Liverpool, who were empty of all four last season, made a comeback in the new season, topped the Premier League after 20 rounds, easily advanced to the round of 16 in the Europa League, and won Arsenal in the FA Cup. On this matchday, Liverpool ushered in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals, hosting Fulham. Van Dijk made a mistake in this game, Willian took the lead, Klopp staged a magical substitution, Jones and Gakpo scored two goals in a row, and Liverpool stubbornly reversed 2-1 to take the lead.
Due to the heavy schedule, Klopp did not field a full squad, with Kelleher replacing Alisson as the starting goalkeeper in a 4-3-3 formation, Van Dijk, Konat, Joe Gomez and teenager Bradley forming the defence, and in midfield Hrafenberg, McAllister and Jones partnered, Jota played as a cameo in the centre, and Elliott and Luis Dias split the flanks.
As the referee's whistle blew, the Liverpool crowd launched a tidal wave of attacks to the cheers of the Anfield fans. Just six minutes into the game, Hrafenberg cut off the ball and Jones drove the ball to the edge of the box and fired a decisive long-range shot, but it couldn't test Leno.
In the 16th minute, Elliott volleyed a pass in front, Jota inserted it on the right side of the penalty area, and swept to the middle from a small angle, but it was a pity that Luis Dias was half a beat slow to outflank and the ball slid past the goal. However, 2 minutes later, Van Dijk made a mistake in clearing the header in the backfield, Pereira inserted the inverted triangle to make the ball, and the veteran Willian inserted the pass, shook off the angle and volleyed, and Fulham took the lead with the main opponent, 1-0!
In the 22nd minute, Van Dijk hit Pereira in the face again in defence, and the referee showed a yellow card. It wasn't until stoppage time that Liverpool organised another effective attack, with Joe Gomes picking up the ball from outside the box and curling a high-quality long-range shot that grazed the post.
Back on the pitch, Liverpool picked up the tempo. In the 49th minute, Hrafenberg ran to the edge of the penalty area with the ball for a long time, and a powerful shot was slightly off. The failure to equalize made Klopp anxious, and in the 56th minute he made two substitutions in a row, with Nunez and Gakpo coming off the bench.
However, in the 63rd minute, Fulham's quick counterattack, Reid's shot from a small angle on the right side of the penalty area, Kelleher saved the ball. Liverpool, who escaped the catastrophe, quickly equalized, in the 68th minute, Jota struggled to cut off the ball in front, Nunez knocked back, Jones bent his bow outside the penalty area and shot from a distance, hitting Adarabioyu and refracting into the net, 1-1!
In the 71st minute, Liverpool continued their efforts, Nunez went down the left side and knocked back the triangle, and Gakpo followed up and pushed into the net. In just 3 minutes, Liverpool scored 2 goals in a row and reversed the score 2-1, and had to admire Klopp's ability to adjust, which made the Fulham coach have nothing to love.
In the 87th minute, Bradley crossed from the right side, the power and landing point were just right, but Nunez's push was saved by Leno. In the end, Liverpool won Fulham 2-1 to take the lead in the two-legged duel and usher in four consecutive wins. Liverpool are on the top four sides of the Premier League, league, FA Cup and Europa League, how many trophies can the Reds win? We'll see.