Liverpool ended a poor run of performances to stay in the Champions League spots with a Premier League victory over Fulham at Anfield.
Head coach Arne Slot and his players faced greater scrutiny after being beaten by Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals, followed by a timid performance in the Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
Slot made five changes for the Champions League quarter-final second leg against PSG at Anfield on Tuesday and was rewarded with a stronger performance.
Rio Ngumoha and Mohamed Salah, who had been dropped in Paris, started, and both scored with exquisite curling finishes inside four minutes of the first half.
Liverpool’s victory moves them up to fifth place, allowing them to compete in the Champions League next season.
The triumph came amid demonstrations by Liverpool fans before and throughout the game, expressing their displeasure with owners FSG over proposed ticket price rises.
Liverpool fans needed something to cheer them up following their disappointing losses to Manchester City and PSG, as well as rising unhappiness about ticket price increases announced by the club’s owners.
The Kop had an unusual appearance, with the flags that are so vital to Anfield’s atmosphere removed as part of the protest.
After the game, a group of fans marched in front of The Kop, carrying a giant banner with the phrase “No to Ticket Price Increases.”
Against this backdrop, Liverpool finally delivered something for fans that had watched the champion’s astonishing collapse this season to celebrate.
And essential to that was 18-year-old Rio Ngumoha, who was in stunning form on Liverpool’s left wing, scoring the opening goal after 36 minutes with a brilliant right-foot strike just as Fulham began to threaten.
Four minutes later, Mohamed Salah demonstrated his old brilliance with a carbon copy finish from the opposite side of the area.
When Ngumoha was substituted after 69 minutes, he received a well-deserved standing ovation.
Liverpool still has a difficult job to overturn a 2-0 lead against PSG on Tuesday, but this victory will give Slot’s team much-needed confidence.
