Now Manchester United have something to think about. Yossi Benayoun's much deserved injury-time winner at Craven Cottage means that when Alex Ferguson sneaks a glance at the league table in advance of today's game against Aston Villa, he'll see Liverpool's name over that of his side. He must surely be worried.

The reigning Champions may have two games in hand, but they're also two points behind their north-east rivals. Besides, as we well know by this stage, points in the bag, to modify an old saying, are worth more than anything on the fixture list, particularly at a point in the season where every side in the Premier League is scrapping hard for crumbs.

But oh how Liverpool deserved their victory in London yesterday, one that for so long didn't look like they were going to get. Rafa Benitez's side were dominant from start to finish, particularly in a first half when they were denied by the cross bar or post on four separate. On a handful of other occasions over the course of the 90 minutes, Fulham's excellent keeper, Mark Schwarzer, denied Liverpool with some excellent reflex saves, while there was also three or four other attempts from the visitors that missed the goal frame by a matter of millimetres.

It would have been a travesty of justice had that goal not eventually come.

Liverpool organisation, discipline and intense pressing game suffocated the life out of a Fulham side that looked like world-beaters against Manchester United two weekends ago. That, in turn, gave the visitors plenty of the ball and while they could not be accused of doing nothing with it, particularly the triumvirate of Xabi Alonso, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, they simply could not get the ball either between the sticks or past Mark Schwarzer. And oh how they tried.

The Gods of the woodwork, those fickle old deities, clearly had something against Liverpool in that first-half. The first of four efforts that came off either the post or crossbar arrived on 11 minutes when a shot from Martin Skrtel was back-flicked onto the bar by Dossena with Schwarzer.

Then, within the space of 60 seconds just after the half-hour mark, Xabi Alonso smashed a half-volley from 20 yards against the bar and then from the move of the half, Gerrard put Fernando Torres away but the Spanish striker saw his calm finish hit Schwarzer's right-hand post and bounce to safety. That wasn't the end of the woodwork drama.

Before the break, Gerrard whipped in a vicious cross from the right and unmarked, Dossena contrived to nod the ball against the bar once again from six yards. That's what happens, Rafa, if you play a left-back on the left-wing. In between all that ping-ponging about, Schwarzer even had to give his goal frame a bit of a dig out.

On 23 minutes, Gerrard teed up his striking partner inside the box and Fulham's keeper was forced to dive low to first, parry Torres's shot and then, bat the rebound off the foot of the onrushing Dirk Kuyt.

Even before that effort from Liverpool's number nine, the Australian international had done brilliantly to extend his left-arm and tip a clever flicked shot from Dossena over the crossbar and at half-time Benitez, his team and the club's supporters must really have wondered if they were destined not to be top of the Premier League this morning. The close calls continued after the break.

Torres headed straight into the arms of Schwarzer on 54 minutes and after a charging run by substitute Ryan Babel, John Pantsil had to get beyond his own keeper to clear the Dutchman's effort off the line. Still Liverpool pressed.

Torres failed to connect with a Gerrard cross by a matter of millimetres six yards out and when Schwarzer palmed the ball away, Kuyt failed to connect with the keeper's parry by yet more millimetres. The measuring tape was needed again on 81 minutes when Gerrard belted a ball across the six-yard box and Yossi Benayoun flick scraped just wide of Fulham's far post.

The same player, though, made no mistake in injury time, picking up a ball inside the penalty area out right, opening his body up and firing a shot to the net past Schwarzer. Finally. It could prove to be a defining moment.