Liverpool star Luis Diaz is “joy to watch” with Liverpool fans relieved after “dodgy” win against Fulham 

Liverpool had to work hard for the three points as the Reds beat Fulham 1-0 at Anfield as fans left in relief after a “dodgy” win.

The victory over Fulham could not have been more different from Sunday’s match against Tottenham.

Liverpool showed they could play but struggled to deal the visitors a killing blow and relied on Mo Salah’s first-half penalty to carry them all the way to the final whistle.

Fans held their breath as Fulham pressed for a late equalizer and after the match there was plenty for the fans to talk about.
Three points despite the performance in the second half…

A win but a mostly poor performance, especially in the second half. So many bad final passes and bad decisions in the last third. Fulham played flashy football. Easy to understand why interested in Palinha.

“That’s really all we can ask of the team, just to win our games and let others worry about their results. It would have been 0-0 six games back.

There are defensive issues that need addressing and it could clip Robertson’s wings, but if the trade-off is Trent playing like this every week, then this new system is worth betting on.

I don’t think it’s just 1 goal difference that makes him nervous, it’s bcos, although we are more stable than before, we always give each other chances at the end of the game. In our 90+ point seasons, we won many games 2-1, but were safe out of possession and stopped games late when we were leading.

If they lose tomorrow night against Brighton they will be squeaky bums in Manchester!

The strikers shared the opinion…
It must be said that nunes does not offer anything by playing in the middle. Gakpo has a lot more awareness, better positioning and better dribbling. Nunes has a lot to improve

Was it me or did our attack go much better when Gakpo arrived?
These races behind by Nunez are such a danger. He may not be the best when it comes down to midfield like Bobby or Gakpo, but he has several strengths that scare the hell out of defenders and make things happen.

He has to start diaz gakpo and salah before the rest. The rest is impact. Jones and Fab and Eliott maybe. Henderson is dying out there. Keep the fucking ball l
Whoever slanders Nunez, imagine you’re playing up front and getting 0 serves the entire game. Do you know how frustrating that is?
He had ONE shot the whole game

“Everyone slams Nunez, it’s his first season and barely understands the language. I expect him to be a different beast next season once Klopp discovers his new formation.”

Incredibly weird behavior from our fan base, constantly giving shit to Nunez, before the world cup he was brilliant and people forget about him. He’s still young and doesn’t speak English, he just needs a little confidence. Probably the same group that excluded Gakpo in the beginning

Darwin Nunez is like Cyrus “The Virus” in Con Air: very entertaining but sometimes you wonder what’s on his mind.
Luis Diaz is back on track…

It goes without saying that Liverpool have only themselves to blame for their shortcomings this season, but you can’t help but think about where they might have been had Luis Diaz been available all along.

Brilliant in the half-spaces tonight and Fulham just couldn’t hold him off.

Watching Luis Diaz dribble past opponents opening up the defense makes you wonder how the season would have gone with him. I’m not saying Liverpool would fight for the title, but Liverpool would be higher up in the table.

What an absolute pleasure to watch Luis Diaz play football.

Liverpool really look much better. Tonight and recently. Jones made the difference in the middle. And Diaz is giving them the kind of outlet they’ve missed so much in his absence.

Enjoy watching Trent and Diaz in this half, huh?
Man, you can see how much chaos Diaz/Nunez brings to this site when we have a working system. We just need the missing midfield numbers.

The relief after the late pressure from Fulham was palpable…

I wanted to concede a goal for most of the second half

Not a very good second half but three points is three points ahead of the Reds for Europa League qualification. One of those weird games where we played pretty well but could have lost 2-0

Also. 

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah reveals his “dislike of the Europa League” in a “tame” win at Liverpool

Liverpool achieved five straight wins with a 1-0 victory over Fulham, and the media praised the Reds’ professional work.

Jurgen Klopp’s men won in dramatic fashion against Tottenham last weekend, but this time Anfield witnessed a more serene three points.

The game was settled by Mo Salah’s penalty in the first half, after a foul on Issa Diop’s Darwin Nunez, and Liverpool saw victory with relative ease.

“May 3 is a date that has become synonymous with Liverpool booking a place in a Champions League final. Last year they were at Villarreal, while in 2005 they played a titanic battle here with Chelsea.

“However, it’s safe to say that this opportunity was as far away from those big stages as you can imagine.

