It's asking too much to expect Ngog to fill Torres's boots, and that Liverpool are in such a situation reinforces the desperate need for experienced, quality striking backup in the summer.
An early scramble from a Gerrard corner in which Daniel Agger, Ryan Babel and Sotirios Kyrgiakos were all denied by the Fulham defence set the tone for a low key first-half in which Liverpool probed but, without Torres, lacked a genuine focal point in attack.
They struck a purple patch midway through the half.
Glen Johnson, busy down the right flank, crossed deep where Gerrard headed the ball back in to Aquilani who, with his back to goal, fashioned an overhead kick straight at Schwarzer.
Moments later, an excellent, raking pass from Javier Mascherano – Liverpool's stellar performer – released Maxi Rodriguez behind the Fulham defence but the Argentine's shot was well smothered by Schwarzer, the keeper then watching Aquilani's header sail over from a Gerrard cross.
Mascherano warmed the palms of Schwarzer on 32 minutes with a 20-yard shot the keeper clawed impressively clear, but too often Liverpool's attacks broke down with the wrong choice of final pass.
The home side could claim their task should have been made slightly easier 10 minutes before the interval when Jonathan Greening, already booked for a foul on Johnson, cynically upended the right-back once more but Andre Marriner, the referee to have shown the most red cards in the Premier League this season, chose not to issue another.
Liverpool remained in control after the break. Aquilani slithered a mishit shot at Schwarzer but then drew a much better save from the keeper after good work by Ngog had allowed Maxi to set up the Italian for a dipping drive from 18 yards.
The inconsistent Babel almost sneaked in the opener on 63 minutes when cutting in off the left flank and unleashing a vicious low right-foot shot that Schwarzer did well to beat out.
And Liverpool missed another good chance on 77 minutes when Kuyt came off the bench to accept a short corner from fellow substitute Yossi Benayoun and crossed for the unmarked Kyrgiakos to head wastefully over from six yards, a significant blot on an otherwise accomplished display from the Greek centre-back.
Dani Pacheco, enthusiastically welcomed from the bench by the home supporters, saw a shot blocked by Fulham substitute Kagiso Dikgacoi before Damien Duff finally justified Reina's presence with an injury-time shot the goalkeeper batted clear.
Moments later, though, Liverpool fans were left lamenting the lack of input from their team's other main Spaniard as they trudged home.
LIVERPOOL (4-2-3-1):@Reina; Johnson, Kyrgiakos, Carragher, Agger; Mascherano, Aquilani (Kuyt 65); Maxi, Gerrard, Babel (Benayoun 72); Ngog (Pacheco 79). Subs: Cavalieri, Lucas, Degen, Ayala. BOOKING: Carragher (deliberate handball).
BOOKINGS:@ Carragher (deliberate handball).
FULHAM (4-4-2): @Schwarzer; Baird, Hangeland, Hughes, Konchesky; Duff, Murphy (Dikgacoi 76), Etuhu, Greening; Nevland, Zamora (Okaka 68). Subs: Zuberbuhler, Kelly, Shorey, Riise, Smalling. BOOKINGS: Greening, Murphy and Duff (all fouls).
BOOKINGS:@ Greening, Murphy and Duff (all fouls).
REFEREE: @ Andre Marriner
ATT: @ 42,331
NEXT GAME: @ Liverpool v West Ham United, Barclays Premier League, Monday April 19, 8pm
