'Just as he prepares to let go' - National media spot sad Jurgen Klopp reaction in 'self-inflicted' Liverpool defeat

A bad week for Liverpool became a terrible one thanks to Crystal Palace's 1-0 win at Anfield on Sunday.

And the irony for Jurgen Klopp is that perhaps the best result of his weekend came at the Emirates as Arsenal stumbled to a 2-0 loss to Aston Villa.

Manchester City now lead the Premier League after they hammered Luton Town on Saturday afternoon and the Reds' hopes of a 20th league crown look slim as things stand.

READ MORE: Liverpool are giving Jurgen Klopp and his replacement big problems in two areas

READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp gives blunt Premier League title verdict after Liverpool defeat

The ECHO was at the game on Sunday to provide the usual mix of analysis, player ratings and the big-match verdict.

But here's how our colleagues over on the national pages viewed a first Premier League defeat at Anfield since October 2022...

'Perhaps this time it is all starting to mean too much'

The Telegraph's Chris Bascombe writes: "They like to say 'this means more' at Liverpool, but perhaps this time it is all starting to mean too much.

"Eight days ago they were top, readying themselves to pepper Manchester United’s goal with 32 shots and still pursuing a treble. And not just any treble. Jurgen’s farewell treble. The treble to be remembered on an open bus tour in May, closing the book on a rejuvenating era. The treble that was going to make the job even more daunting for Klopp’s successor.

"Five dropped points and a humiliating European defeat later, and Liverpool are one more poor Premier League result from being compelled to consider life post-Klopp sooner than they imagined.

"Whether results elsewhere reopen the door or not, even the most optimistic Liverpool supporters know they are no longer admiring a team that resembles champions-in-waiting. They have been defying the odds to keep pace with City and Arsenal for a while. Now they look tanked. Their quality to be a nightmare to play against certainly has left them at the least opportune moment.

"Liverpool will need a miracle in Europe in midweek. The points tally may suggest otherwise, but without a radical upturn in form they will need the same to win the Premier League."

'At this rate, there will be no glorious farewell to Klopp’s reign'

Paul Joyce, of the The Times, writes: "Up went Alisson and, this time, Liverpool did not wriggle off the hook. It was the 97th minute, and a free-kick offered Jurgen Klopp’s side hope of salvaging the bare minimum from a contest that they had contrived to mess up.

"Yet this was not a day for heroics from unlikely sources. Or, in Liverpool’s case, from those expected to put the ball in the net.

"And so, at this rate, there will be no glorious farewell to Klopp’s reign either, as deficiencies in both penalty areas mean they now lie third in the table and are in danger of allowing their season to fizzle out with a whimper unbefitting of their manager’s tenure."

'Perhaps United got in their heads'

The Independent's Rich Jolly writes: "Liverpool may have lost their physical edge, exhausted by a half-century of high-energy games. 'Crystal Palace had far too many football moments where we ran in the wrong direction,' said Klopp, summing up how Liverpool lost their way.

"All of which exposed the defence. Kostas Tsimikas had a shocking 45 minutes against Atalanta. Joe Gomez, terrific until recently, has tailed off. Ibrahima Konate has been unreliable when Liverpool needed him to be more consistent and solid; even the ultra-dependable Virgil van Dijk has had a tough week.

"Go back a little further and it seemed that, no matter who was missing, Liverpool could win anywhere with anyone. There was a time to marvel at the success of the intrepid understudies. But extended exposure to first-team football can be perilous. For Jarell Quansah, Old Trafford was a game too far, when he was at fault for Bruno Fernandes’ goal. For Caoimhin Kelleher, it was Atalanta, when he erred for two goals. For Conor Bradley, recent performances have not been as vibrant and flawless as they were in January and February.

"It amounts to a squad where, suddenly, few are playing well; at a time of a season when Klopp teams often surge onwards. The previous time they went for a quadruple, in 2022, they peaked in April. Now the majority – including Klopp, whose team selection against Atalanta now looks still more misguided – looked at their best in earlier matches.

"Perhaps United got in their heads. But Liverpool, who went to Old Trafford in the FA Cup with three defeats in 36 games, have now lost three of six. And United may have helped knock them out of the Europa League and the title race."

'The wheels have come off the season in spectacular fashion'

On the The i, Daniel Storey writes: "In the space of four days, Liverpool have been virtually eliminated from one competition and humbled at home in another. The margins in the title race will be small and the gaps in Liverpool’s midfield are chasmic. The wheels have come off the season in spectacular fashion.

"So little is working right now that it’s hard to remember back to when it was, although that was only weeks ago. It makes it difficult to apportion blame because every problem appears interlinked, like a form of destructive symbiosis. You criticise four components of the system and feel overly generous towards those you’ve omitted.

"Defensively, there is a new shambles. On Thursday night, Ibrahima Konate returned to the team and it didn’t help. On Sunday, Alisson was back and nothing improved. By 50 minutes, they had the first-choice back five on the pitch. Liverpool have become a game of reverse jenga, key pieces added to the tower and somehow only serving to make it less structurally sound.

"They imagined these final weeks a thousand times, the pursuit of the final peaks. They knew players were coming back, those who had stood up so many times before for Klopp. It wasn’t meant to go like this, self-inflicted defeats at Anfield soundtracked by ten thousand groans and just as many sighs. Klopp stood on the touchline in the final moments, arms folded, looking down. Everything is quickly unravelling just as he prepares to let go."

'Worryingly, the forward line looks as exhausted as the rest of the team'

Writing in the ECHO's post-match analysis, Ian Doyle mused: "There was always going to come a moment when Liverpool’s free-scoring forward line, as with any attack, started firing blanks. But rarely can it have happened at such an inopportune time.

"Having frittered away chances to win at Manchester United last weekend and then had sufficient opportunity to give themselves a fighting chance for the Europa League quarter-final second leg against Atalanta on Thursday, the Reds were once again undone by their wastefulness.

"Those who hold great stock in such arbitrary metrics will have noted Liverpool’s xG – expected goals – total of 2.87 was their most in a Premier League game in which they have failed to score since such records began in 2010. Indeed, not since Brighton two years ago has any side been so profligate.

"Worryingly, the forward line looks as exhausted as the rest of the team, even if all still had good opportunities to score. Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez were both thwarted by unwittingly brilliant saves by Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson, while Mohamed Salah saw a late effort blocked.

"Even Diogo Jota should have scored when denied by a block from former Liverpool man Nathaniel Clyne with Henderson nowhere, while fellow substitute Cody Gakpo was again the only forward to show any real verve. Gakpo and Jota are both musts to start in Italy on Thursday. It’s time to shake up the attack."