Salah, Ngumoha fire Liverpool past Fulham to keep Champions League hopes alive

Pressure had been mounting on head coach Arne Slot and his squad following a heavy FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Manchester City, as well as a subdued display in their Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain.

In response, Slot made five changes to his line-up ahead of Tuesday's second-leg clash with PSG - a decision that paid off with a much-improved performance.

Rio Ngumoha and Mohamed Salah, who had been left out in Paris, were both restored to the starting XI and made a decisive impact, scoring near-identical curling efforts towards the end of the first half.

While the Reds didn't trouble the scorers in the second, they saw out the victory with ease, as Fulham struggled to make inroads at Anfield.

The result lifts Liverpool into fifth place, which would be enough to secure Champions League football next season.

"A good win," said captain Virgil van Dijk after the match. "Good to keep a clean sheet as well, feels like ages. It's a win, we take it and move on. It's down to us to be in the best shape possible to make a special evening on Tuesday [against Paris St-Germain].

"One game doesn't define things," he added. "It's down to us to keep going. We're going through a season where we haven't been able to build on performances. It's down to us to have a special night on Tuesday - that's the target. So we don't get carried away, look after ourselves, rest up and be ready for an outstanding team on Tuesday that plays with confidence.

"We are at home and we have to show belief that we can do it. It needs a special performance but I'm lucky I have been part of special performances so I will try and bring that across for the team. We need everyone to have the same mindset."

The win came despite some fan unrest at Anfield on Saturday, with Liverpool supporters staging protests before and during the match over proposed ticket price increases by owners FSG.