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A few years ago, a football fan would have linked a 3-3 scoreline from a Liverpool game to that famous night in Istanbul when the Reds came back from 3-0 down at halftime to go on and win the UEFA Champions League final on penalties against a might AC Milan side.
However, times have changed. Now the Reds know very well what it feels like to be on the receiving end of such a comeback and they’ve had that experience not once but twice since May 2014.
The first was against Crystal Palace back in May 2014 and the result virtually ended any hope the Reds had of lifting their maiden Premier League title. The second one was against Sevilla in the group stage match of the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League season.
Defensive frailties have been Liverpool's Achilles heel for many years now and under Jurgen Klopp, things have not gotten much better. Under Klopp, Liverpool have dropped points from a winning position in 21 games so far and that number is likely to increase further.
Under Klopp, on many occasions, the defence has choked and collapsed and here are the five worst performance by the Liverpool defence during the German’s tenure.
#5 Southampton 3-2 Liverpool, March 2016
This game was during Klopp’s first season in charge. The Liverpool defence was not spectacular by any means before this game but this was the first major collapse the fans would witness under Klopp.
A few months before the game, Liverpool handed Southampton a 6-1 thrashing at St.Mary’s in a league cup encounter and 22 minutes into this Premier League game, Liverpool were 2-0 up thanks to goals from Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge.
The score remained unaltered at halftime but Ronald Koeman’s introduced Sadio Mane as a half-time substitute and the game turned on its head.
Southampton won a penalty early in the second half and Mane stepped up to take it only for Mignolet to save the effort. However, in the 64th minute, the Senegalese man opened the account for the home side.
However, it looked like Liverpool would hold on to the 2-1 lead before Graziano Pelle fired one in from distance in the 83rd minute to make it 2-2. With the Reds rocked at the back, it only took Southampton three more minutes to score the winner and yet again it was scored by Mane!
This was also Mane’s fourth goal in three games against Klopp’s Liverpool and there is no surprise as to why Klopp signed Mane in the following summer.
Interestingly, this was the first time in Premier League history that Liverpool lost a game that they were leading by two goals at half-time having won 112 and drawn 3 of the previous 115 games.
#4 Liverpool 1-3 Sevilla, May 2016
Klopp led Liverpool to two cup finals in his first season in charge. The first was the league cup final which Liverpool lost to Manchester City on penalties and the second was the Europa League final against Sevilla.
The Reds were determined to end their trophy drought and put in a formidable performance as a result, the first half ended with Daniel Sturridge scoring a sublime goal to hand them the lead. Liverpool could have easily scored at least two more in the first half and had a couple of good penalty appeals also turned down.
With the game in their hands, fans expected the team to maintain their shape and composure in the second half but that hope was dashed a minute after the game restarted as Kevin Gameiro levelled the score.
Things got worse from there on as they struggled to find a foothold in the game and eventually went 3-1 behind in the 70th minute following a brace from Coke.
Liverpool were unable to turn the game around and their poor defence cost them a major cup final and a place in the next season’s UEFA Champions League.
#3 Bournemouth 4-3 Liverpool, December 2016
It was probably this very fixture that cemented Liverpool’s nickname as the Robinhood of the Premier League. The Reds enjoyed a flying start to the season picking up 30 points from their opening 13 games which included victories over Chelsea and Arsenal as well as draws against Spurs and Manchester United.
The 14th league game of the season was against minnows Bournemouth and based on the form of the two teams, it was supposed to be a cakewalk for Liverpool and a 2-0 lead for them at half-time cemented that belief.
In the 56th minute, Callum Wilson scored from the spot to reduce the deficit to one goal only for Emre Can to restore Liverpool’s lead minutes later. 75 minutes into the game, Liverpool were leading 3-1 and had their eyes set on another victory but things fell apart from here on.
It was Bournemouth’s half-time substitute, Ryan Fraser, who turned the game around. He won the penalty which Wilson scored earlier and then scored his side’s second in the 76th minute. If that wasn’t enough, two minutes later, he assisted the Cherries’ equaliser.
The score remained 3-3 with the game going into added time at the end of the second half and then Liverpool self-imploded again! Goalkeeper Loris Karius made a mess of Steve Cook’s effort and Nathan Ake followed up to put the ball in the back of the net.
Not only did Liverpool lose after taking a two-goal lead, they also ensured that Bournemouth won a Premier League game for the first time after overcoming a two-goal deficit.
#2 Sunderland 2-2 Liverpool, January 2017
How bad does your defence have to be to drop points to a terrible Sunderland side managed by David Moyes and that too after taking the lead twice?
Liverpool came into the game on the back of a 1-0 win over Manchester City on New Year’s eve while Sunderland were already favourites to get relegated. The Reds were also in the title race at this point.
The Reds took the lead through Daniel Sturridge in the 19th minute only to concede a penalty and give Sunderland an easy route back into the game 6 minutes later.
The score remained 1-1 for the most part of the game as Liverpool struggled to break open a stubborn Sunderland defence but in the 72nd minute, Sadio Mane found the back of the net to finally restore his side’s lead.
Ten minutes later, Mane was once again in the thick of the action, this time for the wrong reasons as his handball gave away another penalty which once again Jermain Defoe tucked away.
This was also the start of two disastrous months for Liverpool as they went on to pick up just 6 points from a maximum possible 21 and lost their way in the title race. In addition, they also lost the semi-finals of the league cup and exited the FA Cup during this period.
#1 Sevilla 3-3 Liverpool, November 2017
For Liverpool, there seems to be a mental block when they play Sevilla. After losing the Europa League final in 2016, the two sides faced each other for the first time in the group stage of the 2017/18 Champions League.
The two teams met at Anfield in the opening game of the group stage fixtures and the game ended 2-2 after Liverpool missed a penalty and Sevilla equalised despite the home side’s dominance.
The return leg in Spain was far more eventful and exciting. The visitors took a 3-0 lead in the first half hour thanks to a brace from Roberto Firmino and a goal from Sadio Mane.
At halftime, Liverpool looked set to win the game and top the group but Wissam Ben Yedder scored a brace in the second half to take the game to Liverpool. Although Liverpool had the chance to score their fourth, Sevilla dominated the entire second half and was knocking on the doors throughout. Eventually, their pressure worked as they scored the equaliser in the third minute of added time to level the game.
This was the third consecutive game against Sevilla that Liverpool led and failed to win.
