Liverpool Earn Controversial Win Over Fulham

 

By Nigel Phillip

There was controversy at Anfield as Liverpool beat Fulham 2-0 to return to the summit of the Premier League.

Aleksandar Mitrovic had a goal disallowed in the 41st minute for an offside and Mohamed Salah opened the scores seconds later before Xherdan Shaqiri wrapped up the points in the 53rd minute.

The win takes Jurgen Klopp’s Reds to 30 points and above Manchester City and Chelsea, who play Everton and Manchester United respectively in the day’s other games.

It also keeps Slavisa Jokanovic's men rooted to the bottom of the table going into the international break.

Xherdan Shaqiri got in front first in the 13th minute, but whizzed a shot just wide,  Sergio Rico blocked Salah’s first-time shot from going to goal in the 16th minute, the Egyptian invited Rico to duty again in the 22nd minute with a powerful first-time shot from close range, two minutes before Ryan Sessegnon spurned a good chance for Fulham by blowing a shot wide of the right post from inside the penalty box.

Mitrovic latched on to an inch-perfect cross to power in a header in the 42nd minute, only for the goal to be ruled offside.

Alisson Becker took the resultant kick while the ball was rolling, and Mohamed Salah would feed on it to smash a low shot into the bottom corner.

Sergio Rico pulled a late save in the 53rd minute to thwart Sadio Mane’s strike towards the roof of the net, and Xherdan Shaqiri increased the lead seconds later by finishing off Andrew Robertson’s precise lofted cross with a quick shot into the bottom left corner.

Liverpool were not troubled in seeing out the game with Fulham offering little threat in the second half.