Slot rues last-gasp Fulham equaliser: The only one to blame is ourselves

Arne Slot says Liverpool only had themselves to blame, after Harrison Reed's last-gasp equaliser denied them victory at Fulham.

The Reds came from behind at Craven Cottage, where Florian Wirtz cancelled out Harry Wilson's opener, with Cody Gakpo giving them a 94th-minute lead.

However, there was another dramatic twist, with Reed scoring a 30-yard piledriver late on to snatch all three points from under the visitors' noses.

And Slot was left to wonder what might have been, after seeing his side surrender another winning position in the dying moments.

"In an away game, scoring two goals should maybe be enough to win the game," he said. "It's not the first time this season that we fought so hard and think we have a win, but conceded an incredible strike.

"We were 2-1 up having to defend a long throw-in. We brought [Joe] Gomez in because he is very good in the air, but they didn't take it long, they took it short, and it was an incredible strike.

"So many points have disappeared for us. Of course, it is frustrating. We have to improve, so a shot in the last minute does not immediately lead to us losing points. That is what we are trying to do, but we have not done that yet.

"I liked our second half more than our first half. We controlled the game and were close a few times; of course, you always want more. Once in a while, the boys should get a reward, but we do not get it and, once again, the only one to blame is ourselves."

"It's disappointing for us," added Gakpo. "We fought very hard in the second half, dominated at moments and tried to create chances to get through. At the end, I scored in minute 95, they scored in minute 97. [We were] unlucky, unfortunate.

"I think if you are going to analyse the game, maybe we should have scored more goals or defended the two goals better.

"In the end, we should do much better. There were moments that we showed how good we were, but it is up to us to stay consistent and put in better performances overall."

Meanwhile, Fulham extended their unbeaten run in the Premier League to five matches following Reed's spectacular intervention.

It was the midfielder's first top-flight goal in almost three years, having last netted against Everton in April 2023.

"Harrison is not playing the minutes he would like, but he is the first one pushing the others to go forward," head coach Marco Silva said. "I am very pleased for him because if someone deserves a moment like that, it is him.

"I think we did control the game very well – not with the ball like we like to do – but we did it very well. They overload a lot of areas, and we covered them very well. 

"I came on and then, two minutes later, they scored, so I did my best to keep the boys going," Reed added. "I knew we were going to get another chance, I thought it would be a bit more clear-cut than that, but it came to me nicely.

"Kevin has given me the ball and I had no other option but to hit one. What a feeling! [It was] definitely a deserved point.

"When you watch it, especially the first half, we had real control of the game – maybe not as much with the ball but out of possession, we nullified them a lot. They didn't really look like threatening us at all.

"Then in the second half, they put a few more bodies forward, pressed a bit higher and got their goal. I thought it was maybe offside, but afterwards, we dealt with it really well, and we take the point."