Liverpool suffer a blow to their title hopes after Eberechi Eze gives Palace victory | first division

The immediate reaction to the final whistle painted the picture of a truly damaging week for Liverpool. Jürgen Klopp hugged a victorious crystal Palace manager, Oliver Glasner, before puffing out his cheeks and shaking his head. Andy Robertson squatted down and looked disconsolately into the middle distance. The Liverpool fans left without making a noise. His team has seriously failed in the title race.

Soundly beaten in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final against Atalanta on Thursday, Liverpool succumbed again at home as Eberechi Eze's early goal gave Palace a deserved victory and a huge boost in their bid to get out of relegation problems. They may have simply put Liverpool in the hole. first division title prospects in the process. Klopp's team have lost two consecutive home games for the first time since the 2020-21 Covid season and have only themselves to blame for another lackluster performance. A better performance in the second half came too late.

Anfield paid an emotional tribute before the start of '97 Liverpool supporters who were unlawfully murdered in Hillsborough. After a moving performance of You'll Never Walk Alone, on the eve of the 35th anniversary of the disaster, a minute's silence was held in memory of the victims and a mosaic bearing the name “97” appeared on the Kop.

Klopp had promised a reaction to the shock Europa League defeat to Atalanta. Instead, Liverpool served up more of the same during a poor first-half performance. Once again they were lethargic, careless in possession and lacking concentration in defense. The malaise even affected Alisson, who was making his first start since injuring a hamstring against Arsenal in February. Palace thrived off the misses and made the most of an interval lead that could and should have been greater.

The visitors, whose performance was elevated by the talented duo of Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze, crossed Liverpool at will and especially enjoyed themselves on their left against Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konaté. Klopp's team failed to heed the warning signs and were left open thanks to a fluid Palace pass involving Adam Wharton, Olise and Tyrick Mitchell. The defender recovered the ball from the byline, through the legs of Wataru Endo, for Eze to precisely finish past Liverpool's retired first-choice goalkeeper. Konaté and Virgil van Dijk were slow to react to the danger, leaving Eze completely unmarked in front of goal. It was the fourth time in the last five Premier League home games that Liverpool had conceded first. They have gained no less than 27 points after losing positions this season and once again found themselves in familiar and unwanted territory.

Palace should have had a second before Liverpool cleared their heads. A slip by Van Dijk allowed Jean-Philippe Mateta to receive Eze's pass and advance cleanly towards goal. The striker launched his shot over the advancing Alisson but it lacked power and Andy Robertson was able to connect brilliantly off the line.

Robertson was the only Liverpool player to reach the required level in the first half. Endo took a left-back corner against the Palace crossbar as it fell at his feet in a crowded six-yard box. The Scottish captain also sent a superb cross to the far post for Luis Diaz, whose acrobatic volley deflected off Dean Henderson. The Palace goalkeeper almost equalized for Liverpool when he hesitated on a routine pass. His indecision allowed Darwin Núñez to charge but, with Mohamed Salah free inside the area, the forward shot too cross at Díaz for offside. A moment that summed up Liverpool's first-half performance came in the 45th minute. Diaz brilliantly pulled away from two Palace players and found Alexis Mac Allister by nutmegging Mateta. The World Cup-winning midfielder turned, saw Bradley advancing down the right and missed the pass offside.

For the second time in four days, a tough Liverpool performance saw Klopp switch sides during the break. Dominik Szoboszlai replaced the tired Endo and helped inject the energy and precision that had been sorely lacking previously. Liverpool improved enormously as a result, but bad luck and poor finishing only added to the torment at Anfield.

Núñez had a great chance to equalize when van Dijk's header from a Robertson corner landed in front of him seven meters away. The Uruguayan international connected hard but, from close range, his shot hit Henderson and somehow deflected. Alisson made a similar save from Mateta when standout Joachim Andersen headed Eze's free-kick across the goal. The striker, just two meters away, deflected his shot towards the Brazilian and missed with the goal open.

Liverpool also made mistakes that are hard to believe, and several of them. Cody Gakpo also increased the home team's threat after his introduction in the second half. Within seconds of his arrival, the Dutch international fired a low cross into the path of Curtis Jones, but the midfielder let the ball slip in front of goal. Diogo Jota, another substitute, looked certain to score when Szoboszlai leveled with Henderson before taking on the unusually clinical striker. Jota thought so too, but his first shot hit former Liverpool defender Nathaniel Clyne and bounced wide. Jones was guilty of the most egregious miss when Gakpo played towards goal. The midfielder took the ball calmly, looked up to see Henderson advancing and hit a poor shot that went wide.

In the first of seven minutes of added time, Gakpo's cross cleared Anderson's head (perhaps the first time the Palace captain had failed to intercept) and landed at Salah's feet three meters away. A dramatic late equalizer signaled only for Salah's shot to hit Mitchell, who again impressed, and go wide. Liverpool rarely threatened again.