Fulham v Liverpool: Live matchday blog
James Milner's late penalty gave Liverpool a 2-1 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage after Ryan Babel had struck against his former club to cancel out Sadio Mane's opener.
Here's how the top of the table is looking following today's result...
The story of the game, via Opta stats...
Full Time
Fulham 1-2 Liverpool
Liverpool record a victory at Craven Cottage to go back to the top of the Premier League table.
They needed James Milner's late penalty to clinch the three points after Ryan Babel had capatilised on a defensive mistake to cancel out Sadio Mane's first-half opener.
Yellow Card
A late yellow for Bryan for a late challenge on Mane.
Substitution
Salah is replaced by Sturridge for the final moments.
Three minutes of added time to be played...
Chance!
Liverpool break and Mane feeds Salah, whose swipe towards goal is repelled by Rico.
Chance!
Wijnaldum is an inch away from a third Liverpool as his strike from the edge of the area whistles past the post.
Goal
GOAL! JAMES MILNER!
No mistake from Milner and Liverpool's lead is restored at Craven Cottage.
Penalty
Liverpool have a penalty after Rico's shove on Mane inside the box.
Goal
Goal for Fulham - Ryan Babel
The home team draw level, but it comes via misjudgement between Van Dijk and Alisson. The former tries to nod a long ball back towards the latter, but Babel is able to steal in and it deflects off him and over the goalkeeper, allowing the ex-Red to tap in.
1-1 now.
Chance!
Mane glances Alexander-Arnold's corner across goal at the near post. The ball crashes against the top of the crossbar and bounces behind.
Substitution
Here is the double change - Origi and Milner on for Firmino and Lallana.
Origi and Milner being prepared for Liverpool.
Fullham enjoying their best spell here. First they counter from a Liverpool corner through Babel and Ayite has a strike blocked by Robertson before Fosu-Mensah's effort from range is collected by Alisson.
Wijnaldum wants a spot-kick after holding as he tried to meet Firmino's cross, but a corner is given.
Yellow Card
Anguissa sees yellow for a challenge on Mane.
Substitution
Sessegnon is on for the hosts, with Seri making way.
Disallowed Goal
Fulham have it in the back of the Liverpool net, but Seri Ayite is well offside when he heads in from close range.
Chance!
Van Dijk is so close to a second goal for Liverpool as he meets Fabinho's delivery to the back post from a short corner; however, Rico makes a fine flying save to keep out his header.
Matip is an inch away from turning in Alexander-Arnold's corner. It'd just a touch too high for him to reach.
Lallana stands a cross up towards the back post, where Wijnaldum gets underneath it and nods well over.
Crucial challenge from Chambers stops Lallana getting into a shooting position inside the box.
Then, Firmino's attempted flick from Wijnaldum's cross is blocked by a defender.
Kick-Off
Back under way...
Liverpool re-start the contest at Craven Cottage.
What are the odds?
Fulham: 35/1
Draw: 10/1
Liverpool: 1/16
Click here to place your bets with BetVictor.
The tale of the first half tape, as told by Opta..
Half Time
Fulham 0-1 Liverpool
Sadio Mane's 25th-minute goal is the difference between the teams at the break at Craven Cottage.
Yellow Card
Fabinho is booked for a challenge on Cairney.
Cairney hoists well over the bar from Babel's lay-off after a lively run from the former Red down the right.
Chance
Lallana and Robertson open up Fulham with a one-two down the left - and the latter has a blast deflected away by the knee of Rico.
Stat
Sadio Mane has scored 16 goals from open play in the Premier League this season, more than any other player - Man City's Sergio Aguero is second with 15.
Sadio Mane has score nine goals in his last nine Premier League appearances.
He's on fire at the moment.
Salah's curler from distance is claimed by Rico at the second attempt.
Goal
GOAL! SADIO MANE!
Liverpool have the lead at Craven Cottage - and the identity of the scorer will come as little surprise.
Mane glides down the left, exchanges passes with Firmino, and slots beyond Rico with aplomb.
Lovely stuff.
Babel gets a shooting opportunity on the edge of the area and crashes it against Matip.
Matip meets Alexander-Arnold's corner with a near-post header that he sends well wide of the far stick.
Alexander-Arnold's delivery from the right bounces dangerously across the face of goal, but no-one is on hand to claim a touch.
Matip's cross-field sends Robertson scampering into space down the left, but his low cross is claimed by Rico in the six-yard box.
Seri curls over Alisson's crossbar from the corner of the box after being set up by Babel.
Half-chance for Salah as he tries to pounce on Chambers' poor headed, but he can't get a proper connection on his shot.
Kick-Off
Here we go...
We're under way at Craven Cottage as Fulham kick the game off.
Come on you Reds!
A minute's applause is observed in memory of Zara Barka Harisson, a Fulham employee and Liverpool fan, who sadly passed away recently.
Here come the teams...
Young Reds reach final...
Liverpool's U18s have done it - they've reached the FA Youth Cup final after beating Watford 2-1 at Anfield thanks to a Paul Glatzel brace.
The Reds will meet either Manchester City or West Bromwich Albion in the final.
The Reds arrive...
Inside the dressing room...
The formations
This is how Opta expect the two sides to shape up...
TEAM NEWS
Two changes for Liverpool at Fulham as Fabinho and Adam Lallana come into the starting line-up in place of James Milner and the injured Jordan Henderson.
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Lallana, Mane, Salah, Firmino.
Subs: Mignolet, Lovren, Milner, Sturridge, Moreno, Shaqiri, Origi.
