Aleksandar Mitrovic bullies Trent Alexander-Arnold to put Fulham ahead against Liverpool

Mitrovic scored a staggering 43 goals in the tournament last season and continued his excellent form with the opening goal in the first game on Saturday.

Just half an hour later, Mitrovic fired an unstoppable header past Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson after climbing over Trent Alexander-Arnold at the back post.

It was a well deserved lead for Fulham, who had come close on several occasions earlier in the half.

Mitrovic almost scored in the first minute of the match but could only pass his shot wide of the goal.

Then he came close to facing a corner kick close to the post from former Manchester United defender Andreas Pereira, as Fulham pressed hard for the opening goal.

Liverpool thought they had taken the lead when Luis Diaz hit a superb shot into the top corner but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Then Fulham took over, and Mitrovic climbed to the top to open his account for the season.

Liverpool responded well to a goal and almost had the equalizer, but Diaz only managed to hit the crossbar with a powerful shot, as Fulham held onto a 1-0 lead at the end of the first half.

Alexander Arnold was scrutinized by the crowd for his defense of the goal.

One fan wrote on Twitter: “Taa is a really good footballer, but his ability in the air, especially defending from crosses is his weakness. And Fulham knows that.”

Another added: “Trent loses that air battle in most matches. He was not surprised.”

However, many Liverpool fans were saddened that a free kick was not awarded for a potential foul on Henderson in preparation for the goal.

One fan wrote: “Poor judging. It was ugly to Henderson whether it was ‘intentional’ or not.

Another wrote: “It was an obvious fault on Henderson in the build, but it was a well deserved goal for Fulham, who were excellent. Very bad and disappointing in the first half for the Reds.”