Team news

Liverpool preview
Steven Gerrard will miss his third successive Liverpool match with the groin injury he picked up playing for England in Ukraine earlier this month.

Liverpool will also be without England full-back Glen Johnson (calf) for the game against Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani, who made his first-team debut at Arsenal in the Carling Cup on Wednesday, has picked up a virus and will not be in the squad while Rafael Benitez will give a late test to Fernando Torres (groin) but expects him to be available.

Gerrard's long-term fitness holds the key to what Liverpool can still achieve this season.

Manager Benitez is still privately furious that Gerrard sustained and aggravated a groin injury on England duty.

The midfielder is already out of the trip to Fulham and has little chance of being involved in the vital Champions League game at Lyon next Wednesday.

Benitez is well aware that a poor result at Craven Cottage, followed by an almost certain exit from Europe if they lose in Lyon, will see him back in the firing line.

But the prospect of an operation for Gerrard is not being ruled out, and that would mean an even longer absence.

Benitez said: "Gerrard is improving but the next week will be crucial in terms of any decision about what we will do with him.

"I have talked to him, he is working with the medical team and his progress is slow, but we will then have to decide what to do if he is not progressing as quickly as we would hope.

"He has had this problem for some time but when he has a lot of games for his club, as well as the national team, it is not easy to give him a rest.

"We will try to manage this differently in the future but we always have the same problem, that he wants to play in every match.

"And that applies to England as well. It is very positive, it is a fine mentality, but maybe we should be looking at the right way to handle a problem that continues to cause him trouble.

"I do not believe he will have this problem for the rest of his career but we certainly need to find a solution now. We have a good medical staff, I have confidence we can manage this problem."

Fulham preview
Fulham striker Andy Johnson will be absent as he is still suffering from a groin problem, although the club hope to have an update on his condition on Monday.

Midfielders Simon Davies (foot), Dickson Etuhu (knee) and Danny Murphy (knee) remain out but could be back for Thursday's Europa League trip to Roma.

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson believes the gap between the big four and the rest of the Premier League is narrowing.

Just eight points separate the top eight teams in what is shaping up to be the most competitive title race in years.

And Hodgson will send his players out against Liverpool knowing they are capable of upsetting Benitez's side.

"The degree of difficulty in beating the so-called lesser teams is getting higher," he said.

"Sunderland, for example, are a tougher nut to crack this year than in previous years and maybe Tottenham away was an easier fixture for Liverpool a few years ago.

"I know we can't say the league is an even one where the last team is every bit as good as the first, but the standard at the bottom is getting higher and that's making it more difficult for the boys at the top.

"That makes it more exciting. I still think the ones we regard as the top clubs will stay that way because they have the 60-70,000 capacity stadiums and the expensive transfers.

"But maybe - just maybe - they are going to have to drop a few more points along the way." Benitez will arrive at Craven Cottage with his position under scrutiny following Liverpool's woeful run of five defeats from six matches.

But Hodgson believes the Spaniard's job is safe.

"The pressure is from the outside and that's something we can do nothing about," he said.

"I'd be surprised and concerned if the pressure on Rafa was coming from the inside.

"If the owners or players were doubting if he is the right man to lead Liverpool then that would surprise and disappoint me.

"But that's not happening, instead the pressure is coming from the outside.

"Guys like Rafa Benitez, Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson have faced pressure for years and accept it as part of the job.

Fulham vs Liverpool

Last modified 15:07 01/11/09

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The title dream is all but over for Liverpool after their challenge imploded on the banks of the the Thames.

Two men sent off, three goals conceded and a fifth Premier League defeat in 11 matches. Mathematics may say that the championship is still a possibility,  but then reality kicks in.

Liverpool are not the best team in England. Indeed, it is now debatable whether

they are the best team on Merseyside.

Quite simply, they are not good enough and if they suffer another setback in Lyon in midweek, then the Champions League venture will be close to termination, too.

The pressure is bound to intensify on manager Rafa Benitez as results continue to deteriorate.

Benitez admitted that he does not know when inspirational captain Steven Gerrard will be fit and that Fernando Torres has to be nursed through matches with a nagging groin injury.

Torres lasted 63 minutes yesterday and Benitez said: “We have to protect the players. We don’t want to play him too long so he is out for a month.”

All the ground that was made up with that exhilarating demolition of Manchester United a week ago has been lost inside four days – out of the Carling Cup to Arsenal’s Mothercare XI followed by yesterday’s setback at Craven Cottage. It will be a brave man who asks whether Benitez experienced a trick or a treat on Halloween.

To compound the problem, Fulham’s win was thoroughly deserved. Roy Hodgson set up his team to play classic counter-attacking football to nullify Liverpool’s midfield threat and to expose their shortcomings at the back – and it worked to perfection.

Hodgson’s delight at the result was countered by the loss of Damien Duff and Diomansy Kamara through injury to add to a list that already includes Danny Murphy and Andrew Johnson.

“This was always going to be a difficult season because of the commitment in European football that has put a big

strain on our resources,” said Hodgson.

“Damien has an Achilles tendon injury and I don’t know when he will be fit. But you would have to put him in a cage to stop him going to report to the Republic of Ireland for  their World Cup play-off!

“We are getting better as a team and this was a great win. The players are up to speed with what makes us tick.”

Liverpool prodded and probed in the first 20 minutes but, without the dynamism of Gerrard, there was no one to spark the search for a breakthrough.

Fulham scored with their first real attack  after 23 minutes. Kamara fed Duff whose instant cross caught Greece defender Sotiriois Kyrgiakos flat-footed. Bobby Zamora, a handful all afternoon for Liverpool – swooped to score from close range.

Benitez paid AEK Athens £2million for  Kyrgiakos – and hopefully he kept the receipt. The centre- back looked uncomfortable with the pace of the English game and Jamie Carragher had to work overtime to counter Fulham’s threat.

To be fair, Liverpool had controlled a first half in which Yossi Benayoun hit the bar and almost inevitably it was Torres who equalised.

Aaron Hughes deflected a ball from Andriy Voronin into the Spaniard’s path on the edge of the area and his crisp volley gave Mark Schwarzer no hope.

The injuries to Duff and Kamara only galvanised Fulham, while the withdrawal of Torres had the opposite effect on Liverpool.

Then Fulham’s new-found aggression paid dividends when Paul Konchesky robbed Dirk Kuyt and his cross was headed back across goal by Zoltan Gera for Erik Nevland to steer past Pepe Reina.

In the 79th minute, Philipp Degen was sent off for a lunge at Clint Dempsey to the disbelief of Benitez, who was even more incredulous two minutes later when referee Lee Mason dismissed Carragher for bringing down Zamora.

Nevland then set up Dempsey for the third and it was all over for Liverpool.