Liverpool found their footing with a healthy 2-0 win over road-weary Fulham on Saturday, using classy goals from young Rio Ngumoha and club legend Mohamed Salah to insulate their top-five hopes.
MORE — Slot, Van Dijk, Ngumoha, Robertson speak after win
Ngumoha curled a magical goal inside the far post to start the scoring, then played a role in Salah’s insurance goal before halftime of the two-goal win.
WATCH — Liverpool v Fulham full match replay
Arne Slot’s embattled Reds move onto 52 points, three away from third-place Manchester United and four more than sixth-place Chelsea before the Blues face Man City on Sunday.
Fulham finish the day in 11th place with 44 points, three off seventh place Brentford in the race for Europe.
Liverpool might’ve found their moment and mix
Arne Slot might’ve only started Rio Ngumoha due to the busy week ahead, but the kid looked oh-so-comfortable, With Alexander Isak returning to health and Hugo Ekitike rested, there are enough reasons for the Reds to feel renewed hope of overcoming their 2-0 deficit to PSG and — perhaps more important — to believe they can produce a strong run-in to finish in a Champions League place come late May. With Wirtz pulling the strings, good vibes could be back. As for Fulham, how can one team be so different just by going into a different changing room? Fulham are now 9W-2D-5L at Craven Cottage this season and 4W-3D-9L away from home. We don’t have the answers at the moment, but it’s kinda wild how a team that deserved their stoppage-time equalizer from Harrison Reed just after the new year never really threatened at Anfield against a wounded, rotated Reds side.
What’s next?
Liverpool host PSG in a Champions League quarterfinal second leg on Tuesday, then head to Everton on April 19 for the Merseyside derby.
Fulham visit Brentford at 7:30am ET Saturday.
Liverpool vs Fulham final score: 2-0
Rio Ngumoha 37', Mohamed Salah 40'
Mohamed Salah goal (video) — Liverpool 2-0 Fulham
Ngumoha’s at it again, dribbling into the 18 before trying an aerial pass that’s a bit too soft to reach Mohamed Salah.
Fortunately for Liverpool, Cody Gakpo sees it as a pass to him. The Dutchman takes it down and then lays off for Salah anyway, who curls a trademark finish inside the far post.
He soaks up Anfield’s applause on what could become a day the side needs for its stretch run.
Rio Ngumoha goal (video) — Liverpool 1-0 Fulham
Some hit!
Rio Ngumoha scores his first goal at Anfield in splendid fashion, taking the ball from Florian Wirtz and shaking free of Timothy Castagne with a few stepovers and jukes.
The finishing touch is a smooth, curling ball around two defenders and Bernd Leno that swims inside the side netting.
Reds on top of play
Rio Ngumoha tries to win a cheeky penalty but Anthony Taylor’s not having it. That and the fact that they haven’t scored are about the only poor moments of the game for Liverpool through 17 minutes of play at Anfield.
Liverpool lineup
Mamardashvili, Robertson, Van Dijk, Konate, Frimpong, Jones, Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Salah, Gakpo, Ngumoha
Fulham lineup
Leno, Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson, Berge, Iwobi, Wilson, King, Bobb, Muniz
Liverpool vs Fulham preview — by Joe Prince-Wright
Arne Slot’s side have lost three games in a row in all competitions and have gone three games without a win in the Premier League as they lost at Brighton before the international break. That has left them five points off the top four with seven games to go, but fifth spot is now confirmed as a Champions League spot for next season so they have some renewed hope they can remain at Europe’s top table. But their run-in is tough and they are low on energy and belief.
Fulham have only lost one of their last five in the Premier League and they beat Burnley 3-1 at home before the break to settle things down. Marco Silva’s future remains uncertain beyond the end of this season but the Cottagers are just five points behind Liverpool heading into this game and European qualification is possible, and would surely see Silva stick around.
Liverpool team news, focus
There may be some rotation from the 2-0 midweek defeat at PSG in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg, and considering there is a second leg coming up on Tuesday, but there won’t be much. That is because injuries continue to impact Liverpool and their squad isn’t massive. They will go back to a back four and it seems likely Mohamed Salah will start on the right and Cody Gakpo and Curtis Jones could start on the left and in central midfield respectively. It will also be intriguing to see how many minutes Alexander Isak gets off the bench, as he could come on early in the second half and having him back fit is a huge boost. Alisson, Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and Wataru Endo all remain out. It has been announced that Andy Robertson will leave Liverpool when his contract expires this summer as he and Salah will move on and this feels like the end of an era for one of the greatest Liverpool teams in history.
We can confirm Andy Robertson will bring his Reds career to an end at the conclusion of the current season.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 9, 2026
He will do so as a Liverpool legend ❤️
Fulham team news, focus
The Cottagers have a couple of injury concerns with Kevin, Harrison Reed and Kenny Tete all out. The front four should be Raul Jimenez, Harry Wilson, Oscar Bobb and Josh King, with Wilson in sensational form and the Liverpool academy product is out of contract this summer. Samuel Chukwueze and Emile Smith Rowe are very decent subs to bring on to impact a game and Fulham are generally very solid defensively.
Liverpool vs Fulham prediction
This feels like a draw given Liverpool’s lack of confidence and Fulham’s ability to grind out results. Liverpool 1-1 Fulham.
How to watch Liverpool vs Fulham live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 12:30pm ET Saturday (April 11)
Venue: Anfield — Liverpool
TV Channel: NBC
Streaming: Watch live on NBC.com & Stream live on Peacock
