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'Crisis time': Brutal fallout over Liverpool's historic new low

Pictured here, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp gestures in frustration against Fulham.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is overseeing a worrying run of form at Anfield for the Reds. Pic: Getty

Liverpool have slumped to a worrying new low after going down to Premier League strugglers Fulham for their sixth home defeat in a row.

Jurgen Klopp's men are on the worst run at Anfield in Liverpool's history, and have incredibly failed to score a goal in open play in 2021.

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The Reds set unwanted history in the defeat against Fulham, with the loss marking the longest home losing streak by an English top-flight champion.

Liverpool had gone 68 home games unbeaten before their current Anfield slump, which also marks the first time they have lost six times at home since the 1953-54 season when the Reds finished bottom of the top-flight.

At the height of their powers, Klopp branded Liverpool "mentality monsters" but club legend and analyst Jamie Carragher says they are anything but, on current form.

"Jurgen Klopp previously called this team mentality monsters and that was absolutely right at the time," Carragher said on Sky Sports.

"But right now they are like mentality midgets. This team is just not dealing well with adversity at any point in the last four months. That's just not acceptable at Liverpool."

Fellow analyst and Manchester United legend Roy Keane said the Reds were undoubtedly a club in "crisis".

“To me they are not playing as a team, they are not a team,” Keane said on Sky Sports.

“It’s obviously crisis time for Liverpool now. They are not playing as a team and that should be the manager’s biggest worry.

“It’s amazing what’s happened to this Liverpool team, they are a shadow of themselves.”

Klopp’s side are now in real danger of missing out on Champions League football next season - currently four points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea, who can extend that lead to seven if they beat Everton on Tuesday.

Liverpool's latest shock home defeat came on the same day Reds legend Steven Gerrard guided Rangers to their first Scottish Premier League title in a decade.

Gerrard has been touted as a future Liverpool manager and the latest worrying defeat for his beloved Reds will no doubt ramp up the pressure on the under-fire Klopp.

The Liverpool manager was almost at a loss for words trying to explain where it all went wrong against league strugglers Fulham.

Klopp has 'big problem' to solve

"We never had a momentum in the season," admitted Klopp.

"You can see it’s still in the boys. They still have it all but at the moment can’t show it. It would be a masterpiece to find out how we change that overnight.

“They wanted it more? It’s easy to judge. They have won it so they wanted it more, but I don’t think that’s a problem.

“But luckily we have a different competition in three days, and hopefully we can show a different face.

“We had to make changes today because some of the players were just not able to go again.

“I don’t have to stand here and say we are fighting for this or that. We have enough to do just fighting for three points.

“It’s not about a proper target now, we have to win football games and that’s what we’ll try to do. It’s a tough one to take for all of us.”

“There were moments we could have had more of an impact on the game. Conceding that goal before half-time was a massive blow. We tried to react and the boys showed that. In the end we don’t score goals and that’s a big problem."

Mo Salah is seen here looking dejected after Liverpool's defeat to Fulham.
Mo Salah and Liverpool suffered yet another home defeat against lowly Fulham. Pic: Getty

Liverpool are seventh in the table, four points adrift of the top four, and having played more games than all of their rivals for a Champions League place.

An injury crisis has played a major part, particularly in central defence with the talismanic Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip ruled out for the season.

However, Klopp is also now under the spotlight as his decision to make seven changes from Thursday's 1-0 defeat to Chelsea did little to aid his side's confidence.

Liverpool's best chance of a return to the Champions League may now be by winning that competition for a seventh time.

Klopp's men travel to Budapest for the second leg of their last 16 tie against Leipzig on Wednesday, leading 2-0 from the first leg.

with agencies

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