The victory came at a crucial time for Liverpool, following a physically and mentally demanding week. Consequently, coach Arne Slot made several changes to the lineup, giving opportunities to young talents, including Ngumoha. The 17-year-old star immediately shone, living up to the Dutch coach's trust.

In the 36th minute, Florian Wirtz passed to Ngumoha on the left side of the penalty area, where several Fulham defenders stood. The young talent confidently controlled the ball, dribbled past Timothy Castagne, and then curled a right-footed shot into the far corner. The highly difficult finish, with its perfectly curved trajectory, left Bernd Leno with no chance to save.

This marked Ngumoha's first goal at Anfield, making him the youngest player to score for Liverpool at home in the Premier League, at 17 years and 225 days old.

Rio Ngumoha celebrates Liverpool's opening goal in their 2-0 victory over Fulham at Anfield, Liverpool, United Kingdom, on 11/4. *Photo: AP*

The opening goal eased Liverpool's psychological pressure. Just four minutes later, they doubled their lead with a similar scenario, but on the opposite flank. Ngumoha again initiated the attack, disrupting Fulham's defense on the left wing before the ball reached Cody Gakpo. The Dutch forward skillfully controlled and laid it off to Salah, who curled a first-time left-footed shot into the far corner. This was Salah's 256th goal for Liverpool across all competitions and ended his seven-game goalless streak at Anfield in the Premier League.

Leading 2-0 after the first half, Liverpool went into halftime with a significant advantage. Statistics show they have never lost at Anfield when leading by two or more goals in Premier League history (121 wins, three draws). The second half's events somewhat reflected this, despite being challenging.

Fulham played more proactively after the break, maintaining good possession and consistently applying pressure. In the 47th minute, Sasa Lukic found the net for Fulham, but the goal was disallowed for offside. The visitors continued to create several notable opportunities, including a close-range header from Rodrigo Muniz in the 63rd minute and an Emile Smith Rowe volley that went just wide in the 78th minute.

In total, Fulham took 19 shots, the highest number Liverpool has faced at home in a Premier League match since the 2003-2004 season. In the second half alone, the visitors had 10 shots. However, their issue lay in the quality of chances and their conversion ability, with only four shots on target.

Meanwhile, Liverpool could not maintain the same pressure as in the first half, especially after Ngumoha left the field in the 69th minute. Coach Slot's changes, including substituting both Ngumoha and Frimpong, caused the home side to lose speed in their counter-attacks, allowing Fulham to push their defensive line higher.

Nevertheless, Liverpool's resilience helped them hold firm in the final stages of the match. Goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and the defense, commanded by Virgil van Dijk, thwarted numerous dangerous situations. In the 86th minute, Raul Jimenez had a clear opportunity on the edge of the box but shot wide of the post, missing Fulham's best chance to reduce the deficit.

In the stands, Liverpool fans endured a tense final few minutes before erupting in cheers at the final whistle. From the start of the match, they had consistently sung about Andrew Robertson, the defender set to leave the club after the season. The atmosphere at Anfield became even more positive following the home team's impressive performance.

The 2-0 victory gave Liverpool 52 points from 32 games, solidifying their fifth-place position and creating a four-point gap over the chasing pack. Ahead for Slot's squad is the Champions League quarter-final second leg against PSG, also at Anfield, on the evening of 14/4.

Xuan Binh