A below-par Liverpool have needed a late Mohamed Salah penalty to salvage a point in a 1-1 draw at Fulham in the English Premier League, squandering the chance to return to the top.
Fulham led through Bobby Decordova-Reid's superb 25th-minute effort, and Liverpool needed returning keeper Alisson Becker and some luck to avoid being further behind at the break.
Whatever manager Juergen Klopp said to his champions at halftime had the desired effect, as Liverpool were more like their old selves in the second half.
But there was still little of the attacking quality that propelled them to the title last season and required Salah's 79th-minute penalty, awarded for a harsh handball against Aboubakar Kamara, to earn a point.
Liverpool have joined leaders Tottenham on 25 points from 12 games, after Jose Mourinho's side also drew 1-1 at Crystal Palace in an earlier kickoff. Fulham stay fourth from bottom with eight points, but offered a display to hearten the 2000 fans allowed to watch at Craven Cottage.
Klopp's side have dropped 11 points this season, compared to the 15 from the whole of their title-winning campaign.
Skipper Jordan Henderson says Liverpool were off the pace in the first half.
"We didn't really get going in the first 25 minutes, which you can't do in the Premier League," he says. "You get punished.
"The good thing was we reacted well. We will look at it, but it's not like us."
Back after a hamstring injury, Alisson was required to deny Ivan Cavaleiro twice in the opening 15 minutes, as Fulham dominated the opening exchanges with some slick football.
Liverpool got a lucky break, when Cavaleiro appeared to have his standing leg clipped by Fabinho in the area, but referee Andre Marriner declined to give a penalty, after going to check a pitchside video monitor.
But Fulham shrugged off that disappointment and took the lead, when Decordova-Reid dispatched an arrow-like right-foot shot that gave Alisson no chance.
Forced to defend deep after the break, Fulham were edging towards an unlikely win, but Liverpool were awarded a penalty, when Kamara was adjudged to have used his arm, after jumping in the wall to stop Georginio Wijnaldum's free kick.
Fulham would have been unlucky to lose late, but dug in to end a run of six successive Premier League defeats against Liverpool.
"I thought in the first half, there was some real quality about us," Fulham manager Scott Parker says. "The fans played a big part today, we felt the atmosphere before the game and the players showed real spirit."
Mourinho rues dropped points after Spurs held at Palace
Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho claims his players did the exact opposite of what he told them to do at halftime, as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace.
Harry Kane's 23rd-minute goal put leaders Tottenham on course for a fifth away win of the season, but Palace dominated for much of the second half.
Jeffrey Schlupp equalised after a spill by Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in the 81st minute, before Tottenham then finished strongly, only to be denied victory by a string of saves from home keeper Vicente Guaita.
While Tottenham stretched their unbeaten league run to 11 games, a win would have cemented their place at the top.
"I told the players at halftime the exact opposite of what we did in the second half, but that's because of what they couldn't do," Mourinho says.
"A team like them, they can create and fight in the box. If I split the game into three parts... we lost two points."
Mourinho refuses to blame Lloris for Schlupp's equaliser, after the Frenchman could only parry out Eberechi Eze's inswinging free kick.
"My goalkeeper is the best goalkeeper in the Premier League, the best in the Premier League period," the Portuguese coach says. "If I have to blame anyone, it's the team."
Mourinho has also explained why Gareth Bale was not on the bench, saying the Wales forward is ill, but "not COVID".
"He should be back for Wednesday [at Liverpool]," he says.
Palace manager Roy Hodgson says his side deserved the point that keeps them in mid-table.
"I thought the performance throughout was very good, even in the first half, when we came in at one down," he says.
"It looked, for long spells, that our pressure and taking the game to Tottenham might not pay off, so when we got it, I felt it was a reward for the effort the players put in."
Reuters
