Fulham end Liverpool’s 26-game unbeaten run

LONDON, April 6

Fulham put Liverpool’s procession towards the Premier League title on pause with a deserved 3-2 win on Sunday, capitalising on some dreadful defending to boost their push for European football next term.

Alexis Mac Allister gave the champions-elect an early lead after Liverpool were arguably fortunate to not concede a penalty, but that was as good as it got for the Reds who then shipped three poor goals in 14 minutes.

Ryan Sessegnon rifled home a superb first-time volley, after stand-in right-back Curtis Jones failed to clear a cross, before a series of mistakes from Andy Robertson let Alex Iwobi score.

Rodrigo Muniz completed the turnaround, winning a second ball with a lovely first touch ahead of Virgil van Dijk then producing a sublime finish through Caoimhin Kelleher’s legs.

Conor Bradley set up a nervy finish when he played in fellow substitute Luis Diaz to poke home with nearly 20 minutes to play, but Fulham held on for the three points to end Liverpool’s 26-match unbeaten league run.

“At 3-2 they put us more under pressure, but until that we were the better team by far on the pitch,” Fulham boss Marco Silva said. Silva hailed his team’s response to a midweek loss at Arsenal and a disappointing defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup quarterfinals last weekend.

Liverpool remain top with 73 points, 11 ahead of Arsenal. They need a maximum of 11 points from their remaining seven matches to win the title.