Liverpool 2-0 Fulham: What Silva saidpublished at 20:40 BST
20:40 BST
Fulham boss Marco Silva speaking to BBC MOTD after defeat by Liverpool: "Disappointing result - punished by the first half. The statistics of the game was balanced in terms of shots, chances, it was very balanced. We had chances that we didn't score. We were not ruthless enough.
"We were too passive in moments, for both goals. These type of moments made an impact and we were punished by our first half. We were not at the level we should. Second half we won many balls, more aggressive and closer to scoring goals, much better. We need to be consistent, not wait for them to score and wait for half time."
Did you know?
Fulham have won just one of their seven Premier League away games in 2026; only Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves (both 3) have collected fewer points on the road since the turn of the year than the Cottagers' five.
Analysis: Toothless Cottagers miss opportunitypublished at 20:27 BST
20:27 BST
Phil McNulty Chief football writer
Image source, Getty Images
Marco Silva's Fulham arrived at Anfield with Liverpool's confidence low after damaging defeats and discontent swirling around a fanbase dissatisfied with events on and off the field.
It carried all the hallmarks of the perfect opportunity to strike a wounded opponent and record a rare Anfield victory.
Instead, Fulham lacked urgency when it mattered, even when it was clear Liverpool's rearguard was vulnerable, with some opportunities to take the lead, or at least claw back the goal that might have had nerves jangling among players and fans alike, not taken.
Indeed, Fulham had 19 attempts in this defeat, the joint most Liverpool have faced in a Premier League game since records started in 2003/04.
Fulham will look back on this with regret because this was a clear chance to cause Liverpool trouble and it was missed.
Liverpool v Fulham: Team newspublished at 16:38 BST
16:38 BST
Image source, BBC Sport
Mohammed Salah returns to Liverpool's starting line-up against Fulham after being dropped for the Champions League quarter-final first leg defeat away to Paris Saint-Germain.
Sutton's predictions: Liverpool v Fulhampublished at 11:30 BST
11:30 BST
It feels like a lot of Liverpool fans have made their minds up about Arne Slot, and that is that he needs to go.
That still feels harsh to me - after all, Slot won the Premier League last season.
I agree this has been a disappointing campaign, but surely winning a title in your first year buys you some time?
Liverpool are clearly not playing well at the moment, though. I've been thinking for a while now that they're going to get out of this slump because of the players they have, but when you watch them there's nothing to suggest it will happen and they have been so inconsistent for so long now.
They went to a back five in Wednesday's defeat at Paris St-Germain and the optics of that were not great for Slot. By playing with an extra centre-half, they just looked like they were trying to hang on in there.
Fulham are a good side and I can see them causing Liverpool problems too, no matter what shape Slot goes with this time.
It finished 2-2 when these two sides met at Craven Cottage in January, and I have a feeling there will be a few goals this time as well.
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Brentford v Everton" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Liverpool v Fulham".
Liverpool v Fulham: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 19:05 BST 10 April
19:05 BST 10 April
Matthew Hobbs BBC Sport journalist
Liverpool will attempt to bounce back from defeat in the Champions League on Wednesday against a Fulham side hoping to challenge the Reds for a European place next season.
BBC Sport examines some of the key themes ahead of their meeting at Anfield on Saturday.
After 31 matches of the 2024-25 Premier League season, Liverpool were 11 points clear at the top of the table. They would go on to win a second title of the Premier League era, 10 points ahead of second-place Arsenal.
Much, though, has changed in the subsequent 12 months. Liverpool currently sit fifth in the Premier League table at the same stage of the current season, 21 points behind leaders Arsenal.
Their dispiriting 2-0 first-leg defeat in the quarter-finals of the Champions League at Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night means that Arne Slot's side have lost three consecutive matches in all competitions for the third time this season.
It's the first time that the Reds have had three sequences of at least three straight defeats in a single campaign since 1953-54, when they were relegated from the top flight.
Circumstances are not quite that dire on Merseyside this season, although the loss in Paris means that Liverpool face an uphill task to remain in the only competition they could yet win this season.
A more realistic goal for the remainder of the campaign is perhaps ensuring they qualify for the Champions League next season, a target which currently rests on finishing in the Premier League's top five.
