Martin Skrtel's own goal earned Fulham their first win at Anfield as Liverpool warmed up for the FA Cup final in the worst possiblefashion.

Martin Skrtel's own goal earned Fulham their first win at Anfield as
Liverpool warmed up for the FA Cup final in the worst possiblefashion.
In a much-changed side, Liverpool were flat throughout and went behind
when Skrtel turned in following John Arne Riise's cross after five
minutes.
Andy Carroll's header was saved and Brede Hangeland cleared off the line.
But Kerim Frei hit the post and Clint Dempsey should have scored only
to be denied by Reds keeper Alexander Doni.
Attitude very poor - Dalglish
In a tepid encounter, Liverpool failedto carry on the momentum gained
bya 3-0 victory at Norwich last Saturday.
And the defeat continued a poor run which means Kenny Dalglish's side
have only won three Premier Leaguegames in their last 13.
Liverpool have still only won five league games at Anfield this season
while Fulham, who recovered from a 4-0 defeat by Everton last weekend,
move level with their hosts on 49 points.
There is also now the danger that the Reds could finish out side the
top eight for the first time since 1954, when they were relegated.
With nine changes to the team that beat Norwich on Saturday, it was
clear where Dalglish's priorities lay.
Yet having asked his team to prove themselves ahead of the Wembley
trip to face Chelsea, they were as subdued as the Anfield atmosphere
in the first period.
Did you know?
Before this game, Fulham had never won in 41 top-flight league visits
to Merseyside to play either Liverpool or Everton
Following Skrtel's unfortunate opener, Pavel Pogrebnyak could have
made it a nightmare cup final rehearsal, but the Russian could not
find enough power to beat Doni fromDempsey's chipped pass.
It took until half-way through the first period before the hosts had a
meaningful effort, with Dirk Kuyt firing wide.
Indeed, it was Fulham's Alex Kacaniklic, a former Liverpool academy
player, who looked the most dangerous player as Fulham continued to
probe.
Both Liverpool's top scorer this season, Luis Suarez, and skipper
Steven Gerrard were given the night off and as wise it may have
appeared to omit the pair, the wholesale changes checked any optimism
surrounding the club.
Mark Schwarzer almost gifted Liverpool an equaliser, but Hangeland
cleared Jonjo Shelvey's shot off the line, and Carroll had a header
saved.
Fulham's John Arne Riise nervous on Anfield return
But once Hangeland again saved Fulham's skin by tackling Maxi
Rodriguez as he shaped to shoot, the visitors were in the ascendancy
after the break.
Having been battered across Stanley Park at Goodison last weekend,
Fulham were again without manager Martin Jol because of a chest
infection, but they almost doubled their lead when Frei cut in from
the right and smacked a shot against the post.
The introduction of 17-year-old Raheem Sterling drew a loud cheer from
the Anfield crowd, which summed up the mood inside the stadium.
And it almost turned sour when Frei put Dempsey clean through on the
edge of the area, but the American's shot was well saved.
Still, this was hardly a perfect appetiser for Wembley and the
performance did little to lift the gloom surrounding Anfield this
season.