Liverpool manager Arne Slot believes he still has the support from the club and fans despite a poor season. (0:57)
Liverpool ended their three-game losing streak across all competitions by beating Fulham, 2-0, at Anfield on Saturday.
The opener came in the 36th minute when Rio Ngumoha received Florian Wirtz's pass and jinked his way into space from Timothy Castagne, then effortlessly curled his shot inside the far post.
A sight into Liverpool's prospective future was swiftly followed by a familiar sight just four minutes later, with Mohamed Salah applying the clinical finish to a flowing move to double the hosts' lead.
The second half didn't provide the same spectacle for the home crowd, yet their win ensures the Reds will stay fifth in the Premier League by the end of this weekend, while they currently sit two points behind Aston Villa.
We'll start with the most obvious positive: Ngumoha. He was bright throughout and offered the spark Liverpool needed to open the scoring. It will be interesting to see if the 17-year-old's display persuades manager Arne Slot to start him against Paris Saint-Germain.
For the rest of the team, they completely controlled the ball for large periods of the first half and looked comfortable a lot of the time. Even though the Reds weren't as good in the second half as they had been in the first, Giorgi Mamardashvili was never worked too much.
Given the Reds' dominance, they might have expected to test Bernd Leno more before Ngumoha's goal. There were also some concerning opportunities that Fulham could have scored from if they had been more clinical, with Harry Wilson, Rodrigo Muniz and Emile Smith Rowe all missing the target from promising positions. It will have been disappointing to see Curtis Jones go off injured at half time.
Arne Slot, 8 -- Slot's big decision was to play Ngumoha and saying that it paid off would be an understatement. His side had an element of control for large periods and looked well set-up, but he won't be pleased with his side's performance in the latter stages.
GK Giorgi Mamardashvili, 6 -- Made some of his saves look as routine as they should have been and did well to palm away a Josh King shot.
DF Virgil van Dijk, 7 -- Looked equally commanding and did well to head away a potentially threatening free-kick, before getting himself in front of Emile Smith Rowe's attempt. Did well to cut out Sander Berge's pass after Joe Gomez's lax pass.
DF Ibrahima Konaté, 7 -- Was largely comfortable and brushed off King when it looked like there might be a chance for Fulham to get behind.
DF Andrew Robertson, 7 -- Playing his first game since it was announced he would leave at the end of the season, Robertson got in some promising positions but saw one shot blocked by Wilson before letting off a tame attempt. Defended well at times when needed.
DF Jeremie Frimpong, 8 -- Offered a real threat going forward and provided quality deliveries for Andrew Robertson, Salah and Cody Gakpo. Showed persistence to keep a ball in despite the presence of Antonee Robinson.
MF Dominik Szoboszlai, 8 -- Typically provided a mixture of energy and quality but saw a shot blocked after doing well to start a move. Delivered a corner that was very awkward for Leno to deal with.
MF Curtis Jones, 7 -- Broke up play well at times and was neat on the ball but was forced off injured at half time.
FW Florian Wirtz, 7 -- Played some lovely passes and had a role in the build-up for both of Liverpool's goals, but there were a couple of occasions where the Germany international could have done more to keep his shots down.
FW Rio Ngumoha, 9 -- Was fearless and masterfully worked space from Timothy Castagne and bent the ball inside the far post for his first-ever goal at Anfield. Jinked inside again and found the pass in the lead-up to Salah's goal.
FW Mohamed Salah, 8 -- Saw one shot saved by Leno and another blocked by Sander Berge, but he wasn't to be denied and scored with a well-taken finish. Was brought off to warm applause after a positive display.
FW Cody Gakpo, 7 -- Struggled to work Leno with his own shots but did well to control Ngumoha's pass and lay the ball off for Salah to score the Reds' second. Will feel he should have done more with Frimpong's cross.
Ryan Gravenberch (Jones, 45'), 6 -- Did the simple things well in addition to helping his defence at times. With that said, one clearance looked very panicky.
Alexis Mac Allister (Wirtz, 69'), 6 -- Fizzed a shot agonisingly past the post from a promising position.
Alexander Isak (Ngumoha, 69'), 6 -- Would have thought he had a chance until Calvin Bassey got his head on Robertson's cross. Had a couple of other balls frustratingly evade him but put in a shift for the team.
Joe Gomez (Frimpong, 69'), 4 -- Was saved by Van Dijk after his lax pass was cut out by Berge. Also had some moments where he struggled defensively, including a poor tackle on Alex Iwobi.
