Explained: Why Liverpool's Premier League match at Fulham has been delayed

Roughly ten minutes before kick-off, an announcement was made that kick-off had been pushed back to 15:15 while medical personnel reacted to the incident in the crowd. Players from both sides then returned to the pitch to go through second warmups having only just returned to the dressing room. The game proceeded to start at its new scheduled time without further postponement.

When team news dropped 75 minutes before the initially slated kick-off of 15:00, Hugo Ekitike's name didn't appear on the team sheet, with Liverpool having to start without a recognised striker. The Reds' confirmed that the France international missed the trip with a 'minor fitness issue', with Arne Slot later saying the specific problem is hamstring related.

"Hugo picked up a slight hamstring injury because we had to play him more and more minutes. Hopefully he will be back for the Arsenal game [on Thursday]," Slot said.

In Ekitike's absence, Cody Gakpo was expected to start as the No.9, with Florian Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai coming inside from the wings. Curtis Jones dropped into midfield, with Jeremie Frimpong, who started New Year's Day's draw against Leeds, moving to the bench.

Looking for smarter football bets? Get expert previews, data-driven predictions & winning insights with GOAL Tips on Telegram. Join our growing community now!

Manchester United missed the opportunity to move level on points with Liverpool in Sunday's early kick-off, with Daniel Farke's Leeds side holding the Red Devils to a 1-1 draw at Elland Road. Sixth-place Chelsea are in action later in the day away at Manchester City, with Under-21s boss Calum McFarlane placed in charge following the sacking of Enzo Maresca.

Fulham went into the weekend's set of fixtures sitting 14th in the table, though they are not in any immediate danger of being dragged into a relegation scrap. Marco Silva's side are 14 points clear of the drop zone and only six points off of Liverpool prior to their meeting, with half an eye on European qualification.