Mohamed Salah buried a shot from the penalty spot in the 39th minute and that was all Liverpool needed to defeat Fulham 1-0 Wednesday evening at Anfield. The win is the 5th in a row for the Reds who are making a late-season charge up the table.

Liverpool earned a corner in the opening seconds of the match and looked dangerous in the early going. Fulham responded with a counterattack, but Virgil van Dijk came away with a vital block. Trent Alexander-Arnold had a pair of good looks at goal in the 8th and 10th minutes that were just missed.

Alisson made a strong save in the 14th minute, pushing the ball behind for a corner. Mohamed Salah had a near-miss moments later as did Luis Diaz. The match settled into a nice pace over the next 10 minutes until the Reds conceded a corner in the 26th minute, Alexander-Arnold earned a corner of his own just past the half-hour mark, but it was not converted.

Ironically, with the Reds controlling the run of play in the first half, their first goal came from the penalty spot. Darwin Núñez stole the ball in the box and was fouled. Salah converted the resulting penalty in the 39th minute and Liverpool carried that 1-0 lead into the locker room.

Second Half

Liverpool also had a bright start to the second half as Salah earned a corner and then put a shot over the bar in the 50th minute. Kostas Tsimikas cleared a dangerous ball after a nice build-up by Fulham to keep the Reds in front. The Cottagers kept pushing for an equalizer. Willian had a shot blocked in the 54th minute and another promising attack was nullified due to offsides. 

Cody Gakpo had an immediate impact when he came on the pitch as a substitute as he forced a save in the 68th minute. Fulham had a big chance from Carlos Vinicius, but Alisson punched the attempt wide. Jordan Henderson had a go at goal in the 81st minute, but the attempt just missed. From that point, Liverpool shifted into a more defensive position and were able to see out the rest of the match for a 1-0 win.

More On Mo

Salah's Penalty Kick was his second in as many matches as he also converted from the spot vs Tottenham. The strike also inches the Egyptian King closer to the legendary Steven Gerrard on the Reds' all-time scoring list with 185 career goals. Salah's next goal will tie Gerrard for third all-time with 186, but there is a large gap between Salah and Roger Hunt, in 2nd, who scored 243 times during his Liverpool career.

Are You Not Entertained?

Although it felt as if Liverpool were in control of the match at all times, one special moment from Fulham could have turned the game on its head. Statistically speaking, there was not much separating the two sides as both put 3 shots on frame. The game was played cleanly as no cards were issued and fouls were kept to a minimum. That made for a free-flowing, exciting match for both teams and their supporters.

Chasing Down Champions League?

While Liverpool closed the gap on Manchester United or Newcastle for the 4th and final Champions League spot to four points, the odds are still against the Reds. They only have 4 games left to close the gap while United have 6 yet to play. Liverpool will face teams toward the bottom of the table during that stretch, but the question is, will they do enough in those matches to make up the ground needed?

LFC Globe Verdict

There is much to like about how this match played out. Not only did Liverpool pick up 3 points, but both teams played good football which is nice to see. Even when Liverpool have won this season, the victories were not pretty. This one was fun to watch and both sides can take away positives from the match, though I'm sure Fulham feel the penalty was quite a soft one.

Man Of The Match & What's Next

I Know Salah scored the goal, but the Man of the Match to me was Trent Alexander-Arnold who continues to flourish in his new role high up the pitch. He caused problems for the Cottagers all night long with his passing and then was able to get back for some key defensive stops.

What's Next

Liverpool will play their third in a row at Anfield when they take on Brentford Saturday, May 6th. Kickoff is set for 17:30 BST. As always there will be a match build-up in our Liverpool Streams section with a complete coverage.

Liverpool

1. Mohamed Salah (PK) 39'

Fulham

• None

Substitutions

Liverpool

1. Cody Gakpo for Luis Diaz 66'
2. Andy Robertson for Kostas Tsimikas 66'
3. Diogo Jota for Darwin Núñez 83'
4. James Milner for Curtis Jones 84'
5. Harvey Elliott for Mohamed Salah 84'

Fulham

1. Bobby Decordova-Reid for Tom Cairney 71'
2. Harrison Reed for Sasa Lukic 71'
3. Neeskens Cebano for Harry Wilson 71'
4. Manor Solomon for Carlos Vinicius 79'
5. Daniel James for Willian 80'