Mario Lemina on Sunday condemned troubled Liverpool to a sixth successive home defeat as Fulham earned a shock 1-0 win that left the champions’ top four bid in turmoil.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are four points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea, who can extend that lead to seven if they beat Everton on Monday.
That would leave Liverpool with a tough task to qualify for next season’s Champions League via a top four finish.
They could still make it by winning the Champions League, but glory in Europe’s elite club competition is hard to envisage given Liverpool’s steep decline.
In a sign of how far they have fallen, even third-bottom Fulham easily out-played Liverpool to secure three points at Anfield for the first time in nine years.
Without any Anfield victory since before Christmas, Liverpool are a pale shadow of the team that romped to their first English title for 30 years last season.