The game was atypical, however, in that this was arguably the first game where things seemed to click in an incredibly effective way, and Liverpool picked up a very clinical and comfortable 4-0 victory.
There was a familiar opening proceeding, where we had a lot of possession and the opposition just stood back and contained our movements. Thankfully, 8 minutes in Martin Skrtel opened the scoring in spectacular fashion from a corner taken by Steven Gerrard. This goal forced Fulham to open up and get forward, exposing a lot of space.
Thereafter, it became a rout. We played the ball superbly, scoring effortlessly and manoeuvring around Fulham’s defence. Gerrard made an intelligent dash into the box in the 36th minute, where he was found exquisitely by a Stewart Downing reverse-ball. Gerrard’s finish matched the assist, and gave credence to the calls for the captain playing in more advanced areas.
Gerrard then turned provider six minutes into the second half, laying the ball off to Downing, who swivelled past ex-Red, John-Arne Riise, and hammered in Liverpool’s third. Downing’s first goal and assist in the League was as great as it was late.
Suarez finished off the fourth in second half stoppage time after good work on the byline by Jose Enrique.
This game was undoubtedly the one where we truly saw the adaptability that Rodgers has in his managerial arsenal. Liverpool passed around with far more directness, opting for longer passes between lines of pass, occasionally offset by the usual side-to-side at times. As a result, we saw our Captain rise to the fore, often finding a wide-player with a long pass in a good area; all too often this season we have seen Gerrard play a long pass to a player not advanced enough in the final third, or not in a viable area, hence, moves lead nowhere. Against Fulham, we saw a lot more purpose in Gerrard’s passes. Furthermore, the match was arguably Gerrard’s finest display of the season.
Much like Gerrard, Suso, playing on the left-flank, had a very solid performance. Suso does tend to have patches of extreme involvement juxtaposed by times where he is rather anonymous. Regardless, Suso put in a great shift, drifting in from the left and linking up play, as well as tracking back aggressively and tirelessly.
The one who stole the show was undoubtedly Stewart Downing. Aside from his breath-taking goal and assist, Downing put in a lot of work in tracking back, covering for Glenn Johnson, and put in a good few passes. Downing appears to be playing with a lot of confidence, and his quality is really beginning to show.
Another major point is that whilst this game was one of Luis Suarez’s less influential performances, we still managed to kill off the game without his goals – a big step in demolishing our goal-scoring woes.
Suarez appeared to drift in wider areas more often than usual – often causing problems for Fulham due to an extra threat wide of goal – and this was made more effective by bodies getting in the box. Suarez did not look sharp and tenacious as he usually does, and seems as if he needs a rest.
The players largely put in great performances, with maybe Jonjo Shelvey not at his best, and thoroughly deserved the win. You get the feeling that in other games we would have been made to rue the missed chance by Daniel Agger in the first half where he missed an open net. Whether this is the first step to converting chances remains to be seen, but it is an extremely positive step.
Liverpool also, for the first time, carried out Rodgers’ philosophy of resting with the ball when in the lead. We did it with ease and precision whereby Fulham looked physically bereft in the second half.
For the first time we have seen something truly positive. It was a great showcase from Liverpool, and the first instance of Rodgers’ Death By Football. Maybe that heavy 3-1 defeat against Aston Villa last weekend was a good thing; maybe it highlighted some issues, and forced us to look at ourselves and assess.
What’s important now is that we keep this up; Stoke away on Boxing Day will be difficult. We need to carry the performance through, and really make the surge up the table.
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