When Darwin Núñez is stepping in to diffuse a situation, you know that something has gone wrong somewhere. In a bizarre sight down on the touchline, Jürgen Klopp and his Liverpool talisman, Mohamed Salah, were arguing.
It has been that kind of period for the Reds, really, with the FA Cup, then the Europa League, and now the Premier League title all gone. A Champions League place will be secured but nothing more in the league, with only three matches to go until Klopp departs to be replaced by Arne Slot.
Liverpool lost its grip on the title when it dropped points against Manchester United and then lost at home to Crystal Palace. By the time the defeat to Everton came around, it had already gone — and then only drawing at West Ham further condemned the Reds to third spot.
While Salah’s outburst at Klopp has caught the headlines, he wasn’t the only Liverpool player left visibly frustrated. Virgil van Dijk also looked noticeably “annoyed and frustrated” as the reality that Liverpool’s title charge is all over bar the shouting became undeniably clear at the London Stadium.
“Done and dusted,” Owen Hargreaves said on Premier League Productions at the final whistle, referring to the title race. “You just saw Van Dijk hanging his head there — just annoyed, frustrated.