Liverpool occupy fifth place as things stand although Chelsea are just a point behind and Slot's men are winless in three league outings, losing at Wolves and Brighton and drawing with Tottenham.
If results are to improve over the next seven games, Liverpool must simply stop conceding late goals. Andre's winner for Wolves on 3 March came in the 94th minute. Richarlison's equaliser for Spurs at Anfield on 15 March came in the 91st.
Overall, Liverpool have conceded 15 goals in the final 15 minutes of Premier League games this season, second only to Newcastle, while the Reds have won just five points from losing positions across the entirety of 2025-26.
Image caption,
Liverpool have suffered from conceding late goals in the Premier League this season
And visitors Fulham are perfectly placed to take advantage of Liverpool's second-half frailties. They have scored 18 goals in the final 20 minutes of Premier League matches this season, the joint most of any team.
The Cottagers have also scored 13 goals in seven Premier League games against Liverpool since their return to the division in 2022 – only Spurs (14) and Brighton (15) have netted more against the Reds in that time.
A return to form in recent weeks has reignited Fulham's own hunt for European football. They opened 2026 with two wins in eight league outings but have since won three of their past five (D1, L1).
Another victory at Anfield on Saturday would move Fulham to within two points of Liverpool in the table and strengthen ambitions of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time.
Silva given one-match touchline ban for post-match commentspublished at 19:09 BST 9 April
19:09 BST 9 April
Image source, Getty Images
An independent regulatory commission has handed Fulham boss Marco Silva a one-game touchline ban and £90,000 fine for comments he made following Fulham's 1-0 defeat by West Ham United on 4 March.
The Portuguese boss spoke to BBC Match of the Day straight after the Premier League match, sharing his aggrievance around certain decisions he felt went against the Cottagers.
"The referee's decisions were at a very low level in my opinion," Silva said. "It has been a little bit the story of our season when John Brooks has been involved with us.
"Even our penalty [shout], I repeat again that John Brooks took and decided against the on-field decision. It's very difficult to understand these mistakes against ourselves, but it is what it is."
An FA statement on Thursday said he admitted the charge of "acting in an improper manner by making comments in a post-match interview that imply bias and/or question the integrity and/or are personally offensive" towards a match official.
However, Silva's suspension has been paused pending an appeal and he will be present on the touchline for this weekend's fixture against Liverpool.
Fear, anger or excitement - how are Fulham fans feeling?published at 17:08 BST 9 April
17:08 BST 9 April
The Premier League's return this weekend brings trepidation for some and excitement for others.
Football's emotional rollercoaster becomes intense at this time of year, unless of course mid-table mediocrity has taken a grip of things in recent months.
So how are you feeling as a Fulham fan with just a handful of weeks left to go?
The league form reads: LWWLDW
The next three league fixtures are: Liverpool (a), Brentford (a), Aston Villa (h)
Silva on being in the 'fight' for Europe, his future and Kevin's fitnesspublished at 17:01 BST 9 April
17:01 BST 9 April
Huzaifah Khan BBC Sport journalist
Fulham boss Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Liverpool at Anfield (kick-off 17:30 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Silva confirmed Kenny Tete is out but defender Calvin Bassey is fit for the trip to Liverpool.
He added everything is "going well" for Kevin after he had surgery on a foot injury he suffered against Sunderland in February.
On whether Fulham are aiming for Europe, having the chance to close the gap to this weekend's opponents in fifth to just two points: "We set ourselves in a position where we can fight for something very difficult to achieve but achievable. Something where we wanted to be in that fight."
He added: "The importance of each game is going to be bigger than before because we are just going to have seven games to play. And I said the motivation is there on the top as you'd expect. We fought very hard to be in this position right now."
On his future, with his contract set to expire this summer: "I think I mentioned to you before the international break or before the Burnley game, we don't need to have an international break to speak about things. We have been speaking about many things, and one of them is our technical situation with the club."
On whether any progress has been made to keep him at the club beyond this season, Silva replied: "When the news is going to be clear, you are going to know."
'Amazing to see everything that's come true for me' - Wilsonpublished at 11:33 BST 9 April
11:33 BST 9 April
Fulham forward Harry Wilson has been reflecting on his first-ever interaction with Marco Silva, prior to signing an initial loan deal to join the Cottagers in July 2021, admitting that "everything he said in that phone call was true".