Matip takes the mic
Joel handles pre-match media obligations at Craven Cottage.
Here they come...
The Reds have arrived at Craven Cottage.
Stay tuned for team news at 1.15pm GMT.
So far, so good
Liverpool U18s lead 2-0 at half-time in their FA Youth Cup semi-final against Watford at Anfield.
Prolific striker Paul Glatzel has scored both - taking his tally for the season to 28.
Friends reunited
Two former Reds are here in the press room at Craven Cottage, with Jamie Carragher and Glen Johnson currently catching up ahead of the action getting under way.
Both men were in the Liverpool starting XI when Daniel Sturridge scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 win in May 2013.
Weather
*Liverpoolfc.com matchday blog weather update klaxon*
Here it is, weather update fans. Here it is.
It's an overcast afternoon at Craven Cottage, with temperatures in the 'cool' region though there is no rain falling in the hours before kick-off. Coat or jacket recommended if you're heading to the stadium today. If you're not... ignore this message.
Pitch inspection...
Getting a bird's eye view.
Can Mo do it again?
Last time in the league
This time last week, the Reds were beginning their battle from a goal down to beat Burnley 4-2, with Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane bagging a brace apiece to secure three points. Relive the highlights of that one below...
The Cottage is ready...
Parker on Reds test
Fulham caretaker manager Scott Parker has spoken of his respect for the Reds in his matchday programme notes.
"This afternoon we're up against a Liverpool side firmly challenging for the title," he writes.
"Their 4-2 win against Burnley last weekend showed their character and resilience having gone a goal behind. A win for them will move them to the top of the Premier League as we enter the final stretch of the campaign, so they will be fully motivated this afternoon.
"Tests don't come much harder than today; we know we're up against an excellent side."
Shouting the odds
Here's how BetVictor see it today...
Fulham - 12/1
Draw - 6/1
Liverpool - 2/9
Click here to take a look at their match markets and place a bet.
Did you know?
Fabinho has started 16 Premier League games for Liverpool, with the Reds winning 12 and drawing four of those matches.
There's another big game on today too, you know.
Liverpool are taking on Watford in the FA Youth Cup semi-finals at Anfield, with kick-off set for midday.
We'll keep you posted on how the lads are getting on.
The Reds haven't played at Craven Cottage for just over five years.
Last time we were here, Stevie sealed it in stoppage time...
'It'll be difficult to stop him'
The Reds could come up against a familiar face this afternoon - Ryan Babel.
The Dutchman played 146 times for Liverpool during his four-year Anfield career and is now at Fulham.
He's also an international teammate of Gini Wijnaldum and Virgil van Dijk, and our No.5 knows all about the forward's talents.
“I am really close with him,” Gini told Liverpoolfc.com.
“We speak with each other quite often and we just speak about each other’s career. Beside that, we’re also good friends. I am happy to see him back, but unfortunately he plays for the team we are going to play against so I hope we can beat them.
“For the national team, he is really important for us - I think he is important for Fulham with the way he is and the way he plays, so it will be difficult to stop him.”
Heads and volleys... into a bin!
Liverpool's preparations for today's game featured a novel twist on an old classic at Melwood on Friday afternoon, as these photos and the video below show...
'Liverpool are up there with the world's best'
So said Fulham boss Scott Parker in his pre-match press conference.
"It’s a massive challenge [against] a team that are fighting at the right end of the table in terms of going for the championship, one full of individual quality that is up there with the world's best," stated Parker.
"They’re a fantastic team and it's a big challenge for us as a team but one we're looking forward to."
Goals in either half by Mohamed Salah and Xherdan Shaqiri settled the return fixture against Fulham at Anfield back in November.
Same again today would be nice, lads!
Missing Men
2004-05 was a good season for Liverpool comebacks.
Seven months before that night in Istanbul, the Reds came from two goals down to beat Fulham 4-2 at Craven Cottage.
Xabi Alonso's introduction at half-time was a game-changer on that October afternoon - but can you remember eight of Rafa Benitez's starting line-up?
Click on the graphic to reveal the answer...
20 up for Sadio?
Sadio Mane scored twice in Munich to take his goal tally to 10 in his last 10 appearances.
Our No.10's next goal will be his 20th of the season in all competitions, matching his total for the entirety of 2017-18.
Speaking of Munich...
The Reds added another famous European night to the club's extensive collection by beating Bayern 3-1 at their own stadium on Wednesday.
Watch highlights of the game and go behind the scenes of an unforgettable Champions League trip with 'Inside Munich'...
Team news
We'll bring you confirmed team news from Craven Cottage first at 1.15pm GMT, but we already know a bit about the selection options available to Klopp.
Jordan Henderson is out due to the ankle problem he picked up in the midweek win in Munich, but Naby Keita could return after he missed the match at the Allianz Arena with a minor injury.
For Fulham, Andre Schurrle has missed the last four games with a virus, and Marcus Bettinelli’s knee problem has ruled him out of the previous six.
Defender Alfie Mawson, meanwhile, has not played since December because of a knee injury of his own.
Catch up with Jürgen Klopp's pre-match press conference in full...
Cast your eye over the situation at the top of the Premier League and the two teams' top-flight seasons to date below...
Ready?
It's matchday again, and Liverpool visit Fulham this afternoon knowing that a win would take them back to the top of the table with Manchester City not in Premier League action this weekend.
Stick with us for the most comprehensive live coverage of all the build-up, action and reaction from Craven Cottage.