Fulham finally opened their Premier League account for the season, holding Liverpool to a scoreless stalemate at Anfield. It marked the first point under new manager Alvaro Arbeloa, who had watched his team lose all three of their opening fixtures since taking over in the summer.
Coming just three days after Liverpool’s Champions League win over Atletico Madrid, Andoni Iraola’s men appeared sluggish and lacked the sharpness they had shown midweek, going scoreless at home in the league for the first time since a January visit from Leeds.
Iraola rotated his side, bringing in Kostas Tsimikas, Ryan Gravenberch and Victor Munoz, while Arbeloa handed Austrian defender David Affengruber his debut alongside Sander Berge.
Fulham nearly grabbed an early lead when Jeremy Jacquet cleared off the line following a mixup between Alisson and Gravenberch. Josh King forced a save from Alisson soon after, and Antonee Robinson headed narrowly wide. At the other end, Bernd Leno denied Munoz, Alexander Isak and Dominik Szoboszlai as the visiting keeper stood tall throughout.
Despite double substitutions from Iraola in search of a breakthrough, including Cody Gakpo and Jeremie Frimpong, Liverpool could not find a way past a resolute Fulham backline anchored by Affengruber and captain Calvin Bassey. Notably, Fulham managed more touches inside the box (24) than their hosts (18).
The result extends Liverpool’s run to four consecutive home league draws, while Arbeloa became the first former Liverpool player to secure a point managing against his old club in the league, succeeding where Paul Ince, Mauricio Pellegrino and Steven Gerrard previously fell short.
With trickier fixtures against the newly promoted sides looming in October, this display offers genuine encouragement for Fulham’s season ahead.
