Ryan Babel inevitably scored against Liverpool. Ryan Babel pounced on a rare Liverpool defensive mix up to score against the Reds. Babel’s tap in was a moment Liverpool fans dreaded, as it threatened to derail their title bid. Babel’s goal for Fulham equalised at Craven Cottage, before James Milner scored a late penalty to win it for Liverpool. Babel signed for Liverpool in 2007, but fell out of favour after Rafa Benitez departed. Scott Brown and an emotional Celtic farewell The Reds sold him to Hoffenheim for £6 million in 2011. Since then he has had a varied career, playing for six clubs before signing for Fulham in January. He has made a good impression since returning to the Premier League. He now has two goals an two assists for Fulham so far. He did not celebrate after his goal against Liverpool, which endeared him to the club’s fans. Some were a bit nostalgic about the Dutchman, with others even suggesting re-signing the 32-year-old… This content could not be loaded Based on his pace & movement today, I’d resign Babel in the summer to pad the squad out. He definitely moves better than Sturridge. He’d be a good squad player for #LFC next season imo. — Alan Hoey (@Alan_Hoey) March 17, 2019 This content could not be loaded Ryan Babel is a red. The look on his face when he had to tap the ball in. #LFC — David Hamilton (@DJ_Hamilton) March 17, 2019 This content could not be loaded #respect for Ryan Babel for not celebrating the goal against us today… unlike some pundits out ther #ynwa #lfc — Faizy (@faiyzie) March 17, 2019 This content could not be loaded Babel was borderline devastated to score. Had no urgency, kind of when a player’s been caught offside, the whistle has gone and they causally tap in anyway #LFC — suspect134 (@suspect134) March 17, 2019 This content could not be loaded Still have soft spot for #Babel #lfc — Alex Johnson (@Johnson2305) March 17, 2019 This content could not be loaded That Fulham goal shouldn’t have stood. Babel’s hair clashed with our kit and confused Virgil and Alisson #LFC — Gavin Kirkaldie (@KirkyG999) March 17, 2019 This content could not be loaded Time to sign Ryan Guno Babel on a 20 year contract!! @LFC Too risky having the man out there sharing Big Virg’s “secret weakness”. — Salahmander (@nova_stine) March 17, 2019 This content could not be loaded Babel still has it, we should re sign him — a (@lfcaIexx) March 17, 2019 In other news, Report: Agent confirms PL talks for relegated 'magician' after Leeds link, £21.5m asking price<doc-sep>Fulham: Ryan Babel’s van Dijk comments mocked by pundits HERE for the latest MUFC breaking news and transfer updates SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign upfor the latest MUFC breaking news and transfer updates When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Ryan Babel has been part of Fulham’s relegation battle this season. The former Liverpool striker only joined Fulham during the January transfer window and had scored just once before today. But Babel was gifted a goal against his former club when mistakes from James Milner and Virgil van Dijk let the Cottagers frontman in on goal. Babel ended up tapping in his effort from close range after the Reds defensive mix-up. Ryan Babel refused to properly celebrate Fulham's goal vs Liverpool Ryan Babel held up his hands after scoring Ryan Babel is swamped by his Fulham team-mates And rather than celebrate wildly, the striker simply picked up the ball and then lifted his hands up - almost apologising to the Reds supporters. The goal made it 1-1 at the Cottage but James Milner's converted penalty 10 minutes from time restored Liverpool's advantage. After the match Babel said: "Obviously I respect the club. I support the club as a fan." The 2-1 win for Liverpool sees the Reds move top of the Premier League table - two points ahead of Manchester City, who have a game in hand. And Jurgen Klopp was pleased his side held on for the win. Ryan Babel holds his hands up after scoring against former club Liverpool Ryan Babel taps into an empty net Ryan Babel takes advantage of a Liverpool error<doc-sep>Ryan Babel could face Liverpool for the first time since leaving the club this afternoon - and Georginio Wijnaldum believes the Fulham forward will pose a significant threat to the Reds’ aspirations of picking up three points. The Netherlands international made 146 appearances and scored 22 goals for the club between 2007 and 2011. Now 32, Babel joined Fulham in January on a short-term deal and is friends with his compatriot, Wijnaldum. “I am really close with him,” explained Liverpool's No.5. “We speak with each other quite often and we just speak about each other’s career. Beside that, we’re also good friends. I am happy to see him back, but unfortunately he plays for the team we are going to play against so I hope we can beat them. “I play with him for the national team and I see how focused he is to play a good game and to score in a game. “For the national team, he is really important for us - I think he is important for Fulham with the way he is and the way he plays, so it will be difficult to stop him.” With Manchester City not in Premier League action this weekend, Liverpool will be aiming to move clear at the summit of the division, albeit having played a game more than their title rivals. Fulham, meanwhile, went into the weekend occupying 19th position in the standings - but Wijnaldum insists the Reds cannot afford any complacency. He said: “It is going to be difficult. Almost every week you will play against a team who plays for something. We play for first in the race, to be champions, and they will play to stay in the race, to stay up. “It’s going to be a really difficult game. They want to win against us, they want the points - and we want to win against them. It is not the case that one of the teams are playing for nothing. “We both have to go at 100 per cent - or even more - to win the game, so it’s going to be a really tough one.”<doc-sep>
Liverpool almost dropped more crucial points in the Premier League title race at Fulham and former Reds’ striker Ryan Babel was at the heart of it. It was something akin to a horror movie in second half when Virgil van Dijk headed back to Allison only for the keeper to fumble the ball into the path of Babel. The former Liverpool frontman ended up mere yards out and able to tap the ball into net much to the frustration of the travelling supporters and Jurgen Klopp’s men. But Babel was also seemingly sharing in that pain as the picture below shows. Tweeting a link to the image, @FutebolJay said: "Look at the look on Babel’s face. He genuinely didn’t want to score that." @todd_waugh also tweeted: "Ryan Babel's face when he realised he would score against Liverpool. Once a red..." And @RichardAmofa posted: "Ryan Babel really didn’t want to score that did he? Look at the anguish on his face." Scenes on Sky Sports showed the Dutchman not choosing to celebrate his goal against Liverpool - but what wasn’t quite clear at the time was his facial reaction, with the picture summing up what every Reds’ fan was feeling in that moment just before he scored. Luckily for Liverpool, Fulham keeper Sergio Rico brought down Sadio Mane before James Milner tucked away a penalty in the 81st minute for a vital 2-1 victory . Babel played for Liverpool from 2007 to 2011 and it's clear he still holds the club close to his heart. Speaking after the match, Babel said: "Obviously I respect my old club. I still support them as a fan so of course I showed them respect. "I tried to gamble. I didn't expect the keeper not to get the ball. It was a little bit lucky. All we can do is keep fighting until the last game."