Liverpool

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Two points from six, but it isn't time to worry at Anfield... yet. The point against Fulham after being a goal down in 11 minutes and a man down after 17, felt like three.

Knowing you can be competitive against good teams with only 10 men gives the group a huge lift. Everton helped by denying Arsenal all three points in north London, but how do teams cope best when they lose a man so early in a game?

Changing system and going to a defensive 4-4-1 can be incredibly difficult to play against. Those two banks of four staying tight together are hard to get through. An organised deep 5-3-1 system is even worse, you might get a lot of the ball but you will get very little space.

I prefer the maverick coaches. I had one who went for a 3-3-3 formation when we went a man down at 0-0 away from home, it utterly discombobulated the opposition. We weren't sitting back, we became the attacking team and incredibly we went on to win 2-0.

Arne Slot frequently left three v three at the back against Fulham with no covering player. Brave.

Had it backfired he would have looked naive, but it worked. They increased their work-rate, maintained 60% possession and managed not only to equalise twice, but were the team more likely to score at the end.

His players will believe in him even more after he showed that he believed in them.

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We asked for your views on whether Liverpool should be looking at signing a new left-back in the January transfer market, or if it is not an area on the priority list yet.

Here are some of your comments:

Robby: All the chat about Andy Robertson and his recent poor form is unfortunately justified. He has, without doubt, been a tremendous servant to Liverpool. However, it is becoming clearer that his best days are over. If Kostas Tsimikas had not been plagued with injuries then he would have been selected before Robbo, for sure. Andy has been admired by Liverpool fans for years and will always be remembered for all the great things he brought. The time for a replacement is now, so get busy Liverpool and get his replacement sorted quickly.

Alex: No need to look further than Fulham's Antonee Robinson. He has skill, pace and has come of age with consistent game time. He is what Robbo used to be in his younger years - a class act. Conor Bradley and Robinson at each side? I'll take it every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Vardon: Condemning Robertson after a single high-profile mistake, then consigning him to second string in place of an unknown quantity as his replacement is a huge overreaction. Given FSG's record in the transfer market, there is zero chance of a high-profile replacement being signed in January. More quality in defensive midfield would have prevented that through ball as it split us wide open at the back. That is the priority in January, not a left back.

Sharon: Robbo was the player of the match before that in Europe. He needs a rest, but let's not throw him on the scrap heap.

Jahan: While it is good to have multiple options at every position, to demote Robertson to the ranks of the expendables is too harsh and unnecessary. All players go through highs and lows and Andy is no exception. He can easily continue through his contract and an appropriate decision must be taken when the time comes. Now is not the time.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot says he is calm on the touchline but certain refereeing decisions can make him become "emotional".

Slot will watch the Reds play Southampton in the Carabao Cup quarter-final on Wednesday from the stands for the first time in his career, as he serves his touchline ban for accumulating three yellow cards so far this season.

"In general, I'm calm," said the Dutchman. "But there is also a limit for me and then I can get emotional.

"Unfortunately, that limit is reached more by refereeing decisions than the decisions my players make!"

Jordan Chamberlain
Fan writer

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Liverpool need a new left-back. We already knew this before the 2-2 draw with Fulham, but that match confirmed it.

Andy Robertson has been incredible for Liverpool. An absolute bargain and an icon under Jurgen Klopp, but he is past his best and Arne Slot needs a younger left-back with more speed and creativity.

It is not only that Robbo is less dangerous in the opposition half, it is that he is throwing in costly defensive mistakes. He can be forgiven for Fulham's opener that deflected off him, but the red card was just sloppy and ultimately cost us three points.

Liverpool were dominant with 10 men so you can only assume we would have won the game with 11.

Kostas Tsimikas is a decent back-up, but his performances have been better than Robbo's this season.

The reality is we probably only need one of Robertson or Tsimikas going forward, to play the back-up role. We need to sign a starter - perhaps as early as January.

Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth is a potentially superb option. The Hungarian is well known to director of football Richard Hughes, who actually brought him to England when he was working for the Cherries in 2023.

