Fulham 3-2 Liverpool
Liverpool failed to win for the third league game in a row, as Fulham became the latest side to take points off the Merseysiders.
Fulham opened the scoring after only 5 minutes of the game played and it was Facundo Sava who netted from close range, after Dudek spilled a 30 yard shot from 30 yards.
Liverpool's best chance of the first half came through Owen, who should have done better with the chance when it arrived. Danny Murphy started the move with a long run which took him into the area, and after looking to go alone, Murphy was dispossed by a Fulham defender, with the ball eventually making it's way to Owen. But from 16 yards out, Owen's first time shot was off target as he saw his effort rise over the bar
Marlet looked close to doubling the lead after 31 minutes, after Liverpool's attempt to play the offside trap had proved unsuccessful, and a brilliant recovery was required by Traore to get back and make a block when Marlet finally got a shot in, and Fulham were unable to make anything of the corner.
Fulham were looking dangerous every time they attacked, and before half time, their lead was doubled, thanks again to Sava who deflected Sean Davis' long range shot past Dudek.
A similar teamtalk to that in the recent 3-3 draw away to Basel was required by Gerard Houllier, and the Reds' boss made a couple of substitutions to try and turn the game around with Babbel and Diao withdrawn from the action and replace by Milan Baros and Steve Gerrard, who was making his first appearance since the public criticism of him by Houllier after the Basel match a couple of weeks ago.
It was Milan Baros who was quickest to make his mark on the game though, when he forced Van der Sar into a save in the opening minute of the second half.
But Fulham were soon on top again, and Dudek made difficult work of making a couple of saves in quick succession, both struck from long range from Goldbaek and Malbranque respectively.
Liverpool were struggling to get back into the game with few chances falling their way from open play. But against the run of play, Hamann smashed a free kick into the top corner of Van der Sar's goal, and the goal looked to have given Liverpool a way back into the game, but that was to change just five minutes later as Fulham restored their two goal lead thanks again to Sava, whose 25 yard strike gave Dudek no chance of keeping the shot out.
The Reds' chances of finding another way back into the game seemed to be increased when Alain Goma was sent off for a second card after he hacked down Owen just a couple of minutes after Fulham had gone 3-1 up, but Liverpool were still unable to create anything in front of the Fulham goal.
With 85 minutes on the clock though, Milan Baros grabbed his sixth goal of the season to set up a tense finish to the game, though Liverpool were unable to test Van der Sar in the final minutes and went down to a second successive away defeat in the Premiership.
