ANDONI IRAOLA was left pulling his hair out over a no-show from Bradley Barcola and the rest of Liverpool’s near- £400M attackers.
The Frenchman, striker Alexander Isak, playmaker Florian Wirtz and Victor Munoz all but stank out Anfield.
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The clash offered Fulham’s under-fire boss Alvaro Arbeloa some much–needed breathing space – indeed his side could and should have won.
But after Liverpool’s fourth successive Premier League draw at home for the first time in 15 years it was Iraola who was really feeling the strain.
Since replacing Arne Slot in the summer he has now overseen three league draws – his only slice of domestic joy a 2–0 win over newly-promoted Ipswich Town.
That quartet of Barcola, Isak, Wirtz and Munoz might look good on paper but they looked nothing like it as Arbeloa’s players delivered a point that before kick–off few, if any, expected them to leave with.
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Iraola had demanded a start fast after his side had gone behind early in three of their first four games under him.
He didn’t get the response he wanted.
Other than a dart into the Cottagers’ box by Alexander Isak of Bradley Barcola’s clever through-ball, Liverpool were sluggish from kick–off and almost criminally sloppy.
Alisson didn’t look like one of the best goalkeepers in the world at all with a mad short pass in his box directed at Ryan Gravenberch.
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Saturday 12 September
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Saturday 12 September
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Josh King, at the start of a performance that underlined why he is seen as his club’s most talented academy graduate in a generation, pounced as Alisson crashed into him.
Gonzalo Garcia found the ball at his feet a dozen yards out and had the width of the goal to aim at but slightly scuffed his shot straight at Jeremy Jacquet on the line.
Worse for the visitors, they should have had a penalty for Liverpool’s no1 caught King without question as he went for the ball but referee Thomas Bramall didn’t spot the offence.
Astonishingly, VAR Tony Harrington reviewed and ignored what looked like a clear spot kick.
Fulham hardly looked like a side looking for their first win of the season with new boss Alvaro Arbeola, once of Anfield’s parish, going into the clash under a cloud having lost his first three Prem games since replacing Marco Silva.
But if he was expecting all-out pressure from his fellow Spaniard’s side, it didn’t happen.
Only Munoz, the cheapest of that so–called star attack at £34M and also the smallest of the lot of them, did force a brilliant parry from Bernd Leno with a header off Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner.
Yet Liverpool’s first-half performance, after the power and glory of the midweek 2 – 1 comeback win over Atletico Madrid wasn’t even average as frustration festered in the Kop.
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Iraola was equally unimpressed, replacing Kostas Tsimikas with Milos Kerkez straight after the break then Ryan Gravenberch and Munoz for Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo.
The three subbed off had all been brought in for what at the start would have been seen as an easy three points yet it only turned into a slog with Fulham looking so much more together.
Isak, with three Prem goals already this campaign and finally looking like he was worth £130M was more of a spectator than a striker.
Winger Barcola, at £123M from Paris Saint-Germain and a double Champions League winner, was hooked for Rio Ngumoha.
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His most important contribution before his 72nd minute exit had been heading clear to give Fulham a corner.
Wirtz, again, wandered through a game, never showing anything like the kind of quality that brought him to Anfield from the Bundesliga for £100M.
Mac Allister, scorer of the scorching winner in the midweek Champions League victory did make a near- immediate impact.
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His clever touch found Szoboszlai but the Hungarian’s drive was straight at Leno – not so at the other end after Arbeloa’s side had played their way through Liverpool’s midfield.
King let fly from 20 yards but his fine 76th minute effort was dealt with in kind as Alisson desperately pushed wide.