Diogo Jota Saves the Day as Liverpool Hold Fulham to a Thrilling Draw
Diogo Jota’s fine form helped Liverpool manage a 2-2 draw with Fulham after the Reds were reduced to just 10 players when Andy Robertson received a red card early in the game. Meanwhile, Arsenal could not capitalize on Liverpool’s stumble because they had a goalless draw with Everton last Saturday.
With only four minutes of the game remaining at Anfield, Liverpool looked certain to suffer a second loss in 15 league games this season. Instead, Jota’s late equalizer not only salvaged a crucial point but kept alive the Reds’ unbeaten run in all competitions since September at 19 matches, their sole defeat happening in that month.
Last weekend’s Merseyside derby was called off due to bad weather. Liverpool went into the match following two league draws, including a thrilling 3-3 draw against Newcastle. The Reds now have a five-point cushion at the top of the table. Second-placed Chelsea will look to close the gap in their next match at Stamford Bridge.
The game came alive in the 11th minute when Fulham’s Andreas Pereira took a great cross from Antonee Robinson and shot the ball, which was deflected off Robertson to give the visitors the lead. Things went worse for Liverpool just six minutes later when Robertson got a straight red card for a serious foul on Harry Wilson, leaving the home team with one less player.
Even though they faced a setback, Liverpool showed their strong will to fight. Cody Gakpo scored a goal right after halftime by heading in a perfect cross from Mohamed Salah in the 47th minute. Fulham took the lead again in the 76th minute when Rodrigo Muniz scored from another cross by Robinson. But, Jota’s precise shot from just outside the area in the 86th minute earned an important point for the home team.
“I could not have asked for more from my players, not after going down to 10 men,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said. “It was an emotional game, and the resilience in the team was just great.”
At the Emirates, Arsenal’s failure to capitalize on Liverpool’s draw made both fans and manager Mikel Arteta frustrated. After having most of the possession and making chances, though, the Gunners ended in a 0-0 draw with Everton—meaning it was their second straight tie in the league. Arsenal remains six points adrift of Liverpool, with the Reds having an extra game to play.
“We deserved to win,” Arteta said after the game. “It’s disappointing when you control a game but can’t turn chances into goals.”
Nottingham Forest climbed to fourth place after staging a dramatic 2-1 comeback win over Aston Villa at the City Ground. Jhon Duran scored first for Villa in the 63rd minute, before Nikola Milenkovic brought Forest level. Anthony Elanga scored the winning goal during stoppage time. It was the third win in four games for Forest. During that time, Newcastle won 4-0 against Leicester at St. James’ Park, which handed Ruud van Nistelrooy his first loss as Leicester manager. Goals from Jacob Murphy, Bruno Guimaraes, and Alexander Isak helped them win easily and placed Leicester very close to being dropped into a lower league. At Molineux, Ipswich Town edged closer to safety with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Wolves. Jack Taylor headed the winner in stoppage time to give them only their second league win since promotion, while Wolves are now under more pressure following their 11th defeat in 16 matches. Recent Premier League matches have kept fans excited, with thrilling comebacks, dramatic events, and the fight for points getting stronger as the season goes on.