Arne Slot was not backed in the summer, so with Liverpool competing in both the Premier League and Champions League, hopefully the board can strengthen his position by entering the transfer market in January.

Find more from Jordan Chamberlain at Empire of the Kop, external

Is a new left-back a priority, Reds fans? And who would you sign? Send us your thoughts

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Carabao Cup quarter-final at Southampton (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Kostas Tsimikas will train with the team on Tuesday and then a decision will be made. Fellow defenders Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley remained sidelined as they have not yet returned to group training.

• Slot "does not expect Diogo Jota to start" against Southampton as he "wasn't completely fit" after finishing the game against Fulham and he missed Monday's training session as a consequence.

• Federico Chiesa will have the opportunity to build-up his minutes, but "the amount has a question mark over" because he has been out injured for so long.

• Caoimhin Kelleher will start in goal, with Slot adding: "We are really fortunate to have such a great second goalkeeper."

• On serving a touchline ban for the cup game: "If you are suspended in Holland then you are not allowed to be in and around the dressing room. You cannot do the media as well. This is a lighter version of suspension. I have never been used to being suspended. This is the first time I am. I think I am still able to do the things I want to do."

• He said he did not deserve one of the three yellow cards he has received, but joked: "The one against Chelsea was absolutely deserved and in that same game I could have got five, so I have to thank the referee that I only got one."

• On opponents Southampton, who will have Simon Rusk in interim charge after the sacking of Russell Martin on Sunday: "It is difficult to know what to expect. I saw them play at the weekend with four at the back and they changed to five in 15 minutes."

• He said the Carabao Cup has "great teams" left in it and "none of them will be an easy road to the final".

• On Wataru Endo: "That is the positive for me about the League Cup. We haven't played many starters yet. Endo hasn't played that much yet. Playing in the League Cup helps him get rhythm."

• He said he "is aware that they only have four defenders available" because of Andy Robertson's suspension, adding: "It will be either academy players getting playing time or players no-one expects."

Listen to commentary of Southampton v Liverpool on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra from 20:00 on Wednesday

Follow all of Tuesday's Carabao Cup news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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Liverpool fan Grace Merritt spoke to BBC Radio Merseyside about Wednesday's trip to Southampton in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals:

"Southampton are in a bit or turmoil and it is an opportunity for Liverpool to rotate the squad a bit. I would love to see [Wataru] Endo at the back. I know he's a defensive midfielder but it would be good to see him there.

"I'd love to see us put fresh legs on at half-time, like Tyler Morton and Trey Nyoni. I'd like to see [Federico] Chiesa get some minutes.

"It is always good to switch it up because you do see our team being fairly fatigued.

"To keep that spark up, why not bring on the heroes who won it [the EFL Cup final] last season?"

Listen to the full clip on BBC Sounds

Forward Mohamed Salah, 32, is close to signing a new contract with Liverpool. (Marca - in Spanish), external

Want more transfer stories and gossip? Read Tuesday's full column

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BBC chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering fan questions on all things Premier League.

Kev asked: How worried should Liverpool be about their reliance on Mohamed Salah's goals and assists. First time in years with so few players up for top goalscorer and assists.

Phil answered: All the best teams still rely on their great players, so I don't think Liverpool will be too worried, especially with Cody Gakpo in a rich vein of scoring form.

We also saw a very significant development on Saturday with the goalscoring return of Diogo Jota against Fulham.

There is actually a case to be made that he is Liverpool's most clinical finisher. If they can keep him fit then he is a huge weapon in their attacking armoury.

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Liverpool and Fulham.

Here are some of your comments:

Liverpool fans:

Kevin: Gutsy Liverpool display, really dug in and put in a performance that shows exactly why they are the runaway Premier League leaders. Fulham have really performed well this season and ran Liverpool close, in a game where either side could have left Anfield with the three points.

James: Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson have been outstanding for us in previous years. However, it seems Trent doesn't want to be here anymore and unfortunately Robbo is starting to lose his edge and is becoming a liability. It's such a shame as, at one time, these two were the pinnacle of our success.

