Arne Slots Satisfied With Liverpool's Performance Against Fulham Instead Of Defeating Girona

The forward Diogo Jota saved Liverpool from defeat against Fulham in the English Premier League. (X/@LFC)

JAKARTA - Liverpool, who played with 10 players, escaped defeat after detaining Fulham 2-2 in the English Premier League match at Anfield Stadium, Saturday, December 14, 2024 evening WIB. Manager Arne Slot said he was satisfied because Liverpool played better than when they beat Girona.

Liverpool's unbeaten record is almost over. Fulham came as a surprise. Moreover, Liverpool were forced to play with 10 people after midfielder Andrew Robertson was shown a red card in the 17th minute.

But Liverpool are able to overcome the pressure. Losing a player is still not a problem for Liverpool. Even Arne Slot's team could still take points at home after Diogo Jota scored a goal that saved Fulham's win.

The draw makes Liverpool still firm at the top of the Premier League standings. Now, The Pool is on point 36. They are already five points ahead with Chelsea against Brentford FC.

Meanwhile, Fulham, who was on the central board, only went up one strip. They are ranked ninth with 24 points. Similar to Brighton and Hove Albion and Bournemouth, but Fulham's goal difference still lost compared to the two teams.

Slot said Liverpool's performance when they played a draw was even better than when they won against Girona. Slot said he was satisfied with a 1-0 win over Girona in the Champions League.

"I think this is indeed contrary to Girona's match. In that match I was satisfied with the results, but not with the team's performance," said Slot.

"But this time I'm happy with the team's performance. I certainly can't ask for more. Of course I'm not satisfied with the result because you lost points in the home game against Fulham. This is a really unexpected result," he said.

In that match, Fulham surprised the hosts' supporters when midfielder Andreas Pereira broke into Liverpool's goal. The goal that was created when the game had only been running 11 minutes started from Antonee Robinson' cross which was greeted by Pereira

In a position behind, Liverpool tried to put pressure on it. But their efforts always failed. Liverpool even had to lose Robertson who brought down Harry Wilson in the 17th minute. Referee Tony Harrington briefly reviewed the incident via VAR.

As a result, Robertson's foul was considered quite harsh and he was the last player to make every effort to stop Wilson. The referee also gave him a straight red card.

"The team shows an extraordinary character. Likewise Robbo [Robertson]. In such a situation, you keep trying to keep running and playing better," said Slot.

"It must be admitted that it was too fast for him to get a red card. But no one is blamed. He has shown character in the game. But what he does ends in a red card. He deserves a red card," he said again.

Despite playing with 10 players, Liverpool are still fighting. It's just that they were only able to equalize to 1-1 in the second half after Cody Gakpo who welcomed Mohamed Salah's assist managed to break into the opponent's goal.

Fulham seems to have had luck at Anfield. Marco Silva's side took the lead again after substitute Rodrigo Muniz beat goalkeeper Alisson Becker in the 76th minute.

The score changed to 2-1, but Liverpool refused to give up. They still showed resistance despite playing with 10 people. The Reds' efforts were not in vain. In the 86th minute, the front player Diogo Jota successfully equalized the score.

The goal started with Darwin Nunez and Jota's pass which recently came on to replace Trent-Alexander Arnold in the 79th minute successfully converted it. The score changed to 2-2 for both teams and lasted until the end of the match