Liverpool Fall to Fulham in Shocking Defeat, Goalless Draw in Manchester Derby
Liverpool suffered their second loss of the Premier League season with a 3-2 defeat against hosts Fulham at Craven Cottage on Matchday 31.
Until this match, Liverpool’s only league defeat came at home to Nottingham Forest (0-1) in mid-September. However, Fulham ended the Reds’ 26-game unbeaten league run.
Despite the loss, Liverpool remained comfortably at the top, holding an 11-point lead over second-placed Arsenal, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Everton on Saturday, with just seven matches remaining in the season.
Liverpool delivered their worst half of the league campaign but still managed to take the lead with a stunning goal from Argentine midfielder Alexis Mac Allister. Fulham responded with three goals in just 14 minutes in the first half—starting with Ryan Sessegnon (23’), followed by Nigerian Alex Iwobi (32’) and Brazilian Rodrigo Muniz (37’). Colombian substitute Luis Díaz pulled one back in the 72nd minute.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot said: “We had a difficult 14 minutes in the first half and made mistakes that allowed Fulham to score three goals, which doesn’t usually happen to us.” He added: “We had a great second half, but time ran out before we could score a third goal.”
Goalless Manchester Derby
The Manchester Derby between United and City ended in a goalless draw at Old Trafford, with City failing to reclaim fourth place from Chelsea, who also drew 0-0 with Brentford. City now sit fifth with 52 points, one behind Chelsea (53), while United remain 13th with 38 points.
City were without top scorer Erling Haaland, who suffered an ankle injury last week and is expected to be sidelined for around six weeks. Belgian playmaker Kevin De Bruyne played his last derby match after announcing a few days ago that he would leave the club at the end of the season following a trophy-laden spell with the Sky Blues.
The home side created the first real threat when United’s Argentine winger Alejandro Garnacho was brought down just outside the box in the opening seconds. Portuguese captain Bruno Fernandes took the resulting free kick but couldn’t convert—one of the best chances of the first half.
In the second half, United’s Cameroonian keeper André Onana made a key save from Egyptian star Omar Marmoush’s free kick (65’) and denied another attempt from the same player shortly after.
United applied pressure in the final 15 minutes, and City’s Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson made a crucial save from Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee (75’), sealing the match at 0-0.
United manager Ruben said: “We had some chances to win the match. We tried to exploit the spaces in transition, defended with a deep block, and came close to scoring. They dominated possession, which is normal.”
When asked what United need to improve, he replied: “We have many areas that require improvement—build-up play, transitions, and decision-making in the attacking third.”
Elsewhere, Southampton became the first team to be relegated to the Championship this season after a 3-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur.
The winning goals were scored by Welshman Brennan Johnson (13’, 42’) and Frenchman Mathys Tel, on loan from Bayern Munich, who netted a stoppage-time penalty (90+6). Portuguese midfielder Matheus Fernandes scored Southampton’s lone goal in the 90th minute.
