In a mostly forgettable contest, Fulham stole all three points over the only slightly more deserving Liverpool, who will be kicking themselves when they look back at this Monday night come late May.
Fulham
Schwarzer-7- Heroic save to deny Downing late on was the pick of the litter. Was well beaten by Henderson in the first half, and could have easily been on the wrong end of this game on another night.
Kelly-5.5- Got a couple of key blocks in, and was repaid the favor by his keeper on more than one occasion.
Senderos-6.5- Held his own for large parts of the evening. Cleverly brought down Adam just outside the area to gladly receive his yellow for a professional foul.
Hangelaand-7- Resolute defending from the Norwegian tower. His stature was especially crucial in the dying moments to see out the game.
Riise-5- The other Norwegian will have enjoyed beating his former club, and tussling with his ex-golfing buddy Bellamy, but his best days are behind him I'm afraid.
Ruiz-5- The Costa Rican looks a shade too soft for the Premiership. Surprised Jol left him on for as long as he did.
Etuhu-6- There's no mystery what his role in the team is and he does it well. I'm not sure he played a pass more than 10 meters all night, which is an impressive feat when you think about it.
Murphy- 7.5 - Like it or not, everything Fulham does goes through him. He's no Xavi Hernandez, but he was the most influential player on the pitch tonight, dictating the snail's pace of the game when Fulham were in possession.
Dempsey-6.5- He certainly isn't shy of shooting, and he usually doesn't have another option. To a certain extent, Fulham are quite similar to the U.S. in their playing style, and Dempsey flourishes in this type of role in this type of system. It will be interesting to see how Jurgen & Jol deploy him going forward. On another night, he might have been sent off for childishly trying to get in Bellamy's face. But popped up at the crucial moment and got his goal.
Zamora - 6 - Proved that he can hold the ball up, but will need to show a little bit less with his back to goal if he wants to crack into Capello's squad.
Dembele - 8 - Should have opened the scoring early, but made up for it as the game progressed. Looked the only real threat to Liverpool with his somewhat unorthodox dribbling style. Useful player.
Liverpool
Reina-5.5- Made some great saves, but no one will remember those I'm afraid. Such is the life of a goalkeeper...
Johnson-5.5- Was hardly hassled at the back, but he hardly got forward and was prisoner to Fulham's negative tactics.
Skrtel - 6.5 - Sound defending, Zamora made things easy for him.
Agger -6- I'd like to have seen more of his driving runs from the back, as Liverpool were clearly starved for ideas as to cracking the Fulham nut.
Jose Enrique - 7 - Only the young Valencian left back Jordi Alba is keeping him out of Spain's national team.
Adam-6.5- Was influential, but only at times. Critically chose the wrong option on a 4-2 break. Liverpool needed him to be Gerrard tonight, and he wasn't.
Spearing - 6 - Was enjoying a decent debut until he lost his head and got sent off. Granted it was never a red card, but he didn't do his team any favors for the last 20 minutes.
Bellamy - 6 - Started the game really well, but faded in the second half and failed to convince his critics. Some will wonder if he really is the best wide option as Kenny tinkers with his personnel.
Henderson - 6 - So unlucky not to score when he hit the post in the first half. He did a respectable job of playing a sort of right defensive midfield, but you feel he was almost wasted in this role.
Carroll - 6 - Much like Bobby Zamora showed he can take a pass with his back to goal, Andy Carroll proved that he can win headers and knock the ball down to his supporting strikers. Is that worth $55million?
Suarez- 7.5- PhD candidate in the Dark Arts, Suarez's talent is impossible to deny. At the same time, he is impossible to root for as a neutral, because he is so repulsively childish and transparent in his demeanor. Needs a proper strike partner. Torres buyback?
Liverpool verdict - Dalglish's decision to keep Downing on the bench probably cost the reds three points tonight as the winger looked a match winner in his brief cameo. A top 4 spot is a more than reasonable expectation, but they still have some soul-searching to do, and hardly look a well-oiled machine.
Fulham verdict - Almost painful at times to watch, their insistence on playing almost everything backwards and sideways must be a footballers dream. But three points is three points, and they'll take them how they can get them.
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