Carl: 75+ minutes with 10 men was a gutsy performance. The result was entirely down to the referee - he couldn't wait to book Liverpool players for minor fouls but the really big calls all went to Fulham. Issa Diop's foul on Robertson, and studs on the achilles of Ryan Gravenberch (an identical foul was a red card in mid-week). Robertson's foul was due to his injury from Diop. Fulham's time-wasting not addressed by ref.

Fraser: Seeing as we were playing with 10 men for almost the entire game, I'll take a point. However our defenders were pretty poor today, (with the exception of Virgil van Dijk). Lack of effort from Trent, Robbo is sadly not the same and Jarell Quansah is just lacking in confidence. Ibrahima Konate's absence is definitely present now. On the bright side, so glad to have Diogo Jota back - we missed him enormously.

Fulham fans:

Bob: Absolutely brilliant by Fulham! Ten-man Liverpool did enough to grab a point, which they deserved. Our defending for the most part was outstanding! Who would have said 2-2 before the game had been played. Emile Smith Rowe and Rodrigo Muniz should have started. Still, a well deserved point for Fulham.

Mario: Happy but unhappy at the same time. When they went down to 10 men, I think we all thought we could go on and solidify our lead, but this was Liverpool and we all know how they can get back into games. Having said that, another point from a fixture we all probably thought we would lose is great.

Peter: Fulham displayed heart and courage and fought to the end though were likely still a little too respectful at Anfield with a man advantage. Antonee Robinson was spectacular. Easily man of the match for Fulham.

Simon: We're having a great season and are lucky to have a number of players such as Alex Iwobi, Bernd Leno, Diop, Sasa Lukic and Kenny Tete who are playing the best football of their careers. Chief among them is Robinson. The left-back and captain was unplayable at times yesterday. Two assists and Mohamed Salah won't have faced a more difficult opponent all season. As a team though, if only we could take more of our chances.

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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk the boss Arne Slot was "brave" and "right" to demand the team play with risk despite being down to 10 men from the early stages of Saturday's draw with Fulham

Andy Robertson was dismissed after just 17 minutes with the score 1-0 to the Cottagers but the Reds still had 61% possession and recorded 16 shots as they came from behind twice to earn a point.

"There was so much time left on the clock and we have the quality to punish opponents," Van Dijk said post-match.

"Obviously it was a lot more difficult than it already was but we have to keep going.

"We tried everything. We could have taken all three points if I'm completely honest but it is what it is. Now we have to focus on Wednesday.

"The will to keep going and the resilience was a good sign. We had to take a little bit of risks to get the result so at times the pitch was wide open.

"It was always going to be a tough game but with 10 men it was even more of a tough game and we move on and focus on the next one.

"We don't want to be in a situation where you take that much risk but if you're 1-0 or 2-1 down you have to. It's a brave thing to do but I think it was the right thing to do because we have the quality to hurt opponents even with 10 men. It's still a little bit of a risk but he got the reward for it."

Listen to the full chat on BBC Sounds

Sarah Mulkerrins
Final Score reporter

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Everyone will obviously want to talk about Liverpool, but a word for Fulham. Their defensive organisation held title challengers Arsenal last week, and a week later they did the same at the home of the league leaders. They've only won twice in 38 away games at Anfield and I'm sure they believed after going ahead for the second time, they could leave with a win.

Antonee Robinson was outstanding. All of Fulham's threat came down the left and it was two quality balls from Robinson that led to their goals. His work rate in defence was equally good and he pressed Salah hard in defence as the Fulham defence as a whole held strong.

For Liverpool, I wonder how they will feel on Monday about this point. They showed guts and determination to bounce back from going a player down early after Andy Robertson's red card. They showed resilience too as they twice came from behind.

A note on the impact of Diogo Jota, who came on as a sub in the second half. Despite the injury, he looked sharp and was able to find the quality to cut through that stubborn Fulham defence. That no doubt will be a big bright spot for Slot.

Highlights and analysis from Saturday's five Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Liverpool 2-2 Fulham

• Nottingham Forest 2-1 Aston Villa