It is the first time this season that Marco Silva’s Fulham side have been beaten in successive games at the Cottage.
Alexander-Arnold broke the deadlock with his sixth Premier League free-kick, a tally only bettered for Liverpool in the competition by Jamie Redknapp (eight) and Steven Gerrard (seven).
Now unbeaten in six Premier League visits to Craven Cottage, Liverpool have scored in each of their last 20 away games – their longest league streak since the mid-1950s (21).Fulham come unstuck at the Cottage
It is the first time this season that Marco Silva’s Fulham side have been beaten in successive games at the Cottage.
Fulham’s difficult record against Liverpool continues, with the Cottagers having now lost nine of the last 12 Premier League meetings between the sides.
On a brighter note, however, Castagne’s strike gave Fulham their 50th goal of the season. Having netted 55 times last term, it is the first time they have scored 50 or more goals in successive Premier League campaigns since 2003-04 and 2004-05.
They can still finish in the top half, but need to rediscover their form at home if they are to do so. London derbies against Palace and Brentford come next.Liverpool have won seven of their last nine away games in the Premier League (D1 L1) – more than their previous 19 on the road beforehand (W6 D7 L6).
Fulham suffered their 16th Premier League defeat of the season, now equalling their total for the whole of last term. Seven of those losses have come at Craven Cottage – one more than they lost at home in the league in 2022-23 (6).
Ryan Gravenberch’s goal, assisted by Harvey Elliott, was the first time Liverpool had a Premier League goal both scored and assisted by players aged 21 or younger since November 2014 v Chelsea (Emre Can assisted by Raheem Sterling).
Second-half goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Diogo Jota saw Jurgen Klopp’s side get the job done at Craven Cottage.
However, Palmer’s goals alone have earned Chelsea a massive 13 points, the third-biggest individual contribution in the Premier League.
His strikes have accounted for a massive 32.8 per cent of Chelsea’s Premier League total this season. Only Dominic Solanke has a higher percentage with AFC Bournemouth.Liverpool moved level on points with Arsenal at the summit of the Premier League as they got their title challenge back on track with a 3-1 win over Fulham.
Second-half goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Diogo Jota saw Jurgen Klopp’s side get the job done at Craven Cottage.
Timothy Castagne had sent Fulham into half-time on level terms, cancelling out Trent Alexander-Arnold’s delicious free-kick, though Liverpool’s quality told after the break as they bounced back from their loss to Crystal Palace last week.
With Manchester City in FA Cup action this weekend, the Reds leapfrogged Pep Guardiola’s team into second place, remaining behind Arsenal on goal difference, while Fulham stay in 12th.Tom Cairney tested Alisson late on, but his long-range effort was the closest Fulham came to setting up a grandstand finish.
Ton up for Jota
With a mouth-watering Merseyside derby against Everton coming up on Wednesday, Liverpool are still very much alive in the title race.
Jota sealed the victory with his 100th goal in English football – his 56th strike for the Reds after netting 44 times for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
“He is an important part of the team and is doing fantastic for us, but we are Chelsea and we have plenty of players that can perform and do the job.
Perhaps most notably, when it comes to minutes per goal in all competitions without penalties, he is the Gunners’ top man, scoring every 136 minutes.Chelsea’s top scorer is a major doubt for Tuesday’s trip to Emirates Stadium with illness.
“With or without Cole we always believe we can win. The most important thing is the team and the collective,” Pochettino told the club’s official website.
“He is an important part of the team and is doing fantastic for us, but we are Chelsea and we have plenty of players that can perform and do the job.
“It’s a good challenge for the team-mates. If I am a team-mate of Cole Palmer in his position or a similar position, I am going to be motivated to go there tomorrow and show this is Chelsea Football Club, not Cole Palmer Football Club.”
What do the stats show?
Palmer has been in sensational form this season and his 20 Premier League goals have put him level with Erling Haaland in the race for the 2023/24 Castrol Golden Boot.
Further statistics underline his importance to the Blues.
When Palmer starts, Chelsea score an average of 2.2 goals per match, but that drops to 1.3 when he doesn’t start.
Their win percentage also drops, albeit less significantly, from 43.5 per cent to 37.5 per cent.In terms of points per match, there initially appears to be little difference, with Chelsea averaging 1.57 with Palmer in their starting line-up and 1.38 without him.
The Belgian winger insisted this week he is equally capable when he is a starter as when he is a substitute, and he made his point at Molineux.
If Trossard starts it will be just the second time he has done so in three successive Premier League matches this season.
The Belgian winger insisted this week he is equally capable when he is a starter as when he is a substitute, and he made his point at Molineux.
It is understandable why Mikel Arteta has used Trossard off the bench more often than starting him in the Premier League this season, giving him 16 substitute appearances compared with 13 starts, due to his ability to impact a match as a sub.
Arteta’s “little magician” and second most-used substitute is the club’s joint-second goalscorer, with a career-best nine Premier League goals this season, and he has averaged a league goal every 86 minutes as a sub compared with 189 when he starts.
However, Trossard made his case to retain his place as he broke the deadlock against Wolves, especially given that his main rival for the spot on the left wing, Gabriel Martinelli, is without a goal contribution since Arsenal’s 6-0 win at Sheffield United.
Why Trossard is making an impact
Trossard is now more involved closer to goal, with his touches in the box rising from an average of 4.2 per 90 minutes last season to 6.7 this campaign.
He has also flipped his output around from one goal and 10 assists last season to nine goals and one assist so far this term.