Klopp’s farewell tour hits all the wrong notes
Liverpool run out of steam as season is suddenly in danger of petering out
ONCE again, Liverpool gave their opponents a head start but this time there was no reprieve. As a consequence, it looks very unlikely that Jurgen Klopp’s emotional farewell tour will end next month with him lifting the Premier League trophy.
Liverpool have recovered a remarkable 27 points from losing positions this season but failed to learn the lessons of handing out early gifts.
Recent history suggested normal service would be resumed even after Eberechi Eze exploited sluggish Liverpool defending to score for Crystal Palace after 14 minutes — the fourth time in five league games that Klopp has seen his team concede first at Anfield.
Yet even the most spirited group of players cannot rely on comebacks every time.
On this occasion, Liverpool hit the woodwork, missed glaring chances and faced a goalkeeper, Dean Henderson, in inspired form.
The upshot is that they end the weekend third in the table. Given the know-how of Manchester City, clawing back a two-point deficit on the reigning champions at this stage seems unrealistic.
Fortress Anfield has been breached at just the wrong time. Thursday’s 3-0 defeat by Atalanta in their Europa League quarterfinal first leg was Liverpool’s first home loss in any competition for 14 months. Now their proud unbeaten home run in the Premier League has also disappeared, Leeds being the previous team to leave with three points in October 2022.
Having fought against a severe injury list for most of the season, Liverpool suddenly look a bit leggy and unsure of themselves.
Too many of their number are either exhausted — Alexis Mac Allister, Darwin Nunez, Wataru Endo — or not up to speed after lay-offs; Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Klopp wanted a reaction to the Atalanta defeat and the poignant pre-match tribute honouring the 97 fans who died as a result of the Hillsborough disaster 35 years ago this weekend added to the narrative that things would come together on the pitch.
But Premier League football is an unsentimental business, its competitiveness one of the reasons it draws global appeal.
Palace had not won in five games under new manager Oliver Glasner and were still looking anxiously over their shoulders. Yet with the gifted Eze and Michael Olise both fit to play — Olise making his first start since January — they made a mockery of the formbook in the opening 20 minutes.
They kept possession long enough — an impressive 21 passes — for left wing-back Tyrick Mitchell to advance into the Liverpool penalty area and he had the composure to pull back for Eze, who had time to sidefoot past the returning Alisson for his seventh goal of the season.
‘Applause to the team,’ said Glasner about the quality of the goal but for Liverpool, it was a disaster. Mitchell’s pass had gone through the legs of the sliding Endo and Ibrahima Konate couldn’t change direction quickly enough to put any pressure on the scorer.
Remarkably, the Londoners almost added an immediate second when Virgil van Dijk slipped on the halfway line allowing Jean-Philippe Mateta a clear run towards the Liverpool goal with only Alisson to beat. He dinked the goalkeeper and was almost celebrating a 2-0 lead when Andy Robertson showed terrific awareness to sprint back and hook the ball away, when part of it appeared to have already crossed the line.
Such is Liverpool’s array of attacking talent, they can create chances even when below their best and it proved the case yesterday, though they didn’t get the ultimate reward.
A goalmouth scramble following a corner saw Endo strike the bar and after Henderson had clawed away Luis Diaz’s scissor kick, the Colombian turned to the fans and gestured to get them going.
Salah’s trademark cut inside and rasping shot was parried by Henderson, whose performance will have done his prospects of making Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the European Championship no harm.
Klopp wasn’t frightened to push and make changes. Dominik Szoboszlai was the first arrival at half-time with Alexander-Arnold, also returning from injury, introduced after 48 minutes as Conor Bradley hobbled off.
Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo came on for the last 25 minutes and Harvey Elliott was a final throw of the dice near the end. But the story stayed the same.
Nunez couldn’t believe Henderson got a leg to his thunderous strike at point-blank range after Van Dijk had won the initial header at a corner. Even if the keeper was beaten, he had a team-mate to help out. In particular, former Liverpool defender Nathaniel Clyne made a fantastic block to prevent Jota from tapping in.
Some of Liverpool’s other misses were self-inflicted. When Gakpo released Curtis Jones the midfielder fired wide with only the keeper to beat. Salah hopped up and down in frustration, perhaps wanting the pass.
Palace also remained a threat on the break with Mateta foiled at point-blank range by Alisson. With the finishing line in sight they took
more than 60 seconds to carry out a triple substitution, much to the annoyance of the home fans and Alexander-Arnold, who ran to the touchline to complain.
But unless there is a dramatic shift in momentum, starting on Thursday when Liverpool travel to Italy needing a minor miracle to remain in Europe, a season that promised a potential quadruple could now peter out into ‘only’ the Carabao Cup.
‘We had an outstanding passion to defend as a team,’ said Glasner.
Liverpool’s manager responded: ‘We weren’t great. Crystal Palace had far too many moments where we ran in the wrong direction. Have Macca and Wataru played too much? Maybe.’
For Klopp, the last knockings of an incredible Anfield career may be among his most challenging.