Since then, the Wales international has gone on to make 180 club appearances, scoring 36 goals and providing 45 assists along the way.
"He was the one that brought me to this club," Wilson told Football Focus. "I was his first signing so we have been together for four and a half years now.
"It has been really good [working with him], even from the first chat I had on the phone with him before I signed. We talked about the way he wants his teams to play and the way he sees me playing in the team.
"When I look back on that conversation, everything he said in that phone call was true.
"Looking back, it is amazing to see everything that's come true for me. I don't think either of us knew where we were going to be in four and a half years.
"So to have won the Championship and then had three solid seasons in the Premier League, that is great."
Fifth Champions League spot secured for Premier Leaguepublished at 08:19 BST 8 April
08:19 BST 8 April
Dale Johnson Football issues correspondent
Image source, Getty Images
The Premier League will have at least five teams in the Champions League next season after securing a European Performance Spot for the second straight year.
The extra place was confirmed on Tuesday as Arsenal beat Sporting 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
Uefa awards an additional place to the two leagues with the best overall performance across the three European competitions.
The race for fifth place in the Premier League, currently held by Liverpool on 49 points, is exceptionally tight.
Just seven points separate Arne Slot's side from 13th-placed Bournemouth.
Chelsea (48) sit in sixth followed by Brentford (46), Everton (46), Fulham (44), Brighton (43), Sunderland (43), Newcastle (42) and Bournemouth (42).
If Aston Villa, who are fourth on 54 points, win the Europa League and finish outside the top four, the Premier League would have six teams in the Champions League.
The same logic applies to Liverpool, who face Paris St-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.
If either win a European trophy and finish fifth, then sixth would qualify for the Champions League via the EPS place.
If both win European trophies and finish fifth and sixth, that would put seventh into the Champions League.
Nottingham Forest are in the quarter-finals of the Europa League. They could emulate Tottenham by winning the competition and finishing in the bottom half of the table.
Just like last season, that would create a sixth team in the Champions League for the Premier League too.
'Anything is possible' in 'seven-game campaign'published at 08:24 BST 7 April
08:24 BST 7 April
Drew Heatley Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
Nothing quite beats the optimism you feel heading into the first game of the season. Everything is new - and anything is possible.
That is how it feels going into Saturday's game against Liverpool. It will have been a full three weeks since our most recent league game - and it feels like longer.
By virtue of our early FA Cup exit, Marco Silva has had a week-long "pre-season" with his full squad, preparing them for this mini seven-game campaign, with the prize at the end of it being a return to European football after 14 years.
Our first game back is against last season's champions, Liverpool. Their "pre-season" has been a miserable one, losing 4-0 to Manchester City in the cup.
We have lost just once in our past five games against the Reds, giving us confidence going into the game at Anfield. With an extended period of time to view the tools at his disposal, Marco's starting XI will be telling.
We are 10 points off our record Premier League points total and two wins from equalling our high of 15 league wins. Yet we sit in the strange position of knowing that we could achieve both and still finish outside the top eight - and miss out on the Conference League.
It is, on paper, a far from easy task. Four of our seven games are against teams above us in the table, while two of our opponents below - Bournemouth and Newcastle - sit within two points of us.
The flip of that is that any results we achieve will have a greater impact on the table. It is a fascinating mini-season, and after three weeks of twiddling our thumbs, Fulham fans are champing at the bit for proceedings to resume.
That pre-season optimism is in the air - and rightly so. Anything is possible, after all.
Fans have their say on who could be surprise team in Champions League race...published at 19:42 BST 1 April
19:42 BST 1 April
Image source, Getty Images
With fifth position looking set to be a Champions League spot for a second consecutive season, the form of Chelsea and Liverpool has left the door open for another team to possibly pip them to that place.
Brentford, Everton, Fulham and Brighton might not have expected to be fighting for a place in Europe's top club cup competition at the beginning of the campaign, but with all four within six points of fifth place it could yet become a reality.
At the time of writing, supporters think the eight-placed Toffees are most likely to reach that spot, with the current poll standings looking like this:
'Despite how frustrated we sometimes feel, we cannot quit the clubs we love'published at 12:28 BST 31 March
12:28 BST 31 March
Drew Heatley Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
We are in the middle of a three-week break from watching Fulham, thanks to the international break and our FA Cup exit.
