Liverpool’s Premier League title hopes are all but over after suffering their second consecutive defeat without scoring at Anfield in three days.

Alisson went immediately into the firing line

Jurgen Klopp did not mess about – Alisson Becker was declared fit for duty again, and our established No.1 was immediately reinserted into the starting lineup.

Caoimhin Kelleher has been mainly superb in goal during his lengthy tenure, but Alisson remains the first choice, and that was very much the message, given that he wasn’t even on the bench three days ago and started today.

It took him a minute to receive his first shot and less than a quarter hour to concede. If he had forgotten what it was like to be between the sticks, the defenders exposed him three or four times in the first half.

Trent Alexander-Arnold also returned from the bench shortly after halftime, with Conor Bradley ill, and his rustiness was evident, with the No. 66 passing well behind the pace.

Bodies and faces have returned, but, like Jota off the bench midweek, the quality and rhythm have yet to be established.

Angry? More like anxious

After the midweek defeat at Atalanta, Klopp guaranteed that the Reds would respond against Crystal Palace.

“We’ll be angry,” he insisted, using his standard football phrasing of ‘hungry, fighting, and ready to do whatever it needed’.

Maybe he neglected to tell the squad?

The Reds came out with a whimper, not a snarl. They were slow, cumbersome, safe in the pass, and inert in the final third, where much more movement was necessary.

The tempo improved as the half progressed, but not the organisation or technical aspects, with passes going astray and times being off.

The second half certainly provided more chances, moments of danger, and goalscoring opportunities, but everything was rushed, frightened, or uncertain.

And nothing went in.

Lack of clinical edge, composure, and consistency

We’ve scored a lot of goals this year, but there’s no denying that the edge has been dulled somewhat in the final third of the season.

Form, injury, weariness, or all of the above? It ultimately doesn’t matter; only the missed opportunities and points lost as a result do.

Again, the Reds created well over 20 opportunities, many of which were of higher quality or had a better chance of scoring than in previous games, but none of them were converted.

Liverpool absolutely lacked the killer instinct to ensure the ball crossed the line, with Endo hitting the bar to Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez having five-yard attempts blocked and saved in the most unlikely of circumstances.

That has cost us so much lately, from a victory over Manchester United to an utter defeat here. By predicted goals, our last six league games should have produced nearly 17 goals. We scored ten goals, three of which came against the league’s worst side.

On this occasion, the main culprits were probably Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones, who squandered wonderful opportunities, although the blame is divided throughout the team.

Who should finish the run-in?

Incredibly, for a team that was in such terrific shape just a few weeks ago, we now have to decide who should start the future games based on form rather than fitness.

It is expected that as players return from injury, team lineups become increasingly difficult to forecast due to options and quality, rather than because the majority of the available faces are underperforming.

Andy Robertson’s return to prominence is certainly welcome. The left-back performed admirably against Crystal Palace, providing an outlet down the left and consistently delivering dangerous passes.

Harvey Elliott and Cody Gakpo have each made an impact off the bench. Beyond that? It’s difficult to choose so many.

Salah is far from his peak, Nunez hasn’t had a consistent influence in a long time, and even Alexis MacAllister’s form has deteriorated over the last week.

Whether it’s pressure, exhaustion, or something else entirely, the players must elevate themselves and reach a level that allows them to play with significantly greater energy and, most crucially, accuracy.

Title chances? Forget it; we’re closer to the season’s end

In the space of three or four days, Liverpool went from hoping for a treble to cap Klopp’s final season to practically having their season ended early.

We’ve done an Arsenal, essentially.

Except for a miraculous second leg against Atalanta, the Europa League, which was clearly meant to be won against primarily second-rate teams, will be gone in 90 minutes.

And now we face the prospect of finishing the Premier League season in near-irrelevance, with only the Merseyside Derby seeming like a relevant event if we fall behind Arsenal and Manchester City.

Klopp’s duty now is to rally the troops, play the underdog card, and try to get back to winning ways.

We had our chance; did we blow it?