Home Football UNBELIEVABLE: Andrew Robertson saves Van Dijk from humiliation but can’t prevent costly defeat

UNBELIEVABLE: Andrew Robertson saves Van Dijk from humiliation but can’t prevent costly defeat

Football — 04/15/2024

Their prospects of winning the title were severely damaged at Anfield, and statistics indicate that their defensive problems are the cause.

Crystal Palace defeated the Reds 1-0 when they were unable to rally after Eberechi Eze’s goal in the first fifteen minutes.

Robertson somehow prevented a second goal for PalaceRobertson somehow prevented a second goal for Palace

Andy Robertson managed to save Virgil van Dijk from humiliation in the first half but he couldn’t prevent a costly loss for Jurgen Klopp’s men

Liverpool's Andy Robertson makes goal-line clearance to deny Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta

While battling Jean-Philippe Mateta, teammate Van Dijk slipped, causing the Scotland international to be called into action.

Even though the French forward beat Alisson and narrowly avoided letting the ball over the line, the full-back managed to recover and return to the goal line.

Ultimately, though, his efforts were in vain as his team now sits third in the Premier League standings and loses their lead in the fight for the championship.

The hosts are in serious trouble as it appears from some startling statistics that trailing in games is turning into a negative trend.

At Anfield, Liverpool has now given up the first goal in four of their previous five Premier League encounters.

That is the same number of goals they had allowed in their 22 prior home games.

Furthermore, their defensive performance this year has been well below their typical caliber.

Crystal Palace were inches away from a second goalA second goal was just inches away for Crystal Palace.Regards: Sky SportsThey have now allowed in more goals in 2024 than their fierce rivals Everton after losing to Eze.That record makes the Toffees ineligible for the title given they are fighting for relegation.This year, Klopp’s team has now given up 15 goals, whereas Sean Dyche’s team has only allowed 14 goals.Many of those goals have also come from home, where they have given up goals in each of their previous nine games at Anfield, their worst run of home defeats since 1999.They ultimately paid a price for that run, as they suffered their second straight home loss across all competitions for the first time in three years.Arsenal and Manchester City now lead the fight for the title, with Liverpool just two points off the top of the standings.