Jack and Loz Not at the Cottage - Blog 171

Date: 7th March 2021

Opposition: Liverpool

Score: 0-1

Goal scorer: Mario Lemina

MOTM: we’re not giving this to Lemina just because of the goal (although what a goal it was!) but because in a quest for redemption for the hand ball incident on Thursday he played his best game in a Fulham shirt. Shout out to Tosin who, after a few shaky games, was superb, easily containing the Mersey frogman, Mo Salah

Snacks: Loz - smoked salmon bagel, Jack - mini cup cakes

Not all points are equal. 3 points when you’re fighting relegation are worth a lot more than 3 points when you’re clear at the top of the league. 3 points when you’re fighting relegation, away against the Champions, when your rivals are struggling around you are absolutely massive.

Although Liverpool are, indeed, the Champions they’ve been an unknown quantity lately and it was impossible to know what we were going to face - a fading side going gently into that good night or a rejuvenated, rampant team raging back up the table. Juergen Klopp - gritting his pearly white teeth - had picked an unusual lineup but this was Liverpool - all their lineups are good and all their players are world class.

But on Sunday they weren’t good enough.

Don’t listen to the pundits or the commentators - this wasn’t Liverpool’s loss, this was Fulham’s victory. Scott Parker got his team selection, his tactics and his sartorial choices just right. His players - who clearly adore him (and aren’t the only ones) - followed his instructions to the letter. This was a thoroughly professional performance from everyone - efficient, effective, as elegant as their manager himself.

Sometimes, the Fulham version of a Game of Two Halves is a a good half and a bad half. On Sunday it was a superb attacking half and a brilliant defensive half. In an afternoon where we were smashing stats all over the place, one of the best is that Fulham - yes, our Fulham, the one who can’t score goals - had more shots at Anfield than any away team since 2000. Which is before most of this team started school.

Admittedly, a lot of those shots went the way of most Fulham shots but we were racing into the box to take them. The most common route was an inch perfect, furlong long pass from Andersen cross field to Lookman. We could watch those arching, spinning, dipping balls all day. Lookman controlled each one expertly but was, unfortunately, as wasteful as ever. Maja had a shot cleared off the line, we had a free kick which didn’t quite work and some corners which were well delivered by Cav. In other words we were toying with Liverpool but couldn’t make our hard work count.

Then we won a free kick in a useful position. Cav curled the ball in,

Liverpool cleared it but only as far as Lemina and Salah, tussling on the edge of the box. Lemina, as we have said, motivated by redemption, was having his best game of the season. We know how good he is defensively but now we saw what else he is capable of - a low, lethal, rifled shot right into the bottom corner. In the absence of a crowd his teammates celebrated like fans and Liverpool stumbled to half time.

We don’t know much about American Football but we know that they have an Offence and a Deeeefence and the two switch around. Fulham also have an attacking unit and a defensive unit, except they’re made up of the same 11 players. In the second half Liverpool looked dangerous and mounted a more or less continuous assault on the Fulham box. Klopp gnashed his teeth and threw on a few big names. They tried their trickery but ran into brick walls. They tried piling on the pressure but we just absorbed it.

Areola, in majestic command of his area, made a terrific save and Andersen, in absolute control of the defence, made an unbelievable clearance but most of the time we made defending against a free-scoring side look easy. Tosin, as we have already said, played with maturity and composure. Aina and Tete from rampaging forwards in the first half, looked comfortable defending in the second. The Lemina/Reed Axis of Tenacity was unassailable and Bobby was proving why he’s a born again right back in his spare time.

After the enjoyable first half raced by the second ground on like lockdown, endless and nerve racking. We know one goal is rarely enough and Liverpool became more confident and searching as the game went on. The only outlet from the constant red press was an occasional ball hoofed forwards. Sometimes the forwards would chase it down. After the subs came on, they didn’t even do that and the ball just came straight back. But every time we dealt with it. It wasn’t so elegant at the end but it was always organised and always calm. Even in the six and half hours - sorry, minutes of extra time we didn’t panic, or capitulate or deviate from the plan.

So, back to the man whose plan it was - Scott Parker looked suave and dashing at Anfield - ready for fine dining, Glyndebourne or trouncing his rivals in a relegation scrap. But our thoughtful, careful, understated manager isn’t about what he wears on the touch line . Scott is substance over style. We can see how hard he and the players work on the training pitch so they can bring all their skills and fitness on a match day. What we can’t see is the ineffable team spirit which Scott has instilled in the players. Look at how they celebrated the goal - not playing to the cameras or an imaginary crowd - it was all about each other. And look at how they queued up to be hugged by Scott at the final whistle.

Football is war minus the shooting, said Orwell. Also, you don’t quite have to put your life on the line in a football match. But for Scott Parker, the Fulham players would.

Random musings:-

- having seen what Mitro wears under his shorts a couple of games ago, on Sunday we got to see Maja’s Big Pants

- for all our praise of Scott’s 2021 Spring Collection, the jacket was a little snug

- presumably RLC has played so much recently that we are in credit for his minutes so he didn’t have to start

- as for the plane with banner - really? Who spends their money on that?

- of all the away games to miss this is obviously the most disappointing so far, made worse for us by the fact we were at Anfield two years ago for Mitro’s wrongly disallowed goal, Liverpool’s cheating response and Slav’s last game.

Frankly, it is hard to take in what happened in Liverpool and what this team is achieving. We have gone from certain relegation to winning at Anfield. We are getting used to the flawless performances, to a procession of clean sheets but we’re not yet used to getting the results we deserve. But now they are coming.

A word to the wise despite the euphoria, though - as massive as those 3 points are, we are still 18th. We still don’t score enough goals and, however much we want to think the opposite, no team is too good to go down.

But our Fulham team has gone from chaotic, to solid, to unlucky to amazing. There are ten games left. We are still fighting to survive. But who would bet against us now?