four of his five duels.
Virgil van Dijk - 8.5/10
Van Dijk perfectly complemented Konate in defence, guarding the Liverpool goal with exceptional vision and positional awareness. He made a vital intervention in the fourth minute on Carlos Vinicius when he was just about to tap the ball in.
With six clearances, three tackles and four aerial duels won, it's safe to say that the Dutchman brought his A1 game to the fore today.
Kostas Tsimikas - 6.5/10
The Greek got a rare opportunity at left-back over Andrew Robertson and turned in a decent shift. He was solid in defence, making two clearances and interceptions apiece, and also got involved in attacks. However, his end-product was lacking, with Tsimikas failing to convert any of his five crosses.
Jordan Henderson - 8/10
The Liverpool captain was frighteningly menacing, creating chances and going for goal himself. However, his teammates weren't able to finish while he himself was guilty of wayward efforts.
Fabinho - 6/10
The Brazilian was relatively quiet and struggled to get control of midfield. He won just two of six ground duels but was highly accurate with his passes, completing 91% of them.
Curtis Jones - 7/10
He set up a good chance for Salah in the 12th minute and was roughoused by Fulham's players. Lukic and Palhinha conceding free-kicks to Liverpool by fouling him. One strong attribute of Jones, though, was his unerring accuracy with passes, misplacing only three in 46.
Mohamed Salah - 8/10
Liverpool's best attacker of the night, Salah scored the penalty with aplomb and was a thorn in Fulham's flesh with his high press and dribbling skills. In fact, he completed all five of his dribbles.
Darwin Nunez - 6/10
A total non-factor for Liverpool on the day, Nunez saw only real chance of the night coming in the 49th minute, but he skewed his effort wide.
Luis Diaz - 6.5/10
The Colombian made a lively start, attempting a shot as early as the second minute and another in the 19th minute. However, as the game progressed, his influence faded.
Ratings of Liverpool substitutes against Fulham
Andrew Robertson (66' for Tsimikas) - 6.5/10
The Scotsman floated a delightful ball for Van Dijk in the 76th minute, but Cedric Soares hooked it away from the centre-back.
Cody Gakpo (66' for Diaz) - 7/10
He won a free-kick in a dangerous position in the 75th minute after being tripped over by Palhinha and later made a shoddy effort that saw the ball fly wide.
Diogo Jota (83' for Nunez) - 4/10
He made only four touches on the ball in 12 minutes of action.
James Milner (84' for Jones) - 4/10
The veteran midfielder laid just one pass in 11 minutes.
Harvey Elliott (84' for Salah) - 5/10
He sent in a wonderful cross from over the top of the Fulham defence for Gakpo, but the forward blazed it wide.
