Eze and Palace put major dent in Liverpool's title hopes

Liverpool 0 Crystal Palace 1

JURGEN Klopp’s last dance suffered a major misstep against Crystal Palace as Eberechi Eze’s winner put a potentially fatal dent in Liverpool’s title hopes.

It was Liverpool’s first home league defeat in 533 days, their second in the last 59 Premier League games at Anfield and could not possibly have come at a worse time for Klopp as he enters the final stages of his reign.

Alisson and Trent Alexander-Arnold returned from their respective two-month injury absences but Liverpool’s late-season problems again reared their ugly head.

Despite being unbeaten in 28 league games at Anfield before the Palace visit, there had been warning signs of a drop in form in recent weeks.

And the visitors exploited them fully in a first half in which they led by one but would not have been flattered by a three-goal advantage.

It took a breathtaking goalline clearance from Andy Robertson, sprinting back to hook clear Jean-Philippe Mateta’s finish after he was put clean through by Eze on 17 minutes.

Virgil van Dijk had simply fallen over to allow that chance, a symptom of poor defending which has become endemic at Liverpool in recent weeks.

That was certainly the case when Palace took the lead on 14 minutes, attacking as they did so often down Liverpool’s right flank and taking on young defender Conor Bradley.

Tyrick Mitchell reached the by-line and pulled the ball back for the unmarked Eze to bury a simple finish from just outside the six-yard box.

There were half-chances, just before the break, from Michael Olise’s long shot and Mateta’s near-post header but, although Liverpool enjoyed the bulk of possession, they were always susceptible on the counter.

And when they did threaten the Palace goal, Klopp’s men