But the club have given me plenty to chew over during this downtime, thanks to the recently published stance on away fans sitting in home stands wearing full colours.
In a meeting with the Fulham Supporters' Trust,, external the club said on record: "If an away supporter's presence has a negative effect, then we will intervene. If there is not a negative effect then we will not intervene."
At best, these comments are tone deaf. At worst, they feel antagonistic.
Craven Cottage is a hotbed for away fans of Premier League clubs buying tickets in the home ends to watch their sides because it is the easiest way for them to do so. So to all but endorse that activity is disappointing.
It once again calls into question how clubs view supporters in this modern era of football. We feel like customers, nothing more.
Fulham, in particular, indicate that is how they see us. In literature published last summer about the club's hospitality venture, Fulham Pier, the club apologised that it might sometimes be closed when "the local football team" was playing, detaching itself from the very thing that enables it to offer such a lucrative new revenue stream. The wording was later changed, external after consultation with the Supporters' Trust.
Couple this with ever-rising matchday ticket prices that prevent the next generation of Fulham supporters from germinating, and you can see why many fans fear for the future, despite success on the pitch.
While football clubs, or more accurately the custodians who currently own them, are gradually changing the way they treat loyal fanbases, our relationships with the entities that we have poured our lives into have not changed. So the gap between the two looks to keep widening.
But despite how frustrated we might sometimes feel, we just cannot quit the clubs we love.
So, these near month-long hiatuses are the longest breaks we will ever have to endure.
A win before the international break has given Villa just a little more breathing room in fourth, while defeats for Arne Slot's Reds and Liam Rosenior's Blues have left both clubs struggling to cement their place in Europe's premier club competition next season.
Their respective difficulties have given other teams, who at the start of the season could only have dreamed of the chance to secure Champions League football for next campaign, an opportunity to do just that.
With it all but certain that the Premier League will get an extra Champions League place for the second consecutive season, fifth is set to be enough to secure that ticket.
Brentford and Everton are just three points off that coveted spot, while Fulham are five points away and Brighton six.
Reaching form at the right time could be crucial, and if we take a look at the points-per-game record of those four chasing teams from their past seven results, it could give us an idea as to who has the best chance of toppling the traditional 'big six' teams for that final place.
If Brentford's PPG continues into the final seven games, it would take them to 56 points, while Everton's PPG of 1.7 would take them to 58 and just ahead of the Bees.
Fulham, meanwhile, have a form of 1.4 PPG that would take them to 54 points and not quite enough to overtake the two above, and in-form Brighton with 1.7 could get them to 55 points but that too would not take them past Brentford and Everton.
With so much left to play for and the pressure on the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool - who still have play each other - to reach their Champions League target, it could leave an opening for someone else to go on the ultimate European adventure.
Of the four sides eyeing an unexpected Champions League opportunity, who do you think has the best chance of sneaking into that fifth spot?
'Fascinating summer ahead with so much up in the air'published at 07:04 GMT 24 March
07:04 GMT 24 March
Drew Heatley Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
It was Benjamin Franklin who said nothing is certain in life except death and taxes. That rings true in SW6 as we inch towards the end of the season.
Chiefly, no-one knows the future of Marco Silva, who is entering the final three months of his contract.
The win over Burnley on Saturday will do little to mask the fact that this uncertainty has threatened to derail our campaign.
That might seem like hysteria, but it is the only way I can rationalise our recent hot-and-cold form, which has meant us falling behind in the race for Europe - and out of the FA Cup.
Despite all this, there were a few positives to take from the weekend - none better than academy graduate Josh King bagging his first league goal.
It was not a pretty one (his mazy run from the halfway line minutes earlier, reminiscent of Michael Owen for England against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup, would have grabbed more headlines), but it illustrated King's growth this season and put pressure on his rival for the number 10 role, Emile Smith Rowe, as the pair continue to trade places in Silva's starting XI.
Another shining light was Harry Wilson's return to the scoresheet.
The Welshman now has 11 goals and seven assists in a banner year, but while no-one knows how Silva's story will end, it looks increasingly likely that Wilson's time at Fulham is drawing to a close. And he's bowing out in the best possible way.
With so much up in the air, it is difficult to predict where the Whites will end up in the table with seven games left to play.
But one thing is for certain: it is set to be a fascinating summer.
