Liverpool’s aspirations for the EPL title took a significant hit on Sunday afternoon with a second defeat at home within four days, this time to Crystal Palace.
Jurgen Klopp’s team, looking to recover from a 3-0 thrashing by Italian side Atalanta in the UEFA Europa Cup on Thursday, faced an early setback as Eberechi Eze scored in the 14th minute of the match.
Liverpool’s final season under Klopp appears to be unraveling.
The League Cup champions, who were contenders for a quadruple just weeks ago, have now been eliminated from the FA Cup by Manchester United and have suffered their first home defeat in 14 months, with Atalanta securing a 3-0 lead in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final at Anfield.
Klopp’s team has secured only three victories in their last eight matches across all competitions, displaying evident fatigue after participating in 51 games this season.
Consistently slow beginnings have been a significant factor in Liverpool’s recent difficulties, and once more, they found themselves trailing.
Alisson Becker returned to goalkeeping duties for the home team, but was powerless to stop Eze’s straightforward goal following Tyrick Mitchell’s assist.
A second goal for Palace was narrowly averted when Andy Robertson executed an extraordinary clearance on the goal line, thwarting Jean-Philippe Mateta after a slip by Virgil van Dijk allowed the French forward a chance.
In the first half, Liverpool relied on set-pieces to challenge the Palace defence.
Wataru Endo’s mishit shot rebounded off the crossbar.
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Dean Henderson produced a remarkable save to deny Luis Diaz’s acrobatic attempt at the back post.
In response to a half-time deficit, Klopp introduced Dominik Szoboszlai and welcomed back Trent Alexander-Arnold after a two-month absence due to Conor Bradley’s injury.
Substitutes Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo joined the fray in an attempt to turn the game around.
Jota seemed poised to score when Szoboszlai found him, but his shot was blocked on the line by Nathaniel Clyne with the net wide open.
On the opposite end, Alisson demonstrated his elite goalkeeping skills with an extraordinary save to deflect Mateta’s close-range shot.
Liverpool surged forward, and Curtis Jones missed a crucial opportunity, shooting wide with only Henderson to beat.
In the dying moments, Mohamed Salah had a chance to earn a draw, but Mitchell made a superb block to deny his shot.
Now, Liverpool faces the challenge of mounting a remarkable comeback against Atalanta. If unsuccessful, Klopp’s tenure at Anfield will conclude after just two more matches.
What could have been a triumphant farewell for Klopp is now at risk of ending in disappointment.
