This was a game not about skill but mentality. It was about the ability to pull oneself up off the canvas and wrest back enough belief to rally in the face of adversity.
Liverpool and Fulham were going at it like two bruised fighters in a 12-round bout, one dizzied by the black eye of an early blow, each taking it in turns to take their lumps and looking ready to throw in the towel.
But ultimately neither refused to give up. And ultimately neither landed that crucial knockout blow, as 10-man Liverpool twice fought from behind to earn a battling draw thanks to substitute Diogo Jota coming back with a bang to equalise on 86 minutes.
In a sport famed for its fine margins, one stroke of good or bad luck could have seen the Premier League leaders go home with three or zero points. Arne Slot will settle for the point, while knowing full well his team could have recorded a famous win – or a damaging defeat.
This game of the season contender – in terms of edge-of-the-seat entertainment at least – started with a crunching tackle made by Fulham defender Issa Diop on Andy Robertson in the first minute. It nearly ended Robertson’s afternoon and Diop was lucky to escape a red card.
Robertson became the first example of a hampered fighter getting off the deck but, in hindsight, he might have been better limping off there and then. The 15 minutes that followed saw his afternoon ruined anyway, with him soon trudging off the pitch for another reason.
Diogo Jota (left) scored a late equaliser to earn Liverpool a 2-2 draw with Fulham on Saturday
Former Man United player Andreas Pereira (left) volleyed Fulham 1-0 up after just 11 minutes
Goalscorer Pereira (right) got to the ball ahead of Liverpool left back Andy Robertson (centre)
He got over any potential worries of a knee injury but, with the pain perhaps still present, looked off the pace as he allowed Andreas Pereira to sneak in at the back post to open the scoring, a shot that took a deflection off the Scotland captain and diverted away from Alisson’s grasp.
Minutes later, Robertson was given his marching orders by referee Tony Harrington for pulling back former Liverpool kid Harry Wilson after a heavy touch allowed the Welshman to charge through on goal. A lengthy VAR check confirmed the red and sent Robertson for an early bath.
It was a day to forget for Robertson – who has been criticised by fans this season for sub-par performances overall – and, at this point, it looked like an afternoon of regret was going to sweep across the board for Liverpool.
A big test of true champions is how they get over setbacks and it felt like that question was happening on a micro level here. Could Liverpool, who looked rattled, regain composure and settle back into the match after losing a goal and a player in quick succession?
With Robertson gone, it was the similarly-named Antonee Robinson – also a left back – who was running the show. The all-action American tormented Liverpool, creating Pereira’s goal with a lung-busting run down the wing followed by a pinpoint cross.
In fact, those attacks down the left could be described as a trademark Fulham move by the end of the afternoon. Time and time again, Robinson and Alex Iwobi exploited expanses of space behind Trent Alexander-Arnold to cause Liverpool problems.
Fulham, though, seemed to be stuck in a quandary of uncertainty. Should they sit back and defend their narrow lead or should they throw men forward and go for the jugular, with Liverpool reeling and exposed in defence.
In truth, they did neither and allowed Liverpool to settle, with a couple of chances for Wilson and Pereira going begging before the break. Slot’s troops had a mental reset at half-time and, with their first attack of the second period, drew level.
Robertson’s day got worse on 17 minutes when he was sent off for fouling Harry Wilson (right)
The referee at Anfield was Tony Harrington, who has now shown three red cards this season
Referee Harrington issued Robertson (left) with a red card while Wilson was still on the ground
Fulham led 1-0 at half-time and appeared to be on course to record an impressive away win
But the Reds levelled just 109 seconds after half-time thanks to a headed goal by Cody Gakpo
Gakpo found the net with a brilliant diving header following a cross by Mo Salah (not in shot)
Fulham retook the lead thanks to a goal by substitute Rodrigo Muniz (right) in the 76th minute
But Jota (second left) earned Liverpool a point by netting a late leveller to complete the scoring
Arne Slot has now seen his side drop points in consecutive league games but they remain top
The Anfield crowd had amped up the volume in their role as 12th – or in this case 11th – man. And their talisman responded in style, Mohamed Salah getting over a quiet first half to swing in a peach of a cross for Cody Gakpo to head home at the back post.
The flying Dutchman could have added another with the next move but, this time, was thwarted by Bernd Leno. Suddenly, it felt like Fulham were the team on the ropes and, for a second, one forgot which team was down to 10 men.
Marco Silva’s side were perhaps haunted from their last league visit here, when they were squashed and capitulated under the weight of expectation, ceding a 3-2 lead in the 88th minute to lose 4-3. After the equaliser, their players looked like they were about to wilt again.
But they picked their heads up and clambered back up off the proverbial floor. The first step was to settle, the next was to believe again. They were 1-1 at Anfield with a golden chance of recording a famous victory to give their fans an almighty Christmas present.
And they looked well on for that when they took the lead again in the 76th minute as Robinson skipped past Jarell Quansah far too easily and teed up substitute Rodrigo Muniz to bundle home and score. Silva and the away end went berserk.
The Portuguese boss had used his wildcard by throwing on Muniz so it was then time for Slot to reach up his sleeve and play an ace of his own. On came Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota, who had not played for two months, to combine for the equaliser.
Misfiring Nunez has been criticised in recent weeks for not contributing enough but he played a smart pass to Jota here and the Portugal forward showed composure to skip past the challenge of Jorge Cuenca and slot home with a confident finish.
Jota, fellow substitute Harvey Elliott and Luis Diaz all had chances to win the game but, in the end, they were forced to settle for a draw. There was a sense of regret at that. Looking back in May, though, gaining a point with 10 men for 73 minutes could be seismic.
