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Reed and his team mate celebrate a goal
Harrison Reed’s stunning last-gasp thunderbolt saw Fulham snatch a point following a dramatic 2-2 draw with Liverpool.
The midfielder’s first Premier League goal since April 2023 rescued a share of the spoils for the hosts at Craven Cottage.
After Florian Wirtz cancelled out Harry Wilson’s first-half effort, Liverpool looked to have won it when Cody Gakpo turned in Jeremie Frimpong’s cross in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
However, there was another late twist three minutes later, as substitute Reed arrowed a sublime 30-yard drive into the top-right corner to rescue his side a point.
The Reds stay fourth in the table on 34 points, while Marco Silva’s side climb to 11th place, above Everton on goal difference.
How the match unfolded
Fulham broke the deadlock with their first attempt of the game after 17 minutes. Raul Jimenez's clever flick released Wilson to fire past Alisson Becker, with the goal awarded following a VAR review after it was initially ruled out for offside.
The Reds aimed to respond after the break, and Gakpo was offside when he tucked away Milos Kerkez’s cross two minutes into the second half. Alexis Mac Allister, meanwhile, rattled the crossbar with a header from a Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner shortly after.
The offside flag then looked like it would thwart the visitors again in the 57th minute, but Wirtz’s neat finish from a Conor Bradley layoff was eventually awarded after a VAR review.
Wilson almost regained Fulham’s lead when his dinked attempt clipped the top of the crossbar with Alisson stranded. However, Liverpool appeared to have snatched all three points when Joachim Andersen failed to cut out Frimpong’s deep cross, allowing Gakpo to turn home at the far post.
Yet, the hosts dug themselves out of trouble in even more dramatic fashion, as Reed’s dazzling strike in the seventh minute of stoppage time ensured they would not leave the contest empty-handed.
Reed all about it
Fulham stretched their unbeaten run in the Premier League to five matches, but only after escaping with a point courtesy of a very unlikely source.
Reed, whose last top-flight goal was almost three years ago, chose an ideal time to break his duck, and he did so in the most spectacular fashion.
With the kick-off delayed due to a medical incident, the hosts were a little slow out of the blocks.
However, with the Cottagers having won all five of their previous league games this season in which they had led at half-time, the omens were positive when Wilson fired them ahead.
He has been in inspired form over the last two months for Fulham, popping up with vital goals and assists, and he led the charge for Silva’s side.
But after surviving a couple of scares courtesy of a strong Liverpool start in the second half, Wirtz just about managed to stay onside and draw Liverpool level.
Wilson clipped the top of the crossbar later on, but the hosts looked set for defeat when Gakpo edged the visitors in front when Frimpong’s centre squeezed through.
But it was Reed who stepped up and delivered when it mattered most to give Fulham momentum ahead of their west London derby against Chelsea on Wednesday.
Liverpool let it slip
After fifth-place Manchester United drew with Leeds United earlier on Sunday, Liverpool missed the chance to put more breathing space between them and their fellow top-four hopefuls.
With Alexander Isak already sidelined, the Reds’ attacking threat was further dented when Hugo Ekitike dropped out of the matchday squad with a reported hamstring injury.
Nevertheless, they looked the more threatening of the two sides early on, only to find themselves behind from Fulham’s first meaningful attack of the game, with Wilson coming back to haunt his former club.
Given their rocky season, Liverpool have not been at their best when conceding first this season, losing all four such games away from home, but Slot’s side responded well to falling behind and were eventually rewarded with their well-taken equaliser.
They had to survive late scares before Gakpo finally got his name on the scoresheet, and when he wheeled away in celebration, it looked like the Reds had completed an excellent turnaround.
Yet, Reed’s dramatic intervention meant they had to settle for a point for the second game in a row. Liverpool cannot get too downbeat, though, with a trip to face Premier League leaders Arsenal at Emirates Stadium just four days away.
Club reports
Fulham report | Liverpool report
What the managers said
Marco Silva: "I think we did control the game very well. not with the ball like we like to do it but we did it very well. They overload a lot of areas and we covered them very well. The load with all the games is incredibly tough. We scored two brilliant goals and we had a great chance with Harry Wilson to score 2-1.
"When we were losing, it was completely unfair for us. We scored an amazing first goal and we explored that space between the full-back and the centre-back. Brilliant moment from Harrison Reed, it put more fairness in the game.
"Sometimes we have to change and we are in a moment where we knew Tom Cairney would be important for us to start. We knew we needed cover behind him because he's not young anymore. We tried to protect him and it did work really well. I would've liked to have more of the ball."
Arne Slot: "If it would have finished 1-1 then I would maybe still have been disappointed then but you are 2-1 up in extra time and then you concede a goal and it leads to 2-2, we are disappointed with the outcome.
"It was an incredible shot. When it was 1-1, we made an offensive change with Chiesa to try to win the game and then we were 2-1 up having to defend a long throw in. We brought Gomez in because he is very good in the air but they didn't take it long, they took it short, and it was an incredible strike. It is not for the first time this season that we have conceded in the final seconds of the game.
"So many points have disappeared for us. Of course it is frustrating. It's also frustrating that their first chance of the game goes in, that is also not the first time. Then they had a second chance when Alisson was out of his goal and they chipped it on the bar. For the rest I think it is quite good if you play an away game and barely concede a chance. It isn't as if we created chance after chance, that was not the situation, but just before they scored for 1-0, we had a similar chance where we were close.
"Every time it's just not enough. We relied on the whole season on good and bad luck and that is something we have to improve. We have to improve so a shot in the last minute does not immediately lead to us losing points. That is what we are trying to do but we have not done that yet.
"I liked our second half more than our first half. We controlled the game and a few times were close, of course you always want more. That's what we brought in the second half; two disallowed goals, hitting the bar, a goal, that is ideally what you want to see when you have so many attacking players out. Once in a while the boys should get a reward but we do not get it and once again the only one to blame is ourselves."
Reed scored his first goal in his last 50 Premier League appearances, last netting against Everton in April 2023, 995 days ago.
Timed at 93:53, Gakpo’s goal for Liverpool was the fourth-latest on record (from 2006/07) that a side took the lead in a Premier League match without then going on to win, and latest since March 2024, when Manchester United went ahead at 95:47 against Brentford before also drawing.
Fulham remain unbeaten in their last five Premier League games (W3 D2), after having lost seven of their previous 10 beforehand (W3).
Liverpool were unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games (W4 D4), although the Reds have drawn four of their last seven in the league (W3), as many as their previous 31 beforehand (W18 D4 L9). (premierleague.com)