Andy Robertson threw his arms up in despair.
It was half self-castigation, half bemoaning his misfortune after giving Fulham a helping hand in ending Liverpool’s 26-game unbeaten Premier League run.
It was 15 seconds to forget for the club’s long-serving left-back. His initial blunder just past the half-hour mark, with the score at 1-1, was inexplicable as his crossfield pass dropped straight to opponent Alex Iwobi and left Arne Slot’s title-bound side exposed.
Robertson’s desperate attempts to make amends compounded the problem as he charged into the middle of the box and only succeeded in nodding the ball back into Iwobi’s path when he challenged Andreas Pereira. Then, for good measure, he inadvertently diverted Iwobi’s shot past Caoimhin Kelleher.
Other stellar names featured heavily in Liverpool’s comedy of errors in the first half of Sunday’s 3-2 defeat at Craven Cottage.
Ibrahima Konate was as poor as he’s been all season. The France defender missed the cross which bounced off Curtis Jones’ knee and fell invitingly for Ryan Sessegnon to cancel out Alexis Mac Allister’s stunning opener. Virgil van Dijk got outwitted by the combative Rodrigo Muniz for Fulham’s third.
“After half an hour, I looked at the scoreboard and it was 1-1. I was like, ‘OK, not our best game, but we have control’,” Slot said. “All of a sudden, I blinked my eyes and we were 3-1 down. It wasn’t 45 minutes of disaster but the errors we made are something we’re not used to.
“Of course it disappoints me, the players and the fans. The reason we’re in the position we are is that we haven’t made many mistakes.”
Slot dismissed suggestions that complacency had played a part, given their commanding 11-point lead at the Premier League summit, but there was a collective malaise against Fulham. It was the first time Liverpool had conceded three or more goals in the first half of a top-flight game since that 7-2 away defeat against Aston Villa in October 2020.
Mac Allister’s goal aside, the midfield unit were as unimpressive as they have been all season and the front three were well off the pace as Mohamed Salah’s recent barren run continued. It took the introductions of Luis Diaz and Conor Bradley in the second half to inject some dynamism that resulted in the Colombian reducing the deficit and setting up a frantic finale.
But it was Robertson who proved to be the lightning rod for criticism.
His form has come under intense scrutiny during his eighth season at Anfield.
After the home win over Villa in November, the Scotland captain talked about being in uncharted territory after feeling “written off” and vowed to “prove the doubters wrong”. At the time, he found his status as Liverpool’s first-choice left-back under threat for the first time since he usurped Alberto Moreno midway through 2017-18. Slot was frequently rotating him with Kostas Tsimikas.
That battle was subsequently won, with Robertson remaining a regular starter during the second half of the campaign, but the clamour for the club to strengthen in that department this summer hasn’t been silenced.
Critics had a field day with the penalties Robertson conceded against Southampton and Real Madrid, and the red card at home to Fulham after a heavy touch led to him bringing down Harry Wilson. He also got caught out at the far post by Jacob Murphy in the build-up to Newcastle’s second goal in last month’s Carabao Cup final defeat at Wembley. It was another stick to beat him with.
He only has one assist in 41 appearances in all competitions, and that was in the Champions League win over Real Madrid in November. His last top-flight assist came against Sheffield United on April 4 last year. Having got 26 assists across 2021-22 and 2022-23, he’s managed three combined in the near two full seasons since.
But it’s too simplistic to hold that up as proof that a player who turned 31 last month is finished at the highest level.
Both a sense of perspective and some respect is required, given Robertson is on the brink of winning his second Premier League title with Liverpool. There have been some uncharacteristic and costly mistakes along the way, but there have also been plenty of rock-solid performances which have gone under the radar. Manchester City away and Paris Saint-Germain at home spring to mind.
You also have to factor in how Robertson’s role has changed since Slot took over from Jurgen Klopp last summer.
The table below shows how he is seeing less of the ball under Slot, with Liverpool increasingly looking to their midfielders to provide a creative spark.
Where Robertson is getting involved has also changed, with more possession in the half-space channels due to Slot’s preference for his full-backs to make under-lapping runs rather than staying out on the touchline.
As for the decline in Robertson’s attacking output, the graph below, which shows expected assists (xA), provides some context.
After several years where he got more assists than the quality of chances he created would have suggested, the trend has since been reversed.
Robertson’s legendary status at Anfield is long since secure. He’s won the lot since being plucked from a Hull City side freshly relegated to the Championship for an initial fee of just £8million (then $10.3m) in the summer of 2017. As he approaches 350 appearances for the club — coupled with the intense demands placed on him at international level — it’s hardly a surprise that at times he’s felt the strain. He’s got a lot of miles on the clock.
Liverpool do need to sign a left-back this summer. The most sensible approach would be to move Tsimikas on and bring in a younger, higher-calibre replacement. Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez is admired by recruitment staff and, at the age of 21, the Hungary international fits the profile to a greater extent than Antonee Robinson of Fulham, who turns 28 in August. Ajax’s Jorrel Hato, 19, is another possible option.
With Robertson approaching the final year of his contract, there could be a gradual handover next season that would allow Liverpool to continue to benefit from his leadership and wealth of experience.
Like so many of his team-mates, Robertson had a bad day at Craven Cottage, but do not lose sight of the bigger picture. A first away league defeat of Slot’s reign has only delayed the coronation of this season’s champions.
(Top photo: Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images)
