Arne Slot crouched down shaking his head at the Anfield grass. His Liverpool side had rained shots on Fulham’s goal and a 93rd-minute chaotic scramble, worthy of any Sunday League pitch across the country, had failed to result in a breakthrough.
This latest siege was the cause of Slot’s exasperated demeanour, but as he confirmed after the game, it was the body language of a manager who knows how close his side was to a hard-fought winner.
A draw at home, when down to ten men for over 75 minutes, to a Fulham side who have recently taken points off Arsenal and Tottenham, is no calamity. But Slot’s angry pacing in his technical area and his consistent head shaking are testament to the resilience his side showed and the aspirations of the whole squad.
Control as usual, but resilience was key to avoiding a serious slip-up
As Tony Harrington pointed to the tunnel to confirm that Andy Robertson would be sent off for a lunging tackle on Harry Wilson a murmur spread around Anfield. Not a murmur of surrender nor of anger, but one of speculation, and even anticipation, given the recurrence of comebacks at Anfield. This was unchartered waters for Arne Slot, whose time at Liverpool has been relatively plain sailing.
A goal down and a man down after 16 minutes and the Liverpool faithful could sense a special performance was needed if their gap at the top was to be sustained. And that was what they got.
“I am very, very, very happy about the performance. I couldn't have asked for more. Being two times a goal down, so many things go against you except for one thing and that is our players and our fans, who were outstanding today,” commended Slot, who ranks at no.9 in FourFourTwo's list of the best managers in the world right now.
Control has been the buzzword around Slot’s Liverpool side, but against Fulham, they had to utilise a tenacity that has rarely been required this season. Liverpool’s character was more impressive considering the stop-start nature of the game.
After the game Slot said, “What doesn't help – we had great momentum – [was] that the game was again delayed for three, four or five minutes immediately after we scored the goal because they were on the ground and that happened a bit too much for us to keep the momentum going”.
Here Slot had another taste of how useful a weapon the Anfield crowd can be to Liverpool’s armoury. It has become a common occurrence for the Kop to use mid-game lulls to get behind their side and after Cody Gakpo’s equaliser this method was out in full force.
With Fulham’s Kenny Tete being treated on the pitch the roar of The Fields of Anfield Road surged round the ground. It is clear that from the stands there is a huge belief this season with players and fans alike feeding off of each other in these moments.
Arsenal’s draw at home to Everton ensured a point was enough for Liverpool, but most significantly, it was yet another performance that adds to the growing sense of hope that silverware will once again arrive at Anfield come the end of the season.
Whilst Slot praised his ‘outstanding’ players, substantial credit must go to the Dutchman whose tactical tweaks helped Liverpool brush aside one of the hardest challenges he has faced so far in the dugout.
When down to ten men, a straightforward, and perhaps negative option, was to swap one of the starting front three for Jarrel Quansah, and shift Joe Gomez to left-back. Instead, Slot opted to push Ryan Gravenberch into a back-three alongside Gomez and Virgil Van Dijk.
When FourFourTwo asked Slot for his thoughts on Gravenberch’s performance he said: “Impressed, like everyone who was in the stadium or saw the game. Ryan did outstanding again today.
Without the ball, he was mostly in our last line, had to play sometimes against a nine, against wingers who are really fast. And with the ball, he came into the midfield. An outstanding performance from him.”
This alteration proved key to the control of the game, as shown in Liverpool’s 61% possession. Despite being a man down, Liverpool had 5% more of the ball than they’ve averaged across Premier League matches this season.
For context, an Arsenal side who like to dominate possession, averaged just 37% of the ball in matches they have received a red card in this season.
Out-of-possession Slot took a leaf out of the Ange Postecoglou book by sticking to his principles. Gesticulating at his players from the sidelines he urged them forward to press Fulham. The result was clear – in no game this season have Liverpool had more tackles in their attacking third.
Yes, Liverpool were pushing for an equaliser at two stages in the game but this was against a Fulham side who have the third highest average possession outside of the traditional big six this season. Credit must be given to Marco Silva’s side, who were dogged in midfield and countered well. As Slot said, “Unfortunately for us, maybe the only chance they got with [us having] 10 men led to a goal”.
Perhaps of prominence due to his opposing number’s poor performance, left-back Antonee Robinson in particular was aggressive in defence whilst still extremely proactive going forward. At 27, his age may be the only aspect deterring a top side from making a move for the American.
It was no surprise that Slot seemed relaxed as he talked to reporters after the game, despite his frustrated mannerisms towards the end of a whirlwind game. The former Feyenoord coach has sailed over this latest hurdle knowing that the spirited performance his players showed puts them in good stead for the continuing onslaught of games over the winter period.
