Goals from Jermaine Pennant and Peter Crouch saw Liverpool put a major dent in Fulham's survival hopes. Pennant gave the Reds the lead against the run of play when he was put through by Lucas Leiva and he took Kasey Keller by surprise with a powerful early shot. He then turned provider to set up Crouch to score with a low drive. Fulham were restricted to mostly half chances, with midfielder Danny Murphy going closest with a shot denied by Pepe Reina's legs. Victory strengthened Liverpool's grip on fourth place - they are now eight points clear of Everton with three games left - but Fulham are five points adrift of safety and staring relegation in the face. Reds manager Rafael Benitez caused a storm a year ago by naming a weakened side that lost at Craven Cottage and went a long way to keeping Fulham in the top flight. With a Champions League semi-final again occupying his mind, he made eight changes.