Reina slip trips up Liverpool

FULHAM succeeded where their west London neighbours Chelsea failed twice in recent weeks, beating Liverpool and putting a major dent in the Reds’ title ambitions.

Clint Dempsey scored the only goal of the game, five minutes from the end of a thoroughly entertaining match that could have gone either way, such were the proliferation of chances for both sides.

That it should have been Pepe Reina, Liverpool’s man of the match, who made a crucial mistake to let the American score was cruel on the Spanish keeper, and Kenny Dalglish can also say he was hard done by when Jay Spearing was dismissed in the 72nd minute for a two-footed lunge on Mousa Dembele.

But Fulham manager Martin Jol was unconcerned after his first victory over Liverpool as either player or manager. “We both had chances but after the sending off we had more space and took advantage of it. It was a bad tackle, which would have been a great tackle when I was a player.”

While Liverpool have lost ground on the top six, Fulham have moved up to a mid-table position.

After an error-ridden opening, it was Fulham who created the first chance and could have been ahead in the sixth minute when Bryan Luiz sliced open the Liverpool back line with a precise pass into the path of Mousa Dembele, whose first-time shot was saved by Reina with his feet.

Liverpool hit back quickly with two decent chances in the following minute. Charlie Adam had a fierce volley deflected over by Stephen Kelly, before putting Luis Suarez away for a low cross to Andy Carroll, who should have done better than shoot straight at Mark Schwarzer.

Reina saved well again after Dempsey before Jordan Henderson was desperately unlucky not to open the scoring for Liverpool in the 28th minute when he jinked in from the left and hit a shot that beat Schwarzer but struck the far post and bounced to safety.

Back at the other end, Reina made his best save yet when he kept out a shot from Dempsey that moved in the air.

Perhaps it was frustration, or perhaps some old scores were being settled, but the game turned distinctly niggly before half time.

Suarez clearly didn’t relish the physicality of Brede Hangeland, who towered over him, and started to act petulantly, bringing chants of “cheat” from home supporters after one tumble in search of a penalty.

Craig Bellamy, as is his wont, seemed intent on arguing with anyone coming within a 15-yard radius of him, and was finally booked by referee Kevin Friend after an altercation with Dempsey early in the second half.

Bellamy then hit a free-kick into the defensive wall after Philippe Senderos brought down Adam on the very edge of the penalty area.

By now, Liverpool were dominant and Suarez thought he had scored in the 66th minute when he shot past Schwarzer, only to see a flag for offside.

Then came the game’s big flashpoint. Spearing had been having a tidy game as a replacement for the injured Lucas in central midfield, but lost his composure — and place on the pitch — when he went diving into a challenge on Dembele. While he got the ball with one foot, his other followed through into Dembele’s ankle, prompting a straight red card from the referee.

Fulham took the initiative as well as the numerical advantage, and almost made it pay. Dempsey hit the bar for Fulham before Schwarzer tipped a shot from Stewart Downing onto his upright.

Then Fulham got their breakthrough. Former Red Danny Murphy started the move when he cut in from the left and let fly. Reina, who had been Liverpool’s best player, let it squirm out of his grasp to the delight of Dempsey, who had the simple task of putting it in the net from close range.

Dalglish said: “I thought we had done enough to come away with something but it was not to be.”

On the red card for Spearing, he added: “He won the ball, and it was not his fault someone was standing there. Sometimes you get a red card for that, and sometimes not. The problem you have with referees is one of acceptance and consistency.”

FULHAM: Schwarzer, Kelly, Hangeland, Senderos, Riise, Dempsey, Murphy (Gecov 90), Etuhu, Ruiz, Dembele, Zamora (Johnson 71).

LIVERPOOL: Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Jose Enrique, Henderson, Spearing, Adam, Bellamy (Downing 77), Suarez, Carroll (Kuyt 77).

Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire).