Liverpool’s set-piece woes continued as West Ham saw them off in the FA Cup fourth-round courtesy of a 121st minute Angelo Ogbonna header, as the defender climbed high to get on the end of Dmitri Payet’s free kick delivery.
Sadly, this did not come as a surprise to most, including Reds boss Jürgen Klopp who seemed unusually deflated during his post-match media duties. While most would have seen the goal coming, it did not ease the blow.
Late Ogbonna goal a gutting blow to Reds' season
Utter disappointment was the overwhelming emotion after the game, not due to a sub-par performance from the visiting Reds but mostly because the team has no one to blame but themselves.
Klopp's side really showed an attacking threat throughout the 90 minutes and extra-time, which has been lacking in recent times.
Inspired partly by the return of forwards Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge as well as the promising youth talent that was on display, Liverpool were fluid and positive in the final third.
However, the team seemed to lack the finishing expertise to make any use of the available tools - wasting a number of good chances to kill the game off.
Christian Benteke is the first that comes to mind, as the striker failed to put away the game with two clear-cut chances in extra time, including a one-on-one with Hammers goalkeeper Darren Randolph, who made a fine save to deny the Belgian.
The big centre forward did have a decent game, showing off some fine ball skills as well as a few good runs and half-chances, although he missed the chance that arguably would have sent his side through to the next round.
What came to realisation after the game though is the fact that Klopp’s side does not lack the quality, but that they seem to lack the finishing touches, as is made evident by their tally of zero wins from four attempts against Slaven Bilic's Londoners this season.
Reds must come through sticky patch
The club seems to be in a bad place at the moment, with fans protesting over ticket prices, a busy fixture schedule, an injury-plagued squad and a 'keeper who virtually has the worst record in the Premier League in terms of his performances.
Needless to say, the club needs to re-group and walk on, the only way to get through this slump is to fight through it knowing that at the very least, this loss has offered them more time to train and rest.
Post-match, the boss mentioned how the club was not in the sunniest moment, but declared that "tomorrow when we get up, the sun will shine" Offering a positive outlook on a negative situation, we will have to wait and see if Klopp's tactics pay off.
Liverpool still have a lot to play for this season, which is still being fought on three fronts, one of which is the Capital One Cup final against Manchester City later this month. This is far from the end but the team will really have to dig deep and find their form sooner rather than later if they want to end the season on any sort of positive note.