“Worst Performance of the Season” – Former Liverpool Midfielder Reacts to Shock Fulham Defeat | OneFootball

Former Liverpool Midfielder Reacts to Reds’ ‘Complacent’ Performance Against Fulham

Liverpool had the chance to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to 14 points ahead of their clash with Fulham, but a disastrous first-half performance saw them fall to a shock 3-2 defeat at Craven Cottage.

A brilliant strike from Alexis Mac Allister gave the Reds the lead, before Ryan Sessegnon, Alex Iwobi and Rodrigo Muniz all scored in the space of 14 minutes to send Arne Slot’s side into half-time 3-1 down.

Luis Diaz did come off the bench to grab one goal back for the Reds, but time unfortunately ran out for a dramatic equaliser for Liverpool.

Photo: IMAGO

The Reds still sit 11 points ahead of title rivals Arsenal and with just seven games to go, they remain firm favourites to secure the Premier League title.

Former Liverpool midfielder Jermaine Pennant spoke exclusively to Anfield Index and shared his thoughts…

‘Worst Performance of the Season’

Poor first halves have become a frequent occurrence under Arne Slot but none have been as poor as the opening 45 minutes against Fulham. Pennant echoed this, saying: “First-half Liverpool were miles off it and it is the worst defensive performance of the season that I’ve seen from them this season.”

“They looked so complacent. Starting with Ibou Konate trying drag-backs in his own box, Virgil [van Dijk] struggled in the first-half and [Andy] Robertson was poor all game,” said Pennant.

Photo: IMAGO

It’s hard to argue with Pennant’s observations, with all three defenders playing a huge role in all of Fulham’s goals.

Despite Sunday’s shock defeat though, the former midfielder remains ‘99% sure’ that Liverpool will still wrap up the title. Slot’s side host West Ham United at Anfield on Sunday, which is a huge opportunity to get their title pursuit back on track before travelling to struggling Leicester City the week after.

Liverpool ‘100%’ Need to Strengthen in the Summer

Despite Liverpool taking complete control of the Premier League this season, there’s no doubt that Slot can still improve his squad massively in the summer.

Pennant saw Sunday’s disappointing performance as a stark reminder of the work that can be done, saying: “Liverpool can 100% still strengthen this squad in the summer in a number of positions.”

Photo: IMAGO

“Most notably, I think we’ve seen a lot of mistakes from Robertson down that left-side.”

“He has been a great servant, but I think it’s time that Liverpool look to improve in that area,” said Pennant.

The Reds have already been linked with moves for the likes of AFC Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez and Ajax’s Jorrel Hato ahead of the summer window. Kostas Tsimikas is currently the favourite to leave the club for a new challenge, whilst Robertson could be facing a more rotational role in Slot’s setup from next season.