Liverpool were left to rue missed opportunities as defeat to Crystal Palace dented their Premier League title hopes.
The Reds came into the match third in the table and knew a win would take them back to the top ahead of Manchester City and Arsenal.
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A home clash against Palace, who had not won in the league since February, presented the perfect opportunity to take advantage.
However, despite numerous chances in front of goal, Liverpool failed to capitalize and lost 1-0.
Eberechi Eze’s calm finish in the 14th minute was all Palace needed to seal a crucial victory in hopes of avoiding relegation.
It could very well have been 2-0 but Jean-Philippe Mateta’s chip was heroically cleared off the line by Andy Robertson.
Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones then missed huge chances to equalize for Liverpool in what was one of their worst performances of the season.
And Reds legend Carragher was quick to criticize them, telling Sky Sports: “Liverpool’s finish was absolutely shocking.”
With City still in the lead and Arsenal set to leapfrog them if they beat Aston Villa, the Reds could soon fall out of the title race.
Their rivals have been more impressive of late, and Carragher added: “It doesn’t look like the performance of a title-winning team.
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“You think about the current form of Man City and Arsenal, it’s a completely different level to Liverpool.”
Jones’ chance in particular was a glaring miss, with the midfielder placing his shot wide during a one-on-one with Dean Henderson.
Liverpool had 21 shots in total against Palace, but only six of them were on target, with Palace making the most of one of their eight efforts.
It is the second time in a week that the Reds have been beaten at Anfield following a 3-0 defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League.
They also extended their winless run to three games in all competitions as their hopes of winning more trophies begin to fade.
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Everton, Tottenham and Aston Villa pose tough tests for them in the title race, with Jurgen Klopp now in his final weeks as manager.
Liverpool now know this is out of their control as City lead them with two points and Arsenal with one.
The latter will extend that figure to four, with victory over Villa, with this season’s title race proving to be one for the ages.
