Arne Slot said he felt unable to risk Hugo Ekitike in Liverpool’s dramatic 2-2 draw at Fulham with his attacking options stretched thin.
The striker had an MRI scan before travelling to London which revealed a minor issue and left Slot feeling he had no choice but to leave out the 23-year-old and start instead with Cody Gakpo up front.
Deprived of his three main goalscoring threats, his team looked limp in attack and a pale impression of their best.
It was Gakpo’s goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time that looked to have earned Liverpool a valuable if unearned comeback victory at Craven Cottage and put them in a strong position in the race for the Premier League’s top four, until Fulham’s Harrison Reed struck one of the goals of the season seconds later to deny the champions.
Slot was already without Mohamed Salah, who is at the Africa Cup of Nations, and the injured Alexander Isak.
Ekitike is comfortably Liverpool’s top scorer this season with 11, more than double the tally of the next player on the list Dominik Szoboszlai, and in the first half in west London they failed to register a shot on target.
“He felt something during the training session so he went for an MRI scan,” said Slot. “We got the result when we were flying so we were hoping it was just DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness).
“Why? Because since Alex has been out he doesn’t play 70 or 60 minutes and sometimes gets a bit of rest. He has to play 80 or 90 minutes every single game, for the first time in his life at Premier League level, for the first time without a winter break, for the first time at Champions League level.
“Not a surprise that he then gets but tired. Unfortunately we saw a little bit more (on the scan) and you cannot take a risk.
“Florian (Wirtz) is also for the first time experiencing this program, and if I don’t have that many players I would like the ones that I do have available and playing as many minutes as possible.”
Wirtz was passed fit and scored Liverpool’s equaliser to make it 1-1 in the second half, finishing well after Conor Bradley’s mazy run. Harry Wilson had earlier given Fulham the lead.
There would be late drama as though as first Gakpo turned the ball in via his thigh from a couple of yards out to seemingly win it, before substitute Reed unleashed an outrageous 30-yard drive into the top corner in seventh added minute.
“If you’re not part of Liverpool or your don’t follow us every game, you’d think we win it,” said Slot. “But unfortunately I’m experiencing this for months now. The only chance they got in the first half led to a goal. That’s one thing we usually see with us.”
Fulham boss Marco Silva reflected on a match he felt his team ought to have won.
“It feels strange to be honest,” he said. “I think we could win the game. We were better in the first half, we controlled Liverpool.
“We have to play very aggressively against Liverpool and we scored a brilliant opening goal. What a finish from Harry Wilson.
“Liverpool didn’t have any chances in the first half.”
