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

With the humiliating 3-0 reverse to Atalanta in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final followed by Sunday’s 1-0 setback at the hands of Crystal Palace, Liverpool have suffered back-to-back home defeats in front of supporters for the first time since January 2017.

Hopes of giving Klopp the dream farewell by adding to February’s Carabao Cup triumph have taken a major hit.

Maybe,” Klopp said after the Palace game.

The manager had rotated in search of freshness after the trip to Old Trafford, making six changes for the visit of Atalanta and then five against Palace.

Staff point to the fact that Liverpool won nine out of the next 10 matches that followed the German’s announcement – the only blip being the 3-1 defeat at Arsenal.

It galvanised the dressing room, with Van Dijk — who took Sunday’s defeat particularly hard — talking about the burning collective desire to end the Klopp era on a high.

Virgil van Dijk took defeat to Palace particularly badly (Michael Steele/Getty Images)

What is undeniable, however, is that recent months have been emotionally draining.

Then came the drama of the Carabao Cup final at Wembley, the last-gasp winner at Nottingham Forest, the breathless 1-1 draw with Manchester City, the 4-3 defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup, unconvincing home wins over Brighton and Sheffield United, and the damaging 2-2 stalemate with United.

There’s been so much riding on the outcome of every game and not once in that sequence have they been able to take their foot off the gas and cruise.

Slow starts

“Wow,” uttered Klopp on the touchline when Eberechi Eze tucked away Tyrick Mitchell’s cut-back to fire Palace ahead at Anfield inside 14 minutes.

It was a reaction to the ease at which his team had been carved open rather than his admiration for the quality of the finish.

Slow start, Palace capitalised on it, could have been 2-0 up easily.”

Wayward finishing

Across the three games against United, Atalanta and Palace, Liverpool had 68 shots and generated an expected goals (xG) total of 9.08.

The teenager did not look out of place when used earlier in the campaign and scored a brilliant back-heel for the under-21s against Manchester United last Friday.

Lack of belief

The reaction Klopp promised after the defeat to Atalanta wasn’t forthcoming.

“You could see that was not fully out of their minds.
For more news relating to Manchester United, visit our sister site MUFC Live.