Losing to Everton, Liverpool's champion hopes evaporate at Goodison Park

The hopes of Premier League champions, Liverpool, evaporated with a 0-2 defeat to Everton in the Merseyside derby.

AP PHOTO/JON SUPER

The disappointment of Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah (left) and Darwin Nunez was evident during their match against Everton in the English League at Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, on Thursday (25/4/2024) early morning local time. Liverpool's hopes of becoming champions diminished after losing 0-2 in this match.

LIVERPOOL, THURSDAY — There is nothing more painful for Liverpool than losing their chances of becoming champions at the hands of their city rivals, Everton. That is what happened this season when Liverpool played in the derby at Goodison Park Stadium, Liverpool, England, on Thursday, April 25th, 2024, early in the morning local time.

The 0-2 defeat at home to Everton almost certainly ended Liverpool's Premier League championship hopes this season. The hosts' goals were scored by Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

With only four games remaining this season, Juergen Klopp's team needs two title contenders, Manchester City and Arsenal, to collapse. It's almost impossible.

Moreover, Arsenal has begun to rise again after losing to Aston Villa, with consecutive victories over Wolves and Chelsea. Arsenal even won big, 5-0, in the London derby.

Also read: Wasted opportunities, Liverpool's chance of winning is wasted

Meanwhile, Manchester City has experience in finishing at the end of a marathon race. They are always perfect when the league enters crucial times and then end up at the top of the ladder.

AFP/PAUL ELLIS

Liverpool's striker, Luis Diaz (in the middle), during the English Premier League match against Everton on Thursday (25/4/2024) early in the morning (WIB). Diaz missed many opportunities in this match.

This defeat is the first for Klopp at Goodison Park during his nine-year tenure at Liverpool, and also the last as he will leave Anfield after this season. The promising season ended tragically.

During his nine years at Liverpool, Klopp was filled with impressive historical milestones, but his unwanted first experience left him with a lingering pain in the final weeks at Anfield.

The more you win, the more successful you are. Right now, we're not winning enough to get anything.

This defeat destroyed the Reds' dream of giving the manager the most beautiful farewell gift with the Premier League trophy. In fact, a few weeks ago, Liverpool was on track to achieve the quadruple. However, the poor performance of Virgil van Dijk and his friends in recent weeks has resulted in Klopp's troops being eliminated from the Europa League and FA Cup and losing top position in the Premier League.

Also read: Without a miracle, there is only regret for Liverpool in Bergamo

Liverpool is currently trailing league leaders Arsenal by a difference of three points and ahead of defending champions Manchester City by one point, who have two more remaining games.

"The problem faced by "The Reds" throughout the season is often falling behind their opponents early on. However, Liverpool's habit of rising from defeat praised at the start of the season as a sign of the "monster mentality" created by Klopp, makes them complacent."

AFP/PAUL ELLIS

The disappointed reaction from Liverpool midfielder, Alexis Mac Allister, after losing 0-2 to Everton in the English Premier League match on Thursday (25/4/2024) early morning Western Indonesian Time.

Liverpool is indeed a team that has collected the most points from a trailing position, which is 27 points. Apparently, that only covers their biggest weakness this season. Klopp failed to fix that weakness, so when their attackers were ineffective, Liverpool immediately fell apart.

Liverpool's luck ran out when they fell behind 0-1 to Crystal Palace in their home game at Anfield. They were unable to equalize, resulting in their first home loss of the season in the English Premier League.

The issue continued during the match against Everton, a team that is currently struggling to avoid relegation. Liverpool conceded an opening goal and could not recover like they did in the early stages of the season. In all competitions, Liverpool have conceded an opening goal 22 times this season, including being 0-1 down against Newcastle United and losing a player to a red card before coming back to win 2-1.

This time, they were unable to recover at Goodison Park due to wasting many opportunities. Liverpool's forward line is performing worse as the end of the season approaches. They failed to score from open play in four of their last five matches.

Mohamed Salah hasn't looked completely fit since returning from the hamstring injury he suffered at the Africa Cup of Nations. Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez continue to waste golden opportunities. Meanwhile Diogo Jota, the club's most natural finisher, has been sidelined through injury after just returning from a two-month break.

”You know we were too hasty in front of goal. "We created a lot of chances, but didn't score goals," said Klopp.

AFP/PAUL ELLIS

Liverpool's manager, Juergen Klopp, after the match against Everton on Thursday (25/4/2024) early in the morning, will leave Anfield at the end of this season.

Klopp stated that his players must continue to fight even in difficult conditions. "This is not a behavioral problem. The players want it, but it's my responsibility to make them confident that they can do it," added the coach from Germany.

Their pursuit of the quadruple came back to haunt them after Liverpool's players seemed to run out of fuel towards the end of the season. They have played 54 games and will play four more before the season ends.

A number of players from the academy are able to fill the roles of injured first team players. However, when the star players return, a crisis instead hits. Klopp admits that after the defeat to Palace, two midfield pillars, Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo, experienced difficulty due to the load of games they had played early in the season. "Players who play in every game are less fit, but it's the same for every team. I don't want to use it as an excuse," said Klopp. "This is not a good time. I would certainly prefer to keep winning. The more we win, the more successful we are. Right now, we haven't won enough to achieve anything." (AP/AFP)