PICKWORTH: Woeful Liverpool display leaves Klopp's farewell tour in tatters

It had all looked set to end so perfectly.

Ever since Jurgen Klopp announced his shock decision to leave Liverpool after nine glittering and transformative years, Reds supporters had penned Wednesday, May 22 in their diary.

For that is the date of the Europa League final in Dublin, a city with significant cultural and emotional ties to Liverpool.

The memory of Klopp lifting up the only trophy he is yet to win in his final game in charge, before heading off into the sunset is the sort of thing dreams are made of.

Yet, after an error-strewn night at Anfield, Klopp's hopes of a perfect farewell are hanging by a thread following a dismal 3-0 defeat by Atalanta in their Europa League quarter-final first leg.

Liverpool put in their worst performance of the season to leave themselves with a mammoth task in Bergamo next week as their unbeaten home streak stretching back to February 2023 came to an end.

'A really bad game, oh my God,' Klopp bemoaned post-match. 'We lost the plot a bit, we were everywhere and nowhere.

'Unfortunately there is nothing really positive to say about the game. I didn't like our tactical positioning in possession.

'We scored one that was offside but it was a bad game from us. Atalanta had a good game, scored three goals and deserved to win.

'The lads must go home and sleep badly.'

Klopp - whose side were overwhelming favourites for the Europa League before Thursday - could have no complaints, with his side out-thought and second best to Atalanta, as their defensive frailties were brutally exposed.

Gianluca Scamacca found himself in acres of space for his two goals - although Caoimhin Kelleher allowed the first to go through his hands - before an awful error by Dominik Szoboszlai led to a potentially pivotal third