Frustrated Liverpool fail to take chances as Fulham claim deserved first point

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In the not-so distant past when they were vying for a right-back role with Spain, Andoni Iraola often lost out to Álvaro Arbeloa. The points were shared at Anfield but the Liverpool head coach was thwarted by his old adversary once again as Fulham deservedly claimed the first Premier League point of Arbeloa’s tenure.The visitors belied their lowly position and a run of three successive league defeats to take a point from a Liverpool side that represented a pale imitation of their Champions League selves against Atlético Madrid on Wednesday.skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionWhether it was the after-effects of the win over Diego Simeone’s side, with a quick turnaround between fixtures, or the three changes that Iraola made from the European game, hardly a significant amount, the deterioration in Liverpool’s performance was dramatic.

The hosts were sluggish and sloppy in possession – Florian Wirtz and Kostas Tsimikas both put simple passes straight out of play in the first half – and Fulham bypassed their midfield repeatedly. Tsimikas’s return to the starting lineup lasted all of 45 underwhelming minutes.Another factor in Liverpool’s subdued performance was Fulham’s confidence on the ball and defensive organisation.

For a team arriving at Anfield with only defeats to their name in the Premier League this season, the visitors’ belief and willingness to attack was hugely impressive. With more conviction in front of goal, Arbeloa’s side could have capitalised on Liverpool’s slow start.Full report to follow