Post Match Raw: Liverpool’s cautious football questioned after draining draw with Fulham | OneFootball

Liverpool left frustrated after Fulham draw

Liverpool’s 2 to 2 draw away at Fulham felt like another evening where promise briefly flickered before familiar problems reasserted themselves. Speaking on Post Match Raw for Anfield Index, Trev Downey was joined by Karl Matchett and Jim Boardman to unpick what he called a “strange encounter” and a performance that left supporters drained rather than uplifted.

Downey set the tone early, describing the internal mood around the club as “cold, dark” and questioning how fans were supposed to feel after a late equaliser. “It was also a kind of a daylight robbery in many ways as well. I don’t know how to feel about that,” he admitted, capturing the emotional confusion that surrounded Liverpool’s point in west London.

Photo: IMAGO

Risk averse football and growing boredom

Karl Matchett did not hide his frustration with what he saw on the pitch. His verdict on the opening hour was blunt. “This was a very, very tough watch again,” he said, adding that he was “irked at the lack of anything at all from the bench, no change in approach, no change in shape, no change in anything really”.

Both Matchett and Boardman repeatedly returned to the idea that Liverpool under Arne Slot have drifted into a risk averse style that drains life from games. Downey described it as “no inspiration or joy for a fan to watch”, while Matchett went further, saying, “There’s nothing about this performance again that you could look at and say, ‘Well, let’s hope we do that again next week.’”

Jim Boardman highlighted how this approach has stripped away what once made Liverpool compelling. “There’s no excitement with us,” he said. “The excitement you get is occasionally like cameos… but we’re just passing the ball safely and conservatively.” For Boardman, that safety first mindset has become predictable, with opponents now setting up to exploit it.

Fulham intent exposes Liverpool passivity

Fulham, by contrast, impressed the panel with their clarity. Matchett felt their forwards showed a sharpness Liverpool lacked. “Very few times do we have the ball in any kind of deep area and immediately pass forward,” he said, praising Fulham’s willingness to play with intent and trust runners like Harry Wilson and Raul Jimenez.

Downey acknowledged the quality of the goals Liverpool conceded, calling Wilson’s opener “amazing” and Harrison Reed’s late strike “an absolutely outrageous hit”. Still, Matchett was clear that admiration for technique should not excuse poor organisation. “The whole goal is a defensive mess yet again,” he said of the first, while Reed’s equaliser came after what he described as “20 yards of space” that should never exist in stoppage time.

Arne Slot questions and uneasy direction

Discussion inevitably turned towards Arne Slot and the wider direction of Liverpool. Downey rejected the idea that criticism of players alone was sufficient. “There is one lad who keeps doing the selections and the game plans,” he said, arguing that celebrating an unbeaten run while ground is lost on rivals felt hollow.

Boardman echoed that unease, likening the current mood to “treading water”. “We’re just treading water and sooner or later we’re going to drown,” he warned, suggesting that results were masking deeper issues of confidence and cohesion.

Downey summed up the lingering discomfort by pointing to expectations. “I hate watching my club play this way,” he said, stressing that boredom had become the most damning indictment of all.

Liverpool left Fulham with a point, but the voices on Post Match Raw reflected a fanbase searching for conviction, clarity and a sense that Arne Slot’s Liverpool know exactly where they are going.