Liverpool suffered their third defeat in five games as they endured a 2-0 loss to Everton in the Merseyside derby. The Reds once again had plenty of chances to score, but were wasteful in front of goal. Jarrad Branthwaite opened the scoring for the Toffees in the 27th minute with a scrappy goal. Their second one came through Dominic Calvert-Lewin who headed the ball into the net from a corner taken by Dwight McNeil.
The loss means that the Reds are now second in the table with four games in hand. However, they could go down the standings after Manchester City’s game against Brighton on April 25. Jurgen Klopp’s men now have West Ham, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Wolves to play in their next four fixtures. All of these teams pose a tough challenge, especially considering the kind of form the Scousers are in.
In the 2-0 loss to Everton, Liverpool had 76% possession. They had 23 shots as compared to the 16 Everton had. Undoubtedly, Everton is not an easy side to break down, but the Reds had a lot to lose and did not match the intensity to show that, resulting in a disappointing ending for them. Their hopes of winning the Premier League now look slim as they will not only have to win all their remaining games but also hope that Arsenal and Manchester City lose a few points in their remaining fixtures.
The Jurgen Klopp announcement has put a lot of pressure on Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp has been a manager that has the respect of every Liverpool fan. He came into the club when they had no proper structure and even players to compete for trophies. However, he slowly started putting pieces together and made them a formidable side good enough to fight against other elites in European football.
After serving the club for nine years, Jurgen Klopp announced this January that he was set to resign from the coaching position. This news shocked the Liverpool players as much as it did the whole world. The team were in the middle of a title race and it looked like they had the chance of winning several trophies that season.
Many expected the announcement to have a positive impact for Liverpool and it initially did. The Reds were able to win the League Cup against Chelsea in February, but since then they have not looked really good. Liverpool first lost to Manchester United in the Quarter-Final of the FA Cup. The 4-3 loss meant that the team now only had Premier League and Europa League to fight for.
Klopp will always be a special figure at Liverpool
Jurgen’s men lost their first leg of the Europa League Quarters 3-0 at home and then also suffered a 1-0 defeat in the Premier League the very next game. Many expected the Reds to make a comeback in the second leg of the Europa League against Atalanta, but Liverpool only scored 1 goal there and this led to their exit from the competition.
Although they are still in the Premier League race, it looks like the Reds are overwhelmed by the expectations on them. Jurgen Klopp certainly deserves the best send-off, but the pressure of executing that seems to be too much for the players. With or without a successful farewell campaign, Jurgen Klopp’s impact on Liverpool will always be special. His rivalry with Pep Guardiola brought excitement back to the Premier League and he will forever be remembered as one of the all-time greats in English football.
