Liverpool fire on all cylinders against Cottagers (ESPN article)

by Dave Usher for ESPN

Liverpool bounced back from last week's disappointment at the Emirates by comprehensively beating hapless Fulham 4-0 on Saturday afternoon at Anfield. To coin an old football expression, Martin Jol's men were lucky to get nil, this really was so one-sided.

The Reds totalled 32 shots compared to Fulham's four. Premier League games don't get much easier than this one, but you have to put the work in to make it that easy and Liverpool certainly did that.

The passing, movement and inventiveness in the home side's play caught the eye, but just as important were the relentless pressing and intense work rate that never tailed off at any point during the game. Even in the closing stages the tigerish Joe Allen, Jordan Henderson and Lucas Leiva were still closing down, snapping at opponents' heels and not giving Fulham players any time in possession. It was great to see, but begs the question; why don't Liverpool always press the opposition high up the pitch like this?

Around this time last season Brendan Rodgers first spoke of his 'death by football' vision. He wanted visiting sides to view a game at Anfield as 'the longest 90 minutes of their lives'. This was as close to that as we've seen in some time: Fulham were longing for the final whistle from the moment they conceded the first goal. There are some talented players in the Londoner's squad but they do not appear to be playing for the manager and the likeable Jol looks to be in real danger of losing his job as Fulham's wretched form cannot be allowed to continue for much longer.

Things are ticking over nicely for Rodgers, however, and his side have now moved back up to second place after Chelsea were surprisingly held to a draw by a team who were hammered by Liverpool a fortnight ago. As I wrote last week, the Arsenal result was disappointing, but it will not be games away to the top sides that define Liverpool's season; it's the ones against the likes of Fulham that will determine where the Reds finish. For Liverpool to break into the top four, they have to beat the sides they are supposed to be beating, and you'd have to say that for the most part they have been doing that in 2013.

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