Álvaro Arbeloa was often the obstacle to Andoni Iraola’s international ambitions back in the days when both were vying for a right-back role with Spain. On his return to Anfield, and under the watchful eye of former manager Rafael Benítez, Arbeloa thwarted Iraola once again to claim his first Premier League point as Fulham head coach against an ineffective Liverpool.
Fulham belied their lowly position and run of three league defeats to take a merited point from a Liverpool team that was a pale imitation of the one that beat Atlético Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday. Iraola fielded a front four that cost almost £400m but the most impressive forward on display was the Fulham academy graduate Josh King. The draw was Liverpool’s third in four league games under their new head coach and the seventh in 12 Premier League matches at Anfield in 2026. Progress can be painfully slow at times.
