Martin Jol stand-in makes history at Anfield

In time it will become a quiz question. Who was in charge for Fulham’s first-ever victory at Anfield? Billy McKinlay, deputising for Martin Jol who was still recovering from a chest infection, was, like many of his players, not even aware this was Fulham’s maiden win at Liverpool.

The conversation McKinlay would have had with his manager on the journey home would have been rather less awkward than the one in the wake of the 4-0 rout at Everton on Saturday where in the Scot’s words: “Everything that could possibly go wrong, did go wrong”, adding: “Hopefully, it will cheer him up.”

What would please Jol most is that a side he inherited because Fulham’s “ambition” did not match that of Mark Hughes, are now level on points with Liverpool, requiring four more to equal their highest total in the Premier League — the 53 they achieved under Roy Hodgson in 2009.

Naturally, the supporters for whom another journey to Merseyside must have been laced with trepidation, chanted the name of England’s new manager at a ground that had witnessed his most spectacular failure.

It was Hodgson’s signings as well as home defeats to Northampton and Wolves that turned Anfield against him and none was more resented than that of Paul Konchesky. In return, Hodgson offered Fulham a young Swedish midfielder, Alex Kacaniklic, as part exchange. Last night Anfield was made aware who had got the better deal.

It was a cross delivered by a rather more famous former Liverpool player in the bustling shape of John Arne Riise that earned Fulham their little bit of history. It struck the Swede, hit Martin Skrtel squarely in the chest, and dealt Liverpool a blow from which they rarely looked like recovering — even after just five minutes. Indeed, Fulham might have won by more.