Liverpool stunned as Fulham snatch point moments after Cody Gakpo goal - 6 talking points - The Mirror

FULHAM 2-2 LIVERPOOL: Harrison Reed's wondergoal ensured Cody Gakpo's late goal was quickly cancelled out Craven Cottage in a dramatic stoppage time in west London

Harrison Reed denied Liverpool three points with a stoppage-time wonderstrike at Craven Cottage. Cody Gakpo thought he'd scored the winner just moments before as the Reds earned a 2-2 draw against Fulham.

After initially being told he was offside, Harry Wilson's superb strike was eventually awarded at Craven Cottage. The former Liverpool ace punished his ex-employers with a ruthlessness they were lacking without Hugo Ekitike.

Liverpool lacked much fluency and failed to find any intensity until the second period. Cody Gakpo found the net, but his effort was quickly ruled out after he lazily strayed offside.

Florian Wirtz was next to see a flag as he found acres of space in the Fulham area. On this occasion, the German was allowed a delayed celebration after VAR intervened to award his goal.

Liverpool were left counting their blessings after 77 minutes as Wilson looked to take advantage of Alisson being off his line, but could only lob onto the bar. Twists remained.

Gakpo scored a late tap-in and looked to have handed Liverpool three points. Substitute Reed had other ideas to earn Fulham a deserved share of the spoils.

Mirror Football takes a look at the talking points that arose from the match.

No forwards

Signing Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike felt like overkill in the summer, but that did not prevent Liverpool from being without a recognised striker against Fulham. After just 11 minutes, it was clear the Reds were missing a clinician as stand-in striker Cody Gakpo failed to finish a defence-splitting pass from Curtis Jones.

Gakpo's late effort will offer some hope but not long-term security.

Liverpool should soon be able to call on Ekitike, following his minor injury, but Arne Slot's warning that the Frenchman is struggling to manage the load left by Isak's injury is a worrying one. Already, Liverpool are failing to hit the heights of last season, and Ekitike has been a rare bright spark. Few risks will be taken.

That delicate situation will also serve as a reminder of Mo Salah's true importance. The sooner he returns to Anfield from AFCON, the better for Liverpool.

Wondering about Wirtz

Has Florian Wirtz turned a corner? It's still difficult to tell after a slow start to life in the Premier League, following his record move.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said: "Wirtz is definitely improving. In the last few weeks, he has been the stand-out player for Liverpool."

Going off the first half at Craven Cottage, you could be forgiven for wondering if that was a compliment or criticism of his team-mates. But Wirtz will be judged by his impact and he did find the net against Fulham.

That he was replaced with 15 minutes remaining and a goal still being required, perhaps tells its own story of how he is still perceived by Arne Slot.

Wilson fires

While Liverpool lacked penetration and pace too often, Harry Wilson showed plenty to open the scoring. The Wales international is in fantastic form and continues to score impressive goals four years after leaving Anfield.

Wilson has just six months left on his Fulham contract, with no breakthrough in negotiations with the Cottagers just yet. If he continues like he is, a Premier League rival will soon look to tempt him elsewhere as a genuine impact-maker.

Handbrake off?

If it was, to start the game, Liverpool looked firmly stuck in first gear. The match was played at a walking pace and showed few signs of life.

The club have been focused on results rather than exhilarating football in a bid to turn around their season, but were punished by Fulham on Sunday. After Harry Wilson's goal, Liverpool did not want to open up to allow a repeat opportunity, and one foot was left hovering over the break.

Jamie Carragher called for exciting football to help the Reds build on their momentum. They certainly need to, at least, find some control if they do not want to see their caution consistently punished.

Silva ends unwanted record

Coming into the tie, Fulham boss Marco Silva had lost all 11 of his Premier League games when playing the division's reigning champions. That marked the highest 100 per cent loss rate of any manager in the competition.

A draw on Sunday sees that record end, and Silva has Harrison Reed to thank.

Offside delays

We have often been told that decision-making will occur more quickly and that the introduction of technology will disrupt play less frequently, but it never seems to be the case. It can't be argued that VAR allowed two goals where they had been ruled out, but they ensured plenty of joy had already been sucked out of the celebration.

Semi-automatic offsides were supposed to improve 'speed, efficiency and consistency of the process'. Waiting more than three minutes for a decision in early January probably wasn't what anyone had in mind.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.