Liverpool discovered their shooting boots by the Thames and, in doing so, kept the three-way title race alive. Perhaps Jürgen Klopp will still receive the most spectacular of sendoffs and he could take encouragement from the way a heavily changed side eventually circumvented an obvious banana skin. Their season was on the line and risked toppling altogether when Timothy Castagne punished an extended spell of scratchy defending by equalising shortly before half-time. More of the same would surely have meant a deflated final month of the campaign but Liverpool gathered themselves for a victory that could yet prove critical.
It was some moment for Ryan Gravenberch, essentially a squad player since arriving last summer, to score his first Premier League goal. Liverpool needed a flash of inspiration and it came eight minutes into the second half when Harvey Elliott, booed throughout at the club that blooded him aged 15, intercepted a skewed pass from Alex Iwobi midway inside Fulham’s half. Gravenberch had taken up a clear position just beyond the D and was quickly located by his teammate, rewarding his vision with a curling strike that whipped to Bernd Leno’s left and in.
