Liverpool were held by Fulham in their second match of the new year. Cody Gakpo looked set to earn the reigning champions all three points away in London, but a stunning goal from the hosts cancelled out his would-be winner.
Liverpool left Craven Cottage with a 2-2 draw and a familiar feeling that their margin for error is shrinking fast.
With Arne Slot forced to improvise in attack, the match had the look of a test of depth and resilience from the first whistle. Both of his high-profile strikers, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitiké, were unavailable, so the responsibility fell to Cody Gakpo to lead the line. On the team sheet, the Dutchman stood out as the only natural forward, flanked by a midfield-heavy support cast that included fellow Netherlands internationals Ryan Gravenberch and Virgil van Dijk. The setup underlined the reality of Liverpool’s situation: they needed solutions, not just talent, and they needed them in a hostile away environment against a Fulham side that has made Craven Cottage an uncomfortable trip for top teams.
Fulham were dealing with their own absences. Kenny Tete was missing through injury, while Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze were away with Nigeria at the Africa Cup, forcing Marco Silva into adjustments of his own. Yet it was Fulham who struck first, and the manner of the opening goal only added to Liverpool’s frustration. Former Liverpool player Harry Wilson timed his run to break the offside line and calmly finished past Alisson Becker for 1-0, a goal that carried the extra sting of a familiar face punishing his old club. The opening phase had already hinted at danger for Liverpool, because Gakpo had found himself in a similar position earlier but could not make it count. That contrast, Fulham clinical, Liverpool wasteful, shaped the tone of the first half.
As the game settled, Liverpool’s difficulty became more pronounced. Fulham were compact without the ball and direct when they turned possession over, stretching Liverpool in transition and forcing them into repeated defensive recoveries. Gakpo’s afternoon became a summary of Liverpool’s first-half struggle: opportunities arrived, but nothing quite fell his way. After just over half an hour he met a chance with his head, only to see the effort crash against the post. It was the kind of moment that can flip a match, especially away from home, but instead it reinforced a sense that Liverpool were fighting both the opponent and the fine margins.
At half-time the message for Slot was obvious. Liverpool needed more tempo and more presence around the box, and they needed it without the luxury of a bench full of game-changers. That limitation was one of the key subplots. Slot’s options to alter the attacking picture were thin, with Jeremie Frimpong and Federico Chiesa the only genuine first-team attacking profiles among the substitutes who looked capable of injecting urgency and threat. In other words, Liverpool would have to improve largely from within their starting eleven, through sharper movement, quicker circulation, and better decision-making in the final third.
Slot kept faith with the same eleven after the break, and the second half did bring a noticeable shift. Liverpool played with more urgency, pressing higher and moving the ball with greater intent. They started to generate the kind of pressure that forces a defence to backpedal and make mistakes. A warning sign arrived when Alexis Mac Allister headed onto the crossbar from a corner, and Fulham’s lead began to look less secure. The equaliser eventually came through Florian Wirtz, although even that moment carried suspense. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, delaying celebration and inviting anxiety, but VAR overturned the decision and confirmed the strike. In an instant, the match flipped into a new phase.
Anyone expecting Liverpool to take full control after the equaliser quickly found that Fulham had no intention of fading. Rather than calming the game, the 1-1 made it more open and more volatile. Both teams started to chase the winner, which created space and led to a stretch of end-to-end football. Fulham, encouraged by the atmosphere and the looseness of the contest, went close to regaining the lead when Wilson attempted a delicate chip that struck the crossbar. Liverpool, meanwhile, continued to look for openings, but they were still operating with a makeshift forward line and were relying heavily on timing, delivery, and moments of quality rather than sustained attacking dominance.
In stoppage time, it finally looked as if Liverpool’s persistence had paid off. Frimpong, who had come on to provide width and energy, delivered a driven cross that invited a simple finish. Gakpo, operating as an emergency number nine, was in the right place and converted from close range to make it 1-2. It was the script Liverpool wanted: a late away winner, a striker stepping up under pressure, and a moment that could have served as a launching pad for momentum in the league. For a few minutes, Gakpo appeared to have secured the hero role.
But the match had one final, dramatic twist. Liverpool still could not turn that advantage into three points, because Fulham found an extraordinary equaliser that wiped out the late lead and left Slot’s side in immediate disappointment. Harrison Reed produced what can only be described as a thunderbolt, a long-range strike of such power and precision that it changed the mood inside the stadium in a heartbeat. In practical terms, it was the worst possible outcome for Liverpool after taking the lead so late: the emotional high of thinking the job was done followed by the immediate deflation of seeing two points disappear.
The draw has clear implications for both teams. Liverpool may take some consolation in salvaging a point in a difficult away fixture while playing without their key strikers, but it also feels like another missed opportunity in their broader chase. At this stage of the season, draws in games where you have held a late lead tend to carry a heavier cost, because they are not merely one-point gains but two-point losses in the psychological sense. The result means Liverpool are at least guaranteed fourth place for this round of fixtures, yet it is another blow to their hopes of closing the gap to the very top. The gap to the leading pack already looks daunting, and with Manchester City sitting third, there is the additional risk that City can extend the distance to ten points with their next result, pushing Liverpool further into a position where damage limitation becomes the weekly reality rather than title momentum.
For Fulham, the point feels earned, even if there is a hint of regret that they did not take all three. They showed composure, threat, and resilience, and they kept believing even when Liverpool went ahead in stoppage time. Moving up to 11th reflects their steadiness, but the match also highlighted how close they were to a far bigger leap. With a win they would have climbed to a shared sixth place, which shows how tight the table is and how quickly a single result can reshape a club’s outlook. At Craven Cottage, they will view this as proof that they can compete with the league’s elite on a night when personnel issues forced them into their own adjustments.
In the end, the match will be remembered as one of those Premier League afternoons where narrative changes every ten minutes. Liverpool had to adapt, improved after the break, and came within seconds of a statement win through a late Gakpo finish. Fulham refused to accept the ending, and Reed’s spectacular strike ensured the final word belonged to the home side’s spirit rather than the away side’s late surge.
