VAR, Late Goals, And A Thunderbolt: Liverpool Denied At The Death By Fulham

Liverpool thought they’d stolen it. Fulham had other ideas.

Harrison Reed ripped up Liverpool’s late-night script with a sensational stoppage-time screamer as Fulham held the Reds to a breathless 2-2 draw

at Craven Cottage. The midfielder’s thunderbolt arrived just moments after Cody Gakpo had seemingly sealed a smash-and-grab win for Arne Slot’s side.

Gakpo’s goal, poked home in the fourth minute of added time, looked like the decisive moment in a chaotic afternoon. Instead, it became the prelude. Reed unleashed from 30 yards, found the top corner, and sent west London into raptures — while Liverpool were left staring into the void.

It was a match dripping in controversy. Fulham struck first through Harry Wilson, his goal initially ruled out for offside before VAR intervened to overturn the decision. That call felt fair enough. Florian Wirtz’s equaliser, however, was anything but straightforward.

The German appeared offside — so much so that Fulham’s defenders practically stopped — yet VAR judged him onside by the slimmest of margins. Wirtz gratefully tucked away his second goal for the club after a lengthy review that infuriated the home side.

Liverpool were far from convincing throughout. Missing Mohamed Salah at AFCON and short of attacking options, Slot rolled out a patched-up frontline of Wirtz, Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai. The cohesion wasn’t there early on, and Fulham made them pay.

Wilson’s opener exposed a rare lapse from Virgil van Dijk, while Liverpool needed a slice of luck to survive a second-half onslaught that saw Fulham hit the woodwork twice in seconds.

That escape nearly proved decisive when Gakpo struck late — but Reed’s rocket ensured Liverpool’s top-four push took a dent. Still unbeaten in nine games, the Reds head to face Arsenal next. Momentum intact, confidence… less so.

(with AFP inputs)