There were plenty of controversial decisions by referee Kevin Friend for Kenny Dalglish and his side to be aggrieved by but also a lack of killer instinct for them to be concerned about.
The game was a curious affair in many ways. Fulham were tepid for the most part yet always seemed likely to score and could have done so in the sixth minute when Moussa Dembele was played in by Ruiz and only an alert Pepe Reina prevented the Reds falling behind. A few minutes later Andy Carroll, set up by Suarez, swept a shot straight at Schwarzer in the Fulham goal. After this flurry the game settled into a pattern of Liverpool probing for an opening without ever looking fully convincing in their work and Fulham taking long-range shots at goal that didn’t fully stretch Reina. On the twenty eight minute Jordan Henderson provided the closest to a goal the first half was to witness as he skipped into the box and with minimal back lift lofted the ball beyond Schwarzer only to see it agonizingly hit the inside of the post and rebound back and away from the net. It was a moment of impudent skill that deserved a greater reward.
The second half brought a little more aggression and purpose to Liverpool’s play and Enrique, Bellamy and Suarez all threatened to break the deadlock. Fulham had their chances too but neither side was creating clear-cut opportunities, a lack of width being the game’s most striking feature. Twenty-three minutes into the half the referee disallowed Suarez’s cleverly finished goal for offside when replays show that the Uruguayan was played on by Hangeland’s outstretched leg. To compound Liverpool’s sense of injustice minutes later Friend waved a red card at Jay Spearing for a two footed tackle. If the offside decision was marginal the sending off was clearly a injustice. Spearing had his feet on the ground when he made contact with the ball and his momentum clattered him through Dembele. Not a single Fulham player appealed for a foul and the referee appeared to make the decision only as he saw Dembele hit the floor. Having clearly seen Spearing’s contact with the ball he initially had turned to follow the play. Seconds earlier Kelly had slid, foot raised, into a challenge on Adam. Neither warranted a card so Friend’s inconsistency was both frustrating and glaring.
The sending off forced Liverpool into a reshuffle and Dalglish introduced Downing and Kuyt and the former almost turned the game the visitors way with a shot from twenty yards that Schwarzer did well to force wide with his fingertips. Fulham’s response was immediate and Danny Murphy’s shot was spilled into the path of Dempsey, who a few minutes earlier had been denied by the bar, and the American slotted home. It is arguable that Dempsey should not have been on the pitch as he had, following an innocuous challenge in the forty-eighth minute, pursued Bellamy, pushing his face against the Welshman’s. In a somewhat incredulous decision, given his later interpretation of Spearing’s intent, Friend opted to give both players a yellow card.
So Liverpool returned to Merseyside with much to ponder. A game that had been theirs to win, and on the balance of play should have been, had ended pointless. While poor refereeing played a part ultimately the inability to turn possession into goals had undone the Reds. The level of performance continues to encourage but unless a ruthless streak in front of goal develops soon that improvement will not receive its just reward in both points and league position.