LIVERPOOL, England — Jurgen Klopp’s hopes of a dream send-off were left in tatters after a 2-0 loss at Everton dealt a major blow to Liverpool’s Premier League title bid on Wednesday.
Goals from Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Goodison Park meant Klopp tasted a bitter defeat in his last Merseyside derby before standing down at the end of the season.
“I can only apologize to the people for today. We should have done better and we didn’t and that’s why we lost,” Klopp said.
The loss keeps Liverpool three points behind league leader Arsenal in second place and one ahead of defending champion Manchester City, which, while third, has two games in hand on both of its rivals.
Klopp had spoken last week of needing perfection to win his second title at the club, but this is another setback for his team, which has lost two of its last three league games.
While the result hurt Liverpool’s title chances, it delivered a boost to Everton’s survival bid, with the win moving Sean Dyche’s team eight points above the relegation zone.
That fact seemed to be of less concern to the home fans, who were too busy reveling in the damage caused to Liverpool’s season.
“You lost the league at Goodison Park,” they chanted as the final whistle approached and the majority of the 39,000 crowd remained inside the stadium to drink in the atmosphere as the players celebrated on the field.
“I’m very disappointed. We let it happen — exactly the game that Everton wanted,” Klopp said.
Klopp has dominated this fixture since taking over at Anfield in 2015, winning nine of the past 16 derbies before Wednesday’s match.
It was a different story on what could be his last visit to Goodison Park as an opposition manager, as Everton produced a high-octane performance that Liverpool struggled to contain from the start.
Statistics showed Everton won 75 percent of all duels in the opening half hour.
After just six minutes, Liverpool was grateful for VAR, escaping an early penalty when Alisson brought down Calvert-Lewin in the box and referee Andrew Madley pointed to the spot. The decision was overturned because of an offside in the buildup.
Everton’s pressure finally paid off when it took the lead in the 27th minute. Liverpool’s defenders repeatedly failed to clear the danger from a freekick, and Branthwaite’s shot squirmed through the hands of Alisson and off the post before crossing the line.
Again, there was an agonizing wait for a VAR check, but on this occasion there was no reprieve for Liverpool.
Luis Diaz had a chance to level it up from close range before the break, but was denied by the legs of Jordan Pickford.
Liverpool came out with more intent in the second half, but failed to force Pickford into serious action before conceding a second goal.
Again, the visitors failed to deal with a set piece, as Dwight McNeil swung a deep corner to the far post and Calvert-Lewin rose, unmarked, to head home.
Liverpool came close to pulling one back in the 69th minute, but Diaz’s effort came back off the post.
Klopp’s woes will be compounded should Manchester City beat Brighton on Thursday, and leapfrog his team into second place.