Steve McManaman has delivered a scathing assessment of Liverpool's dismal 3-0 defeat by Atalanta on Thursday night, claiming that there 'was a lot for Jurgen Klopp to explain'.
The Reds haven't lost at Anfield since they were beaten by Real Madrid 5-2 in the Champions League in February 2023.
Despite that, a brace from Gianluca Scamacca and a late goal from Mario Pasalic now means that Liverpool have it all to do in the return fixture in Italy.
'This victory means more to them [Atalanta] of course because last time Liverpool had qualified and changed the team,' McManaman said to TNT Sports. 'This time this is against the favourites at Anfield, the favourites who people expected to walk to Dublin.
Steve McManaman delivered a scathing assessment of Liverpool's 3-0 defeat by Atalanta
McManaman claimed on TNT Sport's coverage of the game that the 'wheels have come off'
The result now means that Jurgen Klopp's side will have to overcome a three-goal deficit to advance to the semi-finals
'And woah! They've put a stop to that talk. And do you know what, they haven't deserved it tonight. Liverpool have been very average.
'They've been amazing this year and all the nice things that have been said about them, but tonight... Wow the wheels have come off.
'All the substitutions that have been made haven't had an impact as they have had this year. It will be interesting to see what the manager has to say when he explains it away... because there's a lot to explain!'
Speaking on the return fixture, he added: 'They'll have to keep a clean sheet at Bergamo and they're finding that hard to do.'
Liverpool have been in flying form of late, having suffered only one defeat in their last 10 matches - a 4-3 defeat by Man United in the FA Cup.
But tonight, the Reds defensively gave Atalanta too many opportunities and failed to convert their own chances too, having 18 attempts on goal with only five of those shots hitting the target.
Ex-Liverpool player Stephen Warnock echoed McManaman's comments, but praised Atalanta for their excellent performance.
McManaman added that 'Liverpool did not deserve to win' the match and that they had been 'very average'
Of their 18 attempts on goal, Liverpool managed a meagre five shots on target this evening
'Atalanta dominated Liverpool. They created so many chances,' he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
'Liverpool were poor. They were arguably the worst I have ever seen them.
'Wasteful in possession. So many mistakes all over the pitch but they looked tired. They looked like a team that has played 56 games in a season and you could just see tired minds and tired bodies.
'But take nothing away from Atalanta. They were magnificent.
