05 May 2023 , 04:00
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A frenzied few days for Jurgen Klopp was calmed on Wednesday night after his Liverpool team notched a 1-0 win over Fulham at Anfield.
Mo Salah's penalty kept their fading Champions League hopes alive, although trailing Man United by two points having played two games more, a Europa League spot now appears the most likely conclusion. As so often the case at Anfield these days, the result wasn't without its controversy, with the visitors left smarting over the spot kick that proved defining.
As for Klopp, he has the potential of a lengthy touchline ban hanging over him after being charged by the FA this week over his controversial behaviour in the Spurs clash last Sunday. But regardless, the German boss is getting on with planning an overhaul of his squad this summer, after the Reds missed out on top target Jude Bellingham.
Klopp prepares for summer spree
Four iconic Liverpool shirts could be on offer in the summer with Jurgen Klopp preparing for both incomings and outgoings.
Jurgen Klopp is expected to endure a squad overhaul this summer (Getty Images)The club may have given up in their pursuit of Jude Bellingham, but big recruitment is still being planned, with the club set to remove James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita and Adrian off their wage bill, with the quintet's current deals all expiring in June.
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That would suddenly free up the No 7, 8, and 9 shirts in the squad, with the No 10 still vacant from Sadio Mane's move to Bayern. The race to take up the numbers previously worn by the likes of Kevin Keegan, Steven Gerrard, Ian Rush and John Barnes will soon be on.
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Fulham star claims ref admitted penalty error
The fallout from Liverpool's win over Fulham has been nothing to match the explosion that signified the aftermath of the Spurs clash, but Tom Cairney has made a stinging claim over the game's defining moment.
Fulham players protest the penalty decision (Ryan Browne/REX/Shutterstock)Darwin Nunez went down in the box after dispossessing Issa Diop and referee Stuart Attwell pointed to the spot, with his call seemingly vindicated by a swift VAR check. However, slow motion replays seemed to show that Diop avoided making any contact with the Uruguayan forward, and Fulham player Cairney later claimed that Attwell acknowledged that notion.
"He (Attwell) said second half to one of our players that it wasn’t a penalty, so it’s frustrating because it goes to other people to make the correct decision," he told the official Fulham website. "Issa Diop hasn’t touched him, Nunez has taken another step and then gone over, and then you lose to something like that at Anfield which is frustrating when we’re trying to climb as high as we can.”
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Alisson close to tears after keeping clean sheet
Despite Fulham's complaints, they could still have snatched a point at Anfield were it not for an outstanding save by Liverpool's Brazil keeper Alisson in the 77th-minute to keep out countryman Carlos Vinicius.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MAY 03: Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker celebrates his team's goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Fulham FC at Anfield on May 3, 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)And the stopper was surprisingly emotional following a first clean sheet in five Premier League games, with Klopp explaining afterwards: “Alisson was close to crying with a clean sheet. It’s pretty rare for us this season. It’s very nice, especially for him.”
It's perhaps a measure of his standards that 'rare' signified a 12th shut out from the keeper this season - the third most in the league and only bettered by David de Gea and Nick Pope. Allison himself said: "Really happy to keep the clean sheet. Tonight it was massive to keep the three points as well. It was a really tough game against a really good side."
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