Wirtz, VAR, and Late Drama as Fulham Hold Liverpool at Craven Cottage
If you want one game that perfectly sums up Liverpool’s season so far, this chaotic 2-2 draw away at Fulham probably does it. It had controversy, late goals, frustration, and one moment of pure brilliance right at the death. And at the heart of the debate was Florian Wirtz’s equaliser that many people inside Craven Cottage were convinced should never have stood.
Liverpool came into the match already dealing with problems. Top scorer Hugo Ekitike was missing with a muscle issue, and that lack of a focal point showed in a flat first half. Fulham took advantage when former Liverpool man Harry Wilson opened the scoring, finishing confidently after being kept onside by Virgil van Dijk. At that point, Liverpool hadn’t even forced Bernd Leno into a serious save, and things looked worrying for Arne Slot’s side.
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The game changed after the break. Liverpool played with more urgency, pushed Fulham back, and eventually got their equaliser through Florian Wirtz. Initially, the flag went up for offside, and even Wirtz himself thought the goal was going to be ruled out. He later admitted he didn’t celebrate because he was sure he had gone too early. Fulham boss Marco Silva felt the same, and so did a large chunk of the crowd. But after a VAR check using semi-automated offside technology, the goal was given.
So why did it stand? In simple terms, the Premier League still applies a tolerance level that gives the attacker the benefit of the doubt in extremely tight decisions. Even if a player appears marginally offside, that built-in margin can still result in the goal being allowed. It’s designed to avoid decisions being decided by millimetres, and in this case, Wirtz benefited from it.
Late drama followed. Liverpool thought they had won it when Cody Gakpo scored in stoppage time, sparking wild celebrations in the away end. But just when it looked like the points were heading back to Merseyside, substitute Harrison Reed produced a stunning moment. From 25 yards out, in the 97th minute, he smashed an unstoppable shot into the top corner, scoring what may well be the goal of his career.
For Fulham, it felt like justice. Silva said it would have been unfair to lose after their performance. For Liverpool, it was another example of points slipping away in cruel fashion. They extended their unbeaten run, but once again, frustration outweighed satisfaction. As Slot admitted, this is a pattern his team has been living with for months, and this wild afternoon in west London only reinforced that feeling.
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