Defence fails again

Fulham were taken apart at Anfield against a side that has not scored two goals in a Premiership game for 11 matches before tonight.

Goal-shy strikers Robbie Fowler, Fernando Morientes and Peter Crouch, set Liverpool on the way to victory at Anfield.

Collins John equalised for Fulham in the first half before they went down 2-1 but Stephen Warnock and a Michael Brown own goal ensured that Fulham's second trip to Merseyside in five days was even more miserable than the first.

Fulham's away form has been, by all accounts, erratic this season and Fowler made sure the night was not to be their's with his first goal since his return to Anfield.

The first goal came from a corner, with Luis Garcia flicking on Harry Kewell's cross and Fowler stole in at the far post to head firmly past Warner.

Liverpool were looking shaky in front of goal with Traore and Fowler missing chances before their goal.

But when Fulham equalised it looked like it could be another one of those nights for Liverpool.

Collins John latched on to a perfect pass from Luis Boa Morte courtesy of a bad backpass from Daniel Agger. And that was not to be the last of their chances either.

Michael Brown was unlucky to convert a Kewell cross into his own net before Collins John and Steed Malbranque missed chances from inside the box and Knight hit the post with a towering header.

Too often this season though, Coleman's philosophy away from home has been to go all out for a goal rather than try and stifle the opposition and so again, it proved the Cottagers undoing.

The second half brought the killer goal in the 71st minute as Fernando Morientes scored his first in sixteen games from a rebound after Warner had parried Cisse's header from Steven Gerrard and fired it high into the net from six yards.

If the scoreline was to reflect the game, that would have been it. But Liverpool were more than eager to out-do their Merseyside neighbours and scored another two in the final three minutes.

Fulham looked shattered and could not deal with a good Steven Gerrard run to the touchline before he cut it back for Peter Crouch to score his sixth goal of the season.

Come the 91st minute, everyone must have believed that the Whites had suffered enough but still Liverpool came at them and were rewarded in the 91st minute with goal number five.

A late Stephen Warnock shot from range crept in low past Tony Warner to make it 5-1 before the final whistle blew and allowed Fulham to take a breath and bow their heads in shame as they left the field, humiliated away from home, yet again.

This is Fulham's fourth league defeat in a row and maybe they need to start looking over their shoulders before providing such a shambolic defensive display again, as that that Anfield witnessed tonight.

Robbie Fowler, scored Liverpool's first and inspirational for the second. Brought the Liverpool spirit of old back to Anfield.

This is Fulham's fourth league defeat in a row and maybe they need to start looking over their shoulders before providing such a shambolic defensive display again, as that that Anfield witnessed tonight.

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