Slot shields players after rare defeat, as Fulham outplay Liverpool in frantic first-half display.

Arne Slot cut a composed figure in defeat, refusing to lambast his players after Liverpool’s shock 3-2 loss at Fulham. The result halted – but did not derail – their Premier League title push, as their lead over Arsenal remained at 11 points. Yet for a side that has built its season on defensive solidity, the performance was a clear regression.

“It wasn’t a disaster,” Slot insisted, despite a ragged first half in which his side conceded three goals. “But the errors we made—those aren’t things we’re used to seeing.”

Fulham, vibrant and clinical in front of a raucous home crowd, found the net through Ryan Sessegnon, the superb Alex Iwobi, and Rodrigo Muniz, who bullied Virgil van Dijk before calmly dispatching the third. That first-half blitz proved too much for a Liverpool side fielding Curtis Jones as an emergency right-back.

Slot, however, deflected criticism away from individual errors: “If you make mistakes against a good team like Fulham, they have the quality to punish you. It takes us a lot of effort to win games—it’s not about winning 3 or 4–0. Today was a close call, and we’ve usually been on the right side of those.”

Though Van Dijk’s misstep was widely scrutinised, Slot defended his captain: “I still see a lot of things Virgil does really well. When you’re playing 50 to 60 games a season, there will be moments, even for him, where it could be better.”

Likewise, Mohamed Salah’s muted showing—another in a string of off-colour performances—was met with understanding rather than critique. “His numbers haven’t been normal,” Slot said. “Maybe he should take that as a compliment. Mo knows what kind of player he is. He’ll show up again.”

With Arsenal having dropped points the day before, Liverpool’s slip-up could have been masked by complacency. Slot dismissed any such suggestion: “We’ve shown all season that we have to work incredibly hard to win games. No-one here is taking anything for granted.”

There was also no room for fatigue as an excuse. Despite coming off a bruising Merseyside derby, Slot pointed to the four-day gap and said, “We’ve handled those situations plenty of times. I don’t think tiredness had anything to do with the mistakes today.”

On the other side, Marco Silva was beaming after a victory that could serve as a defining moment in his Fulham tenure. “Before 3-2, we were the best team,” he said. “Liverpool are probably the next champions, one of the best teams in Europe. But we stayed confident, and we were brave.”

The result may ultimately be a footnote in Liverpool’s march to the title, but it exposed vulnerabilities that Slot will be eager to address as the season enters its final stretch. Seven games remain, and while Liverpool are still in control, any repeat of this defensive fragility could prove costly.

For Fulham, meanwhile, it was a night to remember. Dominating midfield and showing composure in front of goal, they punished the league leaders and reminded everyone why, on their day, they’re capable of unsettling the very best.