Liverpool's Press Falters in Flat Anfield Stalemate Against Fulham

Liverpool walked off to a low murmur at Anfield, not a roar. A 0-0 home draw with Fulham, who arrived without a single point from their first three Premier League games, told its own story. The performance filled in the rest.

Andoni Iraola didn’t hide from it. He went straight to the heart of the problem: Liverpool’s press, usually the engine of this team, never really got going.

“Especially in the first half, we were arriving late for the presses, that is clear,” the Liverpool boss admitted afterwards. The crowd had already worked that out. Every time Fulham slipped through the first line of pressure, the frustration grew a little louder.

Porous midfield, restless crowd

Iraola started with Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch as his central midfield pairing. On paper, it looked adventurous. On the pitch, it looked open.

Fulham found space between the lines far too easily. Liverpool’s midfield often chased, rather than hunted, and the visitors used that time to settle into the game. Anfield sensed it, and the irritation built as the first half wore on.

Fulham created the better chances before the break. Jeremy Jacquet had to rescue Liverpool with a goalline clearance from Gonzalo Garcia, the defender bailing out a side that never quite looked in control. At the other end, Victor Munoz came closest for Liverpool, but even that moment felt isolated rather than part of any sustained pressure.

Iraola saw the same picture from the touchline. “I think we improved this part a lot in the second half. We have been better structured and we controlled better the game in the second half,” he said. The change was clear: Liverpool’s shape tightened, the distances between the lines shrank, and Fulham’s counter-attacks dried up.

Control without cutting edge

The control returned. The threat did not.

“Even without scoring the goal, I was feeling more comfortable,” Iraola said. “Even if we haven't been incredible, and it was a struggle sometimes, we haven't conceded clear chances.”

He was right. Aside from one glaring error, Liverpool kept Fulham at arm’s length after the interval. “The one we conceded was the one where we messed up the goal kick and that is the only clear chance we conceded,” Iraola added. That single moment of sloppiness underlined the fine line Liverpool were walking: defensively solid, but always one mistake away from disaster.

At least the clean sheet held. “From there we have defended quite well in terms of keeping a clean sheet,” Iraola said, clinging to the one obvious positive. But at the other end, Liverpool never found the sharpness they needed.

Their best looks came from dead balls. Set plays rattled Fulham, one effort crashing against the crossbar, another half-chance falling to Alex in the second half. “We had probably our best chances coming from set plays, hitting the crossbar, and one chance from Alex in the second half,” Iraola reflected, before adding the blunt truth: “but not a clear enough one that can score the goal you need in these kind of games when you are not playing well.”

That was the story of Liverpool’s afternoon. Half-chances. Almosts. Not enough.

Mac Allister on, Endo waits

Iraola tried to change the rhythm. Alexis Mac Allister replaced Gravenberch midway through the second half, a move aimed at adding control and a touch more incision in the final third. The structure did improve, but the breakthrough never came.

On the bench, Wataru Endo and Trey Nyoni stayed seated. For Endo, it was another afternoon of waiting. He has yet to play a minute this season, a curious detail given Liverpool’s visible problems in the middle of the pitch.

Iraola explained the situation with his usual bluntness. “Wata lost quite a lot of the pre-season. He is still not at his best but he is training very well,” he said. Fitness, not attitude, is the issue. Opportunity is the other.

“The problem is in front of him in his position I have a lot of players. He is competing against a lot of players,” Iraola admitted. Right now, the minutes are going elsewhere. “We are giving minutes to Trey, Ryan, Alexis and Dom, players that I am selecting right now. But Wata is definitely a player that I like and for sure he will have his moments.”

Those moments may come quickly. The League Cup brings Tottenham Hotspur to Anfield on Tuesday, and Iraola is expected to rotate heavily. Endo, still playing catch-up after a disrupted pre-season, could finally get his chance.

Liverpool will need more than just fresh legs, though. They will need their press back, their midfield bite restored, and Anfield’s edge sharpened. Because another 90 minutes like this, and a flat 0-0 might start to feel less like a blip and more like a warning.