Liverpool v Fulham player ratings: Salah 7, Alexander-Arnold 8; Willian 7, Diop 5

LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson - 7. Largely untroubled but made two fine stops from Carlos Vinicius after the Brazilian was played through on goal. Kept things neat and tidy in possession. EPA

Trent Alexander-Arnold - 8. Ran the show from his new inverted full-back position. The England international was Liverpool’s creative heartbeat and seems to be playing with a new-found confidence in his abilities. AFP

Ibrahima Konate - 7. Looked far more assured in the Liverpool back four when compared to recent weeks, even if he wasn’t always in sync with his central defensive partner. Getty

Virgil van Dijk - 7. Kept Carlos Vinicius quiet for long spells, although the Dutchman still looked vulnerable whenever the ball was played in behind. Made a superb last-ditch interception to prevent a certain goal in the first half. AP

Konstantinos Tsimikas - 6. Looked slightly off the pace having been out of the Liverpool starting XI for a while. Slightly overzealous when stepping out of defence, which did leave Van Dijk exposed on occasion. Reuters

Jordan Henderson - 7. Excellent in possession throughout, linking up nicely with Alexander-Arnold down the right channel. The captain also set the tempo in terms of pressing and build-up play. AP

Fabinho - 7. Looked composed in the middle of the park, keeping things neat and tidy - all while shielding the back line. Worked hard to deny Tom Cairney space throughout the game. EPA

Curtis Jones - 6. Very much a game of two halves from the young midfielder, who had a 100 per cent pass success rate in the first half – with some sloppiness creeping into his game during the second period. AP

Mohamed Salah - 7. Provided a constant threat down the right side, even if his end product often lacked quality. The Egyptian scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot – blasting the ball straight down the middle. AP

Darwin Nunez - 5. While the forward did earn Liverpool’s match-winning penalty thanks to his pressing of Issa Diop, it was an otherwise forgettable evening. He lacked sharpness in possession with some very clumsy touches in the final third. Getty

Luis Diaz – 7. In stark contrast to his South American teammate, the Columbian was a livewire on the left for the home side. His drifting runs into central positions caused all sorts of problems for Fulham. Reuters

SUBS: Andrew Robertson (for Tsimikas, 66') - 6. The Scot looked threatening when marauding forward, although he failed to have a significant impact on the game beyond a handful of clearances. Reuters

Cody Gakpo (for Diaz, 66') - 7. Very much picked up from where Diaz had left off, exhibiting some nice flashes of skill and instinctive movement off the ball. EPA

Diogo Jota (for Nunez, 83') - N/R. Came on for the final 10 minutes, primarily assisting Liverpool’s defensive efforts as Fulham pushed for a late winner. EPA

Harvey Elliot (for Salah, 84') - N/R. The 20-year-old was eager to impress against his former club, leading to a handful of unforced errors that almost ended up costing his side. PA

James Milner (for Jones, 84') - N/R. Little of note to report. EPA

FULHAM RATINGS: Bernd Leno - 7. The German goalkeeper can count himself unlucky to have conceded, having been almost faultless all game. He was especially impressive at rushing out of his goal whenever the ball was played over the top. AP

Cedric Soares - 6. Had some joy going forward, especially during the few moments he overlapped Harry Wilson ahead of him. Otherwise, the right-back generate struggled to contain the threat of Diaz. AP

Tosin Adarabioyo - 7. The more solid of Fulham’s central defenders, having won almost all aerial duels with Nunez and played the ball out well from the back. Reuters

Issa Diop - 5. A night defined by a handful of costly mistakes, although the former West Ham United defender would perhaps argue that he didn’t make contact with Nunez for Liverpool’s penalty. Even so, his actions were certainly clumsy at best. EPA

Antonee Robinson - 7. One of Fulham’s best performers throughout, making some key interceptions all while offering an attacking outlet during counter-attacks. The American managed to keep Salah fairly quiet in the second half. EPA

Sasa Lukic - 6. Looked a handful on the few occasions he ventured into the final third, linking up nicely with Wilson. The midfielder faded as the game wore on, leading to his eventual substitution. EPA

Joao Palhinha - 7. Showed his class in spells, breaking down several Liverpool attacks thanks to his exemplary reading of the game. His direct, driving runs forward also won Fulham some free-kicks in dangerous areas. PA

Harry Wilson - 6. The former red proved to be a real threat during the first 30 minutes, finding pockets of space in behind Tsimikas. He was brought off in the second period, receiving a warm ovation from the home fans as he went off the pitch. Getty

Willian - 7. Grew into the match impressively on his return from injury, with the Brazilian getting the better of Alexander-Arnold on the few occasions they faced off. The more directly Willian played, the greater success he found. Getty

Tom Cairney - 5. Found himself out of the game for the most part, with opposite number Fabinho marshalling the 32-year-old well. With little space to operate in, he was replaced mid-way through the second half. Getty

Carlos Vinicius - 6. Posed a real threat to Liverpool when the service from Fulham’s midfield was right. The Brazilian forced two superb saves out of compatriot Alisson and can count himself unlucky not to have got on the scoresheet. EPA

SUBS: Harrison Reed (for Lukic, 71') - 6. Slightly wasteful in possession, although it should be noted the midfielder didn’t see a great deal of the ball after coming on. AP; Bobby Decordova-Reid (for Cairney, 71') - 7. Probably should have scored a late equaliser, having squandered two excellent opportunities in the closing stages. Nevertheless, his introduction did markedly improve Fulham’s attacking play; Neeskens Kebano (for Wilson, 71') - 6. Injected some energy into the away side’s play as they pressed for an equaliser.

Bobby Decordova-Reid 7 – Probably should have scored a late equaliser for Fulham, having squandered two excellent opportunities in the closing stages. Nevertheless, his introduction did markedly improve Fulham’s attacking play. AFP

Neeskens Kebano 6 – Injected some energy into the away side’s play as they pressed for an equaliser. PA

Manor Solomon (for Vinicius, 79') -7. Enjoyed a lively cameo after coming on for the final 10 minutes, splitting the Liverpool defence completely with a single pass at one point. PA

Daniel James (for Willian, 80') - N/R. The Welshman’s pace caused Liverpool serious problems late on. AP

Liverpool moved to within four points of fourth-place Manchester United with a 1-0 win over Fulham in the Premier League on Wednesday.

Mohamed Salah's 39th-minute penalty earned the Merseyside club a fifth straight league win to keep alive the Reds' slim hopes of Champions League qualification.

United has two games in hand over Liverpool. Third-place Newcastle lead Liverpool by six points with one game in hand.

It was the first time Liverpool has won five successive matches since April 2022.

Salah’s penalty, his second in consecutive games after back-to-back misses, took him to 185 goals for Liverpool, one behind club great Steven Gerrard. He also moved to fifth on Liverpool's list of all-time league scorers with 136.

The breakthrough came after Issa Diop took down Darwin Nunez in the box.

Referee Stuart Attwell pointed to the spot and Salah scored an identical penalty to the one against Spurs — blasted straight down the middle.

Alisson had to save from Carlos Vinicius to prevent an equaliser with 13 minutes remaining to keep Liverpool's top four bid alive — even if it the team is still relying on United or Newcastle to drop points.