Liverpool is collapsing. They are still in a Champions League place at fourth but only one point ahead of Swine Chelsea and West Ham, both of whom have a game in hand, and only three in front of Everton who have played two fewer games. When the schedule evens out ‘Pool could very likely find themselves seventh. They lost again today at Lester after Mo Salah had given them a short-lived lead. Within seven minutes there were three goals for Lester.

Liverpool 2019/20 was the best, most perfectly constructed club team I have ever seen. They had no weaknesses and ran away with the league. They miss Virgil van Dijk greatly of course, he is without question the best defender in the EPL, but they have had problems all over: in goal, with Salah, with Covid, perhaps most of all with the mental fatigue that follows such an incandescent campaign. They have now lost three matches in succession and are thirteen points behind City. It’s over for them, this season is over, they will be fortunate indeed to qualify for Champions League play. It is a precipitous fall from a great height.