Liverpool frustrated again in Fulham stalemate
Andoni Iraola is still without a home Premier League win in charge of Liverpool after it was held to a 0-0 draw by Fulham at Anfield.
Liverpool handed big-money acquisition Bradley Barcola his first start in the English top flight, but still failed to find the same attacking gear as it showed in its back-to-back victories over Ipswich Town and Atletico Madrid.
If not for a goalline clearance from Jeremy Jacquet and one smart save by Alisson, Liverpool could even have lost the game, as a resilient Fulham earned its first point under new manager Alvaro Arbeloa.
Alexander Isak passed up the first chance when he drove across goal and wide, after being fed by Barcola.
But Liverpool was sloppy throughout the first half and fortunate not to fall behind when Ryan Gravenberch showed for a short pass from Alisson and was dispossessed, with Josh King seeing a penalty appeal waved away and Gonzalo Garcia's shot being cleared off the line by Jacquet.
Oscar Bobb was let down by his first touch as Fulham continued to test a shaky Liverpool backline, while at the other end, Bernd Leno got a hand behind Victor Munoz's powerful header and Florian Wirtz hit two shots the wrong side of the right post.
Led by the lively King, Fulham continued to threaten and Antonee Robinson headed wide at the end of a neat move, with groans of frustration audible from the home fans at half-time.
Iraola attempted to change things up with the introductions of Milos Kerkez, Cody Gakpo and Alexis Mac Allister, the latter saw a powerful drive parried by Leno, soon after the German had dived to his right to stop Isak's tame attempt.
Fulham's threat did not go away, though, with Alisson standing firm to gather a Calvin Bassey header then leaping towards the top-right corner to touch King's strike wide, with the teenager having just slipped as he curled his shot towards goal.
Liverpool's attacking play grew increasingly desperate and haphazard as the minutes ticked away, and after an Isak header drifted wide and Rio Ngumoha failed to direct Jeremie Frimpong's cross towards goal, the full-time whistle condemned the Reds to a third league draw of 2026-2027.
"When you draw, especially at home, you can't be happy," Iraola said after the match.
"We lacked a bit of freshness, and we did not do enough offensively to make the difference.
"We were good enough to keep the clean sheet, and it was slightly better in the second half. In the first half we started the game slowly, we lacked energy and it was not enough – we have to be better, offensively."
Iraola was then asked if the quick turnaround from the UEFA Champions League win over Atletico was to blame, but he refused to use that as an excuse, with a Carabao Cup tie against Tottenham Hotspur also coming up on Wednesday (AEST) as the games come thick and fast.
"It was less than three days, 60 hours, and a lot of players had to adapt," Iraola said. "Most of the changes were for physical reasons because the players were tired.
"But that is the season, and in less than three days we will be here against Spurs. We have to adapt and find ways to win."
Fulham, meanwhile, finally has its first point on the board under Arbeloa, having suffered three straight defeats in a worrying start to the season, and the Spaniard feels the result will foster belief among his squad.
"We worked so hard this week, and I'm so happy, just not for the point, but for how my players played," he said.
"At the end of the day, the most important thing is how many points you have. It's not about how well you play, how nice you play, how many chances you have, if you deserve more. It's about how many points you have, and we know that.
"And I think this one is going to be important for us to believe in our idea. And of course, we need to keep improving."
