Liverpool draws to a newly promoted club

Fulham came within touching distance of producing one of the biggest upsets of any opening weekend in the Premier League this season, with Aleksandar Mitrovic marking his return to the top division by scoring twice in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage. Liverpool needed a late Mohamed Salah strike to claim the points after Mitrovic gave Fulham a superb start to their Premier League campaign following their promotion. Darwin Nunez scored one goal and set up Mohamed Salah’s equaliser as Liverpool came from behind to draw 2-2 away at Fulham in the opening Premier League match of the season.

Newly promoted Fulham have proved difficult foes for Jurgen Klopp’s side over recent years; the Cottagers are unbeaten in their past three top-flight meetings, and Liverpool had to come from behind twice to cancel out Aleksandar Mitrovic’s two goals. While Liverpool’s build-up to their Premier League opener was solid, it was far from a composed display by the Reds, and newly promoted Fulham looked like an entirely different outfit. It was the sixth season in a row that Mohamed Salah scored in Liverpool’s first game of the Premier League season. Still, Liverpool did not do enough to earn the points, while they also lost Thiago to a hamstring injury.

It looked to be a difficult start to life for Fulham’s return to the big time, but there would have been little to complain about from Liverpool had Fulham pulled off the upset victory. Marco Silva believes their display was worth more than the point that the recently promoted Fulham came away with against Liverpool men. Luis Diaz struck the post just before the break when Liverpool was looking for an equaliser. A towering presence in defence for recently promoted Fulham. Still, one slip-up in the build-up nearly helped Liverpool to equalise at the hour mark, as well as incidentally helping to set up Darwin Nunez’s goal. Darwin Nunez came off the bench to open the scoring, and clear Alexandar Mitrovic’s opening shot off Salah’s cross, whilst Jordan Henderson could have won the game for Liverpool in the second-half stoppage time as his curling effort was sent over the crossbar.  Liverpool then piled on the pressure, with Nunez in the middle of it all, but they could not get the third goal. From the 50th minute, Nunez was involved in everything Liverpool did in the attacking third.

Mitrovic, who ripped off a league-record 43 goals in the Championship last term, set the tone as Mitrovic volleyed a first-time effort just wide of the goal, then made his mark just after as he rose over Trent Alexander-Arnold and headed in a glorious cross from Kenny Tete.