Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net

The defensive frailty of last season has come back to haunt Klopp, with clean sheets a distant memory, and the finishing woes are worse than ever, with confidence at a low ebb.

That all came to a head against Everton, the one game where Liverpool really didn't want to throw away its title bid, having already given a woeful Manchester United side similar satisfaction.

Conceding a sloppy goal and rarely threatening to get back into it, with Mohamed Salah, Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez all guilty of missing good chances, Klopp's drained side suffered a damaging defeat.

READ MORE: Gary Neville has Michael Edwards theory over Arne Slot as next Liverpool manager

READ MORE: Arne Slot could take four lessons from Liverpool loss at Everton as Dominik Szoboszlai snaps

Liverpool can at least try to win its final four fixtures and see where that takes it, but Manchester City and Arsenal would both now need to drop points twice.

Klopp's fairytale ending looks out of reach.

Before kick-off, much of the talk was about Arne Slot.

There was talk of a quadruple just a couple of months ago, and the Feyenoord manager might be wondering how on earth he can live up to those standards, with the squad seemingly just that slight level below the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City.

But in a way, Klopp has just done him a favor.

Klopp's recent downturn is a reality check: nobody will be expecting miracles from Slot (or whoever is hired), with Liverpool quite clearly still a work in progress.

It doesn't make defeat to Everton any easier to stomach, particularly in the title context.

This young squad is still just setting out on its journey.

In that sense, then, Klopp has done Slot a favor.
For more news relating to Manchester City, visit our sister site City Latest Live.