“Liverpool’s results have improved lately, but don’t kid yourself and think this is a welcome leap towards the finish line for everyone associated with the club.”

Praising the nature of the win, Andy Hunter of The Guardian also took the time to give special praise to Salah:

“It was all rather tame compared to the drama and fury of Liverpool’s last home triumph, but Jurgen Klopp may have welcomed the serenity of Fulham’s visit to Anfield.

A fifth consecutive Premier League win, Liverpool’s best result of the season, maintained their club’s ambitions for European football and marked another milestone in Mohamed Salah’s outstanding career at Anfield.

Salah’s decisive first-half penalty, awarded after a soft foul by Issa Diop on Darwin Nunez, saw the Egyptian international become just the third player in Liverpool’s history to score in eight successive home games. Salah’s late goal moved him to fifth place on the club’s all-time top goalscorer list and just one behind Steven Gerrard’s tally of 186 in all competitions for Liverpool.

“One more goal is enough for him to hit 30 goals for the fourth season of seven as a Liverpool player.”

Taking to Twitter, the Liverpool Echo’s Paul Gorst was less than thrilled with what he saw at Anfield:

“Nervous and unconvincing towards the end, but five spin victories for Jurgen Klopp’s team.

“Keep the pressure on those Champions League places, at least.”

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Salah deserved a lot of credit…

In his postgame player ratings, ESPN’s Adam Brown spoke highly of our No. 66:

“Once again he has shined in his new hybrid free-roaming role, which allows him to carry the ball into a more dangerous area when he attacks.

“He has often entered the central zones and Fulham have struggled to sign him.

“The 24-year-old was regularly making the right decisions with his passing controlling the pace of the game, and he also impressed with his defensive work.”

On Twitter, Sam McGuire pointed out a startling statistic that outlined the influence of Trent’s performance:

Trent recovered 12 times and won 80% of his duels on the ground. We have created a monster. pic.twitter.com/2AYepK2Pbz

— Sam McGuire (@SamMcGuire90) May 3, 2023

Focusing on the ruthless Salah, the Telegraph’s Chris Bascombe pursued another goal:

“Mohamed Salah couldn’t do more to show his distaste for the Europa League. The Egyptian is on a mission to avoid the humiliation of relegation from the UEFA top-flight, his latest goal attempt to destroy Liverpool’s slim hopes to keep the Champions League next season .

Salah became just the third Liverpool player to score in eight consecutive games at Anfield. His winning penalty against Fulham cemented Jurgen Klopp’s position in fifth, ready to strike should Newcastle and Manchester United fail.

“Salah has six from six in all competitions, this much needed contribution ensuring a win that became less convincing as the match went on. “He has now scored in every home game since February 13, a reminder that despite all the changes in Klopp’s attacking line, he remains reassuringly consistent.”

Does Liverpool still have a chance of making the top four?

Bascombe admitted that Champions League football still looks extremely unlikely:

“Liverpool are unlikely to be good enough to finish fourth.

“Their form is better but still uneven and there remains a sense that Klopp is using these games to polish a winning formula ahead of next season.”

Jacob Leeks of The Mirror spoke positively about the prospect of a Europa League appearance at Anfield:

“Liverpool’s win on Wednesday night put them in control of the race for the Premier League’s only Europa League spot. They are now five points clear of Tottenham and Aston Villa as they seek to complete a disappointing season in beauty.

“While they probably gave up on securing a Champions League place too late, the Reds are closing in on securing European football next season. He is not the boss of the Jürgen Klopp competition, in which you want to be, but you will at least have the chance to win silverware in Europe.

“With only four games for Liverpool, villa and Spurs, it was the men of Klopp who took control. The victory against Tottenham was crucial, but the push due to the impressive Cottar will cover a long way.”

Likewise, they were not illusions by James James Nalton and concentrated more than anything on a positive end of the season:

“This is the second of three home games in eight days, with four of the last six Reds games in Anfield.

“The outside matches are against the relegation coat Leicester, although the last game of the season has already relegated.

“It’s a fairly cheap race because Liverpool wants to qualify for the Europa League as a whole after a disappointing season. “However, this is an opportunity to go back to sort of a feel-good factor at Anfield and make it a fortress again.

The Liverpool manager later reflected, saying: “I think the referees think I’ve questioned their integrity, the moment I sit here in silence I don’t. Of course not.”

Klopp is expected to receive a touchline ban for several matches.