Former Match of the Day pundit Garth Crooks has slammed the the Liverpool defence, specifically Trent Alexander-Arnold, following their performance against Fulham.
Crooks was also full of praise for Fulham striker Aleksander Mitrovic, who scored two goals against the Reds, and included the Serbian in his Premier League team of the week for BBC Sport.
"I know it was warm at Craven Cottage, but not even the former European champions can win football matches playing at walking pace,” the former Stoke player stated.
“Meanwhile, Fulham were right in the face of the visitors and they didn't like it.”
Advert
"Mitrovic, a player I thought was done playing Premier League football two years ago, was putting himself about like Didier Drogba - much to the dismay of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who got destroyed by the Serbia international for the first goal, and a Liverpool backline who had come for an easy life."
The praise for Mitrovic came at the expense of Alexander-Arnold, who struggled to contain the Fulham striker and has come under scrutiny for his defending during the first goal.
Advert
Mitrovic rose above the England defender to power a header past Alisson into the Liverpool net.
Trent has made 228 appearances for the Reds since making his debut in 2016 and has been a key component in Liverpool’s recent successes.
The incredible attacking talent of the 23-year-old makes him almost undroppable for the Reds but if he continues to make defensive slip-ups, new signing Calvin Ramsey and Joe Gomez will surely be waiting in the wings for an opportunity to impress.
Liverpool looked rusty during their first game of the season and Jurgen Klopp will be desperate to get his side back to the form they were in towards the back-end of last season.
Advert
However, Klopp will be delighted with the output of his strikers, especially Darwin Nunez, who came off the bench and scored his second competitive goal for the club, in just his second appearance for the club.
Will Beaman