Liverpool's title hopes have gone up in smoke as Klopp started to run on empty

It was the afternoon when a mighty blow had been inflicted to Liverpool’s title challenge, the day Crystal Palace had rattled Anfield’s foundations.

Those who work at the stadium have seen many guises of Jurgen Klopp post-match: the ebullience and energy that follow big victories, the outpouring of emotion that followed when things hadn’t gone to plan. Liverpool’s manager is an imposing figure, physically, and you always know he’s there.

But after that 1-0 defeat to Palace on April 14, Liverpool’s first at home in the Premier League for almost two years, Klopp’s demeanour was noticeably different. Before you would have characterised him as a volcano, full of fire, now it was easy to see he had become a lighthouse.

Yes, he was present but underneath that black quilted jacket and baseball cap he seemed hollow. Not broken – it would be disingenuous to suggest that – but here was a man whose fuel tank has run so dry that only fumes are left.

You saw it again at Goodison Park on Wednesday, when Everton swung their axe to send a Liverpool team billed as a mighty oak toppling over. As Red shirts ran down blind, blue-alleys and lost tackles and second balls, Klopp moved back from his technical area and found a temporary perch.

The symbolism was huge. Like a boxer going back to his corner, unable to lift his arms for the final round, Klopp had no more left to give – nor did his team. It will be viewed in some quarters, given the time of year, as Liverpool choking when it mattered but the answer is much simpler.

To make an analogy, a Premier League season is like the route on the Tour De France known simply as Puy De Dome. The climb to the summit, where the stage in the Massif Central ends, is lung-burning and leg-bending and asks the