Ex-Fulham's player slams Jürgen Klopp for blaming pitch over Liverpool's draw

Liverpool were held to a battling 2-2 draw against promoted side Fulham in their first match of the 2022 Premier League season on Saturday afternoon.

The Reds, who were expected to be the dominant side, lacked innovative ideas as they only produced three shots on target and five off target against Marco Silva's side.

Though Jürgen Klopp's team took most of the possession (67%), they were tactically weak upfront as Luis Díaz, Mohamed Salah, and Roberto Firmino failed to replicate the quality they displayed last season.

Liverpool's unsettled defense was repeatedly bullied by the physically imposing Aleksandar Mitrović, who opened the scoring with an excellent header against Alexander Arnold on 32 minutes of the game.

The 27-year-old Serbian striker posed a significant threat to Liverpool's defense, regularly beating Virgil van Dijk in aerial duels and rendering him unbalanced throughout the game.

Though Liverpool leveled the score with a goal from their new signing, Darwin Núñez, it was not enough to give Liverpool the victory they desired as Aleksandar Mitrović put Fulham ahead again through a penalty kick he won against Virgil van Dijk.

Mohamed Salah's goal in the 80th minute restored the parity of the Reds, but Liverpool could not secure a win in the final 10 minutes of the game, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

Following the 2-2 draw, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp blamed his side's poor start on Fulham's pitch, claiming it was dry.

"How can that happen? The attitude was not right in the beginning. We tried to react after 15 minutes. The pitch was dry, stuff like this, "Jürgen Klopp said in the post-match conference. "Really difficult. The result is fine. We don't deserve more than that, but the performance is massively improvable. "

Jürgen Klopp's comment did not go well with former Fulham midfielder Jamie O'Hara, who claimed Fulham's pitch is "Immaculate."

"This is ridiculous. I mean, Jürgen Klopp is making excuses, and he loves excuses, " said O'Hara. " I have played for Fulham at Craven Cottage, and that pitch is immaculate." "It is one of the best pitches you are ever going to play on." The grass is perfect, and they always water the pitch before the game."

"They even watered the pitch at halftime, so it is hot and is going to dry quickly," he added.

Jürgen Klopp's side must have been disappointed with their result, but they must pick up where they left off when they face Crystal Palace at Anfield on Monday at 08:00 p.m.