Liverpool loses 1-0 to Crystal Palace in major blow to Premier League title challenge

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Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold reacts disappointed after the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

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Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze, centre, celebrates after scoring his side’s opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

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Liverpool’s Curtis Jones reacts after missing a scoring chance during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

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Liverpool’s manager Jurgen Klopp looks on ahead the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

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Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

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Crystal Palace’s goalkeeper Dean Henderson punches the ball away during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

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Crystal Palace’s Joachim Andersen, left, helps to Crystal Palace’s Nathaniel Clyne during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

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Disappointed Liverpool fans during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool’s season is starting to unravel.

A 1-0 loss at home to Crystal Palace damaged Liverpool’s Premier League title challenge on Sunday, three days after a 3-0 defeat to Atalanta at Anfield in the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals.

Eberechi Eze stroked home a finish from Tyrick Mitchell’s cutback in the 14th minute to consign Liverpool to its first loss in the league at Anfield in 28 matches — stretching back to October 2022.

It was the 21st time the Reds have gone behind in 32 league games this season and they couldn’t recover, despite Wataru Endo hitting the crossbar midway through the first half and Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones squandering golden chances in front of the Kop after the break.

In the final minutes, Mohamed Salah was presented with an easy opportunity to score from close range for Liverpool but his prod toward goal was weak and blocked by the outstretched leg of Mitchell, who made a despairing challenge.

Liverpool started the weekend in second place, behind Arsenal on goal difference, but is now in third and two points adrift of first-place Manchester City after the champions’ 5-1 thrashing of Luton on Saturday. Arsenal also lost Sunday, 2-0 at home to Aston Villa, and was ahead of Liverpool on goal difference.

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Liverpool lost last month to Manchester United in the FA Cup quarterfinals, ending Jurgen Klopp’s team’s unlikely quadruple hopes with the League Cup already secured.

In the past week, Liverpool has drawn at United, this time in the league, and now sustained back-to-back home losses in different competitions.

“Could be,” Klopp said, when asked if the loss to Palace was a hangover from the defeat to Atalanta. “If you look at my teams over the years, I think you could say our pressing is usually good, the counterpress is there. The first half (against Palace), we were open — like how can that happen?”

“It’s only a few days ago that we played a bad game so it might have something to do with that. Actually it was a really good game (Sunday), without scoring. But it’s not that easy unfortunately.”

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer