Liverpool's Premier League title pursuit came to a grinding halt on Wednesday night after losing 2-0 in the Merseyside derby.
Goals from Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin put Everton on their way to a first win over the Reds in front of fans since 2010, all but ending Jurgen Klopp's hopes of going out on a high as manager.
Arsenal and Manchester City are now primed to battle it out for top spot, with Liverpool now requiring something of a miracle to end the campaign out on top.
Reacting to this damaging defeat, three Reds have shared their views as part of a weekly ECHO fan column.
READ MORE: Arne Slot speaks out for first time after being asked about Liverpool manager job
Andrew Cullen (Widnes, @brothersred5) - Klopp's glorious reign ending in worst possible way
This Liverpool team looks like an orange which has been squeezed to its limits. The pips have popped, and what remains is an empty husk.
It always felt like Liverpool were holding on to the title chase, rather than leading it. To win the title, you have to deserve it. Liverpool’s recent performances have fallen far short of this test. The sobering truth is that we have had spells of impressive play throughout the season, but this has been coupled with spells of poor finishing and poor defending.
Big honours are won by big players. Our big players have shrunk in the spotlight at the most crucial time. The chances we have missed in key games is unforgivable as it is unforgettable.
This Klopp team looks tired and hollow, and Klopp’s star is now fading as his time draws to a close. This looks to be how Klopp’s reign will end, not with a bang but a whimper.
David Shams (Beijing, @ShamsWriter) - Liverpool have come up short again
Even though this was anticipated to be a rebuilding year, it’s hard not to feel deflated now. The echoes of previous seasons, where we've often fallen short, should have prepared us for this, but it's still disappointing.
Last season was blighted by two significant dips in form in 2023, and the slow start didn’t help either. Admittedly, in the potential quad-winning season, there wasn’t much we could do better. But winning titles means finding ways to eke out excellence where there’s minimal space to do so.
The 2020-21 season, as defending champions, was a testament to our resilience. Despite a two-month-long dip in form, we bounced back. That Covid-hampered season, however, was the epitome of excellence. We were nearly wire to wire at the top of the table, displaying unadulterated dominance.
It could have been a back-to-back title, though. Ten points ahead in January 2019, only to lose by one. Eight points dropped from January 30th to March 3rd. All draws against foes that were well off the pace.
Sure, we shouldn’t have expected a title challenge this season, but I don’t think it’s wrong either to find a pattern. Except for a single season, Liverpool simply weren't good enough to win the league when the matches mattered most.
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James Noble (Worcestershire, @james_noble98) - Plenty for Klopp's successor to consider
Let’s not dress it up, Wednesday night was a poor one. There’s never a bad time to have a 13-and-a-half-year unbeaten run at the home of your city rivals, but neither is there a good time for said run to end. This week certainly wasn’t welcome timing. Everton were excellent, in fairness. They managed the game and its big moments notably better than us.
Liverpool’s performance was hardly bereft of creativity or promise but, sadly, was again blunted by hesitancy and wastefulness; wastefulness that can, crucially, encourage opponents and has perhaps disheartened us too much recently. Sunday’s win at Fulham offered an alternative to that pattern, at least.
I won’t give up on our title chances until the maths says so, but it’s a considerable stretch now. Either way, this season has exceeded many expectations and the best we can do is finish it strongly.
There appears plenty for the likes of Michael Edwards, Richard Hughes and the new manager – who, at the time of writing, looks likely to be Feyenoord boss, Arne Slot – to build on and think about. Four more matches with Jürgen Klopp. Let’s make the best of them, starting at West Ham United on Saturday lunchtime.
