- Manager Jurgen Klopp lamented a lack of belief after Liverpool lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace, ending their hopes of winning the Premier League.
- Manager Mikel Arteta has urged Arsenal to show character after their title hopes were thwarted with a 2-0 loss to Aston Villa.
- Manchester City's victory over Luton Town has propelled manager Josep Guardiola to the top of the league standings.
- For more soccer news, click here. news 24 sports Dedicated section.
Manager Jurgen Klopp said Liverpool lacked belief following their shock 1-0 defeat at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday, which derailed the Reds' Premier League title challenge.
Klopp's side had not lost a competitive game at Anfield in 14 months until Thursday's 3-0 defeat at Atalanta in the Europa League quarter-finals.
The Germans did not get the response they had hoped for after a rough first half for the home side as Palace took an early lead through Eberechi Eze's goal.
Liverpool improved significantly after the break, but suffered a slump in recent weeks with the familiar wastefulness in front of goal as Palace hung on for just their second win in their last 10 games.
“I think it's 100 per cent rubbish,” Klopp said. “In the first half we paid for the problems we couldn't solve in the second half.
“In the first half, we wanted to show a reaction from the previous game. We saw a reaction, but it wasn't what we wanted. You could see that the team was not completely convinced. was missing.”
The defeat leaves Liverpool two points behind Manchester City with six games left in the Premier League season.
Klopp's side have three away games before returning to Anfield, playing at Fulham, Everton and West Ham over the next two weeks.
And the Liverpool manager knows he must get back to his best form if he is to stand a chance of ending his reign with a second league title in 34 years.
“It's up to us what that means. If we play like we did in the first half, why should we win the league? If we play like we did in the second half, we won the football game. You can do it – you’ll see how much you win.”
“If we can play at our level, we'll be a force, but today we played a little half-heartedly, and that's why we lost.”
Liverpool have currently won only three of their last eight games in all competitions, with Andy Robertson lamenting the lack of form for both teams towards the end of the season.
“We're struggling to keep clean sheets at the moment. I don't know how many clean sheets we've had in the last 10 or 15 games, but I don't think it's that many,” said the Scotland captain. .
“Then you just have to take a chance. It's as simple as that.”
Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones and Mohamed Salah all missed brilliant chances to salvage at least a point in the second half.
“Ever since we came back from international duty[in March]the intensity in front of goal has probably not been as low, which is not great when you're aiming for titles and trophies,” Robertson added.
“We are clearly on the boil in front of goal. Two games without a goal at Anfield is very rare.”
Arteta tells Arsenal to show 'character' after title blow
Manager Mikel Arteta urged Arsenal's injured stars to show character and leadership after the Premier League title challengers' 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa on Sunday.
Arteta's side could have returned to the top of the table with a win at the Emirates Stadium.
Instead, Arsenal lost for the first time in 12 league games, with their title dreams dented by two goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins in the final six minutes.
The second-placed Gunners are two points behind leaders Manchester City with six games remaining on their way to winning the English title for the first time since 2004.
Faced with the prospect of overthrowing the leaders in the race for a second consecutive title, Arteta appealed for team unity.
“That's the reality right now. We knew this moment could come. It's important now to react in the right way and keep believing,” he said.
“Now is the time to stand up as a leader and show class. There is no other solution. It's easy to win, win, win. This is a big test for us.
“If you want to win the Premier League and the Champions League, you have to stand up.”
If City win their remaining games, they will achieve an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title.
It's a harsh reality for Arteta, whose side had won 10 of their last 11 league games.
“We can't control that. In any other league in the world, if you win as many games in a row as we did, you'd be six to eight points behind. That's not the case here. That's the challenge. ” said Arteta.
“We had one of our best performances all season in the first half. We should have had three or four games, but we didn't have that in the second half and the momentum changed.
“Now it's about how we react to this blow. This is something we can control.”
“I’m frustrated and sad.”
Arsenal, who were held to a 2-2 draw by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday, travel to Germany for Wednesday's second leg in a bid to stop their season from collapsing.
“The players are frustrated and sad, but we have a great opportunity to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in 15 years. There could not be a better moment,” Arteta said.
Villa's second win against Arsenal this season was a big moment for Unai Emery, having won just one of their last five league games.
Emery, a former Arsenal manager, delivered a tactical masterclass to frustrate his former club. Coach Emery's fourth-placed team finished in the top four, with a three-point lead over fifth-placed Tottenham, who will be fighting for a spot in the Champions League.
Emery said: “I'm very happy. We were great. It was a very difficult game, but we were ready to play.”
“We needed a high commitment defensively, but we made some transitions to take chances. It's very difficult to beat Arsenal here because they were great.”
Emery has repeatedly frustrated Villa's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since 1982-83, but is now ready to discuss their challenge.
“We played 33 games and now we could be contenders for Champions League qualification!'' he said.
Asked if the result had any special meaning after he was sacked after less than two seasons at struggling Arsenal in 2019, the Spaniard refused to smile.
“Of course, as a coach I have had time here, but for me it's the same three points,” Emery said.