Liverpool's unbeaten start under Andoni Iraola continued with a goalless draw against Fulham, but a third draw in four Premier League matches left them with six points and still awaiting a home league victory.
Víctor Muñoz headed against the crossbar in the first half. Liverpool otherwise struggled to create enough clear chances to overcome a Fulham side who arrived at Anfield having lost their opening three league games. The visitors earned their first point under Álvaro Arbeloa and had opportunities to take all three.
The result interrupted Liverpool's progress after successive wins over Ipswich Town and Atlético Madrid. Iraola acknowledged afterwards that his players had lacked freshness following their European match on Wednesday night, while stressing that the team needed to learn to handle short gaps between fixtures.
There were three changes to the starting side. Muñoz, Ryan Gravenberch and Kostas Tsimikas replaced Rio Ngumoha, Alexis Mac Allister and Milos Kerkez. Bradley Barcola made his first Premier League start, while Cody Gakpo returned to the bench after missing the Atlético match.
Fulham nearly punished an error early on. Alisson's pass put Gravenberch under pressure inside Liverpool's own area, allowing Gonzalo García an opening. Jérémy Jacquet recovered to clear from the line, preventing a poor start from becoming an immediate deficit.
Liverpool's closest attempt followed from a corner midway through the half. Muñoz met the delivery with a header that struck the bar. It was a rare moment when the home side looked close to breaking through, and the match remained open enough for Fulham to threaten at the other end.
Josh King tried his luck and Antonee Robinson headed wide. Barcola had an opportunity at the far post before the interval, but Timothy Castagne blocked his volley. Neither team had produced the finish needed to establish a lead.
Kerkez replaced Tsimikas at half-time. Liverpool began the second period with more urgency, Alexander Isak working room for a low shot that Bernd Leno saved. Iraola then sent on Mac Allister and Gakpo on the hour, replacing Gravenberch and Muñoz.
Mac Allister helped create one of Liverpool's better openings, combining with Dominik Szoboszlai before the Hungarian's shot was stopped by Leno. Barcola later looked for Isak with a cutback instead of shooting, but the move did not produce a goal. Ngumoha and Jeremie Frimpong were introduced with 18 minutes remaining.
Fulham continued to carry a threat. Alisson had to deal with King's effort from distance, and substitute Rodrigo Muniz failed to make the most of a delivery from Kevin. Liverpool were searching for a winner without being able to treat the point they already held as secure.
Their final chances came in added time. Isak glanced a corner wide, then Ngumoha sent Frimpong's cross over the bar. Fulham had held on, while Liverpool's first scoreless performance of the campaign left Iraola reflecting on an attack that had not matched its recent standards.
He felt the team's organisation had improved after the interval, but acknowledged that their best openings had largely come from set-pieces. A second successive league clean sheet gave Liverpool something to build on. On this occasion, it was the missing goal that determined the result.