Fulham vs Liverpool: Aleksandar Mitrovic scores twice to give the hosts the lead at Craven Cottage in Fulham's Premier League match against Liverpool, earning a point for both Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez.

 On the first day of the 2022–23 Premier League season, Fulham gave Liverpool a scare with a thrilling 2-2 draw as the newly promoted Cottagers came within 10 minutes of being the first side to defeat the Reds in the top flight since the beginning of 2022.


The hosts' strong start, who are trying to avoid making a fourth unsuccessful effort to stay in the division since the 2013/14 season, was one of the warning flags for the Champions League finalists.

The greatest cross of the half was sent by Neeskens Kebano to Aleksandar Mitrovic during one of the Cottagers' rapid counterattacks. Mitrovic outmuscled Trent Alexander-Arnold at the far post and powered an unstoppable header past Alisson Becker to put the game to bed.

Liverpool announced a new acquisition Darwin Nunez came on after the break, but Fulham still appeared to be in control. Kebano nearly increased their advantage with a rasping diagonal shot from just inside the box that rattled off the far post with Alisson clearly outmatched.

After missing numerous opportunities to score at that point, Nunez's positioning and tenacity paid off when he glanced Mohamed Salah's right-wing pass beyond Marek Rodak in the 64th minute, providing some solace to an increasingly furious Jurgen Klopp of the Reds. 

Anyone who thought the game would proceed as usual from that moment was misinformed. Mitrovic was the top scorer in the Championship last season, and Virgil van Dijk's reckless push on him led to a dubious and profitable penalty claim for Fulham. The Championship top scorer narrowly defeated Alisson from the spot with a mercilessly accurate finish.

Salah, who had scored in five straight season openers, came to Liverpool's rescue when Fulham allowed a cross to ricochet off Nunez, and the talisman reacted swiftly to poke Liverpool's second equalizer from close range.

Harvey Elliott found Henderson in the last seconds of extra time, and he nearly gave Liverpool the victory by blasting a shot over Rodak and into the crossbar. Fulham's strong start was deserving of at least a point, so that would have been harsh to them.

Mitrovic makes his mark

It was believed that surpassing Mitrovic's 43 goals from the previous season—colossal in the Championship but unproven in the Premier League—would undoubtedly produce a better return than the Serbian striker achieved during Fulham's weak 2020–21 relegation. 

Mitrovic extended his impressive streak by scoring 45 goals in 45 games here, reestablishing himself at the highest level in a resoundingly emphatic manner.

When the 27-year-old missed a great opportunity in the first few minutes for Fulham, the supporters were disappointed. But then the behemoth produced one of his signature headers, leaping above Trent Alexander-Arnold, who gave a shaky defensive effort, with an air of apparent nonchalance.

While players like Andreas Pereira and Kebano caused havoc before failing to locate a target — frequently Mitrovic — within the penalty area, there was an early feeling that Fulham would regret not capitalizing on their early surges inside Liverpool territory.

That was rendered meaningless by Kebano's superb pass for the opening goal, which Mitrovic will hope to accept all season long if his teammates can continue to find spurts of inspiration.

Liverpool had not given up a penalty in 51 games. Even if Andy Madley's decision appeared to be a little soft, it was nevertheless evidence of the difficulty Mitrovic's evasion by Van Dijk and his fellow defenders.

For a player of Mitrovic's potential during that previous Premier League season, three goals all season was a terrible number. Now, in 90 minutes, he has nearly as many.

If Fulham were not engaged in a fight for survival, it would still be surprising, and Mitrovic's success will be crucial to their prospects of avoiding a demoralizing second relegation in four years.

Salah strikes for sixth successive scoring start to season

On a day when they weren't at their best, Liverpool displayed admirable fortitude by coming back twice while down. Their comeback demonstrated yet again how important it is to have Salah leading your attack when things are going poorly.


When Liverpool defeated Norwich 3-0 in August 2021, Salah became the first player to score in five straight opening-day matches in the top flight. The Egyptian superstar has already passed Jamie Vardy of Leicester City by scoring eight goals in the season opener.

His most recent rapid start ties him for the most goals scored on the opening day with Premier League greats Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, and Alan Shearer.

When Alexander-Arnold fired a cross into the penalty area, Fulham center backs Tim Ream and Tosin Adarabioyo each had a chance to stop the threat, but a mix-up between the two allowed Nunez to redirect the ball in Salah's direction for a deft finish.

Salah's equalizer is not expected to be on many highlight videos. Robbie Fowler, a renowned poacher from Liverpool, and other legendary hunters would have respected his intelligence and vigilance.

The fact that Nunez performed well after replacing Roberto Firmino just after the half suggests that Salah's backup attackers are not overly concerned by Sadio Mane's decision to join Bayern Munich.

Nunez's £85 million transfer from Benfica raised worries about how long the Uruguayan striker would need to adjust, and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp may have questioned whether he made the correct decision when Nunez struggled against Fulham during an assured second-half start.

That was changed by two goals in the space of 17 minutes, and Luis Diaz also hit the post with an incredible shot from the smallest of openings before being adjudged to be offside. If this was any indication of the form of the three forwards, firepower will be among Klopp's least important issues.

Fulham vs. Liverpool final score