Liverpool vs Fulham player ratings: Reds held to goalless draw at Anfield

Liverpool remained unbeaten under Andoni Iraola but was held to a goalless draw by Fulham, which picked up its first point under Alvaro Arbeloa.

Players from Liverpool and Fulham in action during their Premier League match at Anfield on Saturday. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Liverpool was held to a goalless draw by Fulham at Anfield on Saturday as Alvaro Arbeloa secured his first Premier League point since taking charge of the London club.

The result extended Liverpool’s unbeaten run under Andoni Iraola, although boos were heard at the final whistle after another frustrating attacking display from the home side.

Fulham arrived at Anfield having lost its first three league matches under former Liverpool defender Arbeloa, whose position had reportedly come under increasing pressure.

Liverpool fielded an expensive frontline featuring Bradley Barcola, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, but struggled to break down the visitors.

“When you draw, especially at home, you can’t be happy,” Iraola said.

The Liverpool manager felt his players lacked sharpness after their Champions League fixture against Atletico Madrid in midweek.

“Today we lacked a bit of freshness and we did not do enough offensively to make the difference,” he added.

Fulham, in fact, created the better opportunities to win the match. Gonzalo Garcia missed a clear chance in the opening half before Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker produced an important save to deny Josh King later in the contest.

The draw lifted Liverpool to sixth in the Premier League table, although it could fall six points behind the leader if Arsenal beats Sunderland later on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest beat Aston Villa 2-1 at Villa Park, with Liam Delap and Igor Jesus finding the net for Forest.

Liverpool vs Fulham Player Ratings

Liverpool – Starting XI: Alisson 7.9, Ronald Araujo 6.9, Jeremy Jacquet 8.1, Virgil van Dijk 7.4, Kostas Tsimikas 6.6, Dominik Szoboszlai 6.8, Ryan Gravenberch 6.7, Victor Muñoz 6.5, Florian Wirtz 7.4, Bradley Barcola 6.6, Alexander Isak 6.5.

Liverpool – Substitutes: Milos Kerkez 6.5, Alexis Mac Allister 6.9, Cody Gakpo 6.1, Jeremie Frimpong 6.9, Rio Ngumoha 6.2.

Fulham – Starting XI: Bernd Leno 7.8, Timothy Castagne 6.9, David Affengruber 7.2, Calvin Bassey 7.5, Antonee Robinson 7.3, Sander Berge 6.9, Shea Charles 7.6, Oscar Bobb 6.5, Josh King 7.0, Alex Iwobi 6.7, Gonzalo Garcia 6.4.

Fulham – Substitutes: Kenny Tete 6.0, Kevin 6.4, Emile Smith Rowe 6.2, Hugo Larsson 6.1, Rodrigo Muniz 6.1.