15 April 2024 , 08:25
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Liverpool's title charge suffered a setback on Sunday when the Reds were beaten 1-0 by Crystal Palace at Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp's men created a plethora of chances over the course of the game, but Eberechi Eze's 14th minute goal was enough to separate the two teams. Liverpool's players looked crestfallen come full-time and with both the Reds and Arsenal losing on the same day the momentum is firmly with league leaders and reigning champions Manchester City.
From Liverpool's perspective, the defeat by Palace highlighted one glaring issue that could cost Klopp a fairytale ending and a second Premier League title. Eze's close-range finish was the seventh goal the Reds have conceded within the first 15 minutes of a game this term.
To make matters worse, Liverpool have also scored the second-fewest amount of goals themselves within that time frame. Only bottom-placed Sheffield United boast a worse record when it comes to the first 15 minutes of contests.
All of Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota were guilty of spurning glorious opportunities as Liverpool frantically searched for an answer late on. Curtis Jones' was responsible for the worst miss of the lot, with the midfielder firing his strike wide after being put through one on one with Eagles 'keeper Dean Henderson.
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After the game, Klopp struggled to hide his disappointment at the way his side performed and though he refused to concede defeat in the title race, he did admit he felt "really rubbish" after his side surrendered valuable ground against City.
"I feel really rubbish," Klopp explained to Sky Sports. "I am standing here and to talk about this game is really tricky.
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Liverpool were notably dejected at full-time after defeat by Palace"The first half was absolutely not good enough. We lost conviction from the last game [against Atalanta]. We concede the goal, which is a horrible goal. A completely free player in the six-yard box, that cannot happen."
Klopp continued by revealing that he expected more of a reaction from his players in response to dropping points away at Manchester United the league game prior.
"I do not think the way that we dealt with the United games particularly helped," he added. "We lost the game in the FA Cup and it was like a catastrophe because we were that good and lost it anyway. Then, we draw there [in the league], and were really good for a long spell but just drew.
"The problems we had in the United games were completely different to the things we had today. Yes, the goals we concede are too easy. That is probably a general thing. The players, me included, expected a reaction."
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