Talking about a football game on this 35th anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy feels absurd. Liverpool fell short against Crystal Palace on Sunday. It was awful and disappointing, but when you consider the 97 individuals who were deprived of the opportunity to see a match again, the pain of the defeat fades.

In light of this, we still need to prepare our report on yesterday’s match. Liverpool’s first Premier League home loss of the season cashed in on a rather bad week. Andy Robertson, a left back from Scotland, was one of the few players who appeared to be fully committed on the day. 

Speaking after a game in which the Reds accumulated an xG of 2.87 on 21 shots, but were unable to score, he expressed his anger and the lack of cutting edge in front of the net.

“Extremely irritating and disappointed. We didn’t play even close to where we could in the first half. I believe that Crystal Palace was robbed of a chance to go up by at least two goals. We played better in the second half, but our finishing touch was lacking, as has been the case in most of the recent games. Simply put, you don’t win games if you’re not clinical in front of goal.”

“We’ve had six or seven clean opportunities in the six to eight yard range [out], and you can never win games if you don’t hit the net. Sadly, we haven’t been able to accomplish that. This is the reason we are discussing a defeat here. Yes, it is quite frustrating.”

This season, we’ve seen it far too often: Liverpool’s careless defense gave them an early lead. The Reds have found a way to come back from behind and win games most of the season by combining skill, luck, and magic, but it wasn’t to be against Crystal Palace. 

According to Robertson, the group is aware that the come-from-behind outcomes are unsustainable.

“We have discussed that as well and stated that we cannot continue to rely solely on our comebacks. It is not possible for us to do so. It’s not something you can continue season after season, game after game. It’s imperative that you start strong, score first, maintain control, and pursue them. And we’ve failed to do that. Once more, Palace took advantage of the poor start and easily could have led 2-0.”

“Then, alright, the second half, you attempt to generate chances and you start battling back, which we did. It’s very disheartening to miss the back of the net, especially considering how many opportunities we had. The results will never be in our favor because, let’s face it, none of us in front of goal are exactly on a roll or maintaining clean sheets.”

Liverpool were ready to contend for both the Premier League and the Europa League titles until the last week. The Reds are in disarray after losing to Atalanta and Crystal Palace and a dreadful draw with Manchester United. 

According to Robertson, the group won’t give up easily. This Liverpool team will battle to the very end, but they will now require assistance along the way.

“There are six Premier League games remaining, and on Thursday we have a [Europa League] match in which we will give it our all. These boys will never give up battling. It’s quite annoying to be in third place right now and to depend on two teams giving up points.” 

“We ought not to have been in that situation last week at this time. That’s the source of the irritation. However, that is the state we are in at the moment. Without a doubt, from now on, we must be flawless. We have to stop giving up points, and then we should watch what the other two teams do.”

“Simply said, it’s annoying that we now have to rely on others. Even though we had control over it, there was still much work to be done. Extremely annoying situation to be in. “

“However, this club doesn’t stop battling; throughout the final six Premier League games, we must fight both on the field and in the spectators. See where it leads us, please. We must maintain our optimism. Many individuals are depressed, whether it’s because they wasted an opportunity, gave the ball away, or something else entirely. As a result, we have to pick everyone up in the changing room. We pack up, head out again on Thursday, and give it our all.”