All Jurgen Klopp could do was smile ruefully. There may still have been a half hour remaining, but as soon as Liverpool's lame excuse for a defence left as much room as possible for Dominic Calvert-Lewin to head Everton into a 2-0 lead, he knew it was all over.

The home fans did too. “You lost the league at Goodison Park,” they joyously sang when the full-time whistle blew. By that stage, Klopp was simply trying to ensure that Liverpool left the field with what little grace they had left.

He had to save Darwin Nunez from any further embarrassment by getting involved in any afters. If the Uruguayan had aimed any blows or barbs at Everton players, he undoubtedly would have missed. Just as he had all evening.

Of course, Nunez wasn’t the only culprit on a night when so many players performed as pathetically as Trent Alexander-Arnold had attempted to challenge Calvert-Lewin.

Salah's slump proves costly

Just like Nunez, Ibrahima Konate cast serious doubt on his long-term future at the club with a (now wholly expected) error-strewn display. But, in a way, perhaps the biggest let-down was a Liverpool legend.

Mohamed Salah once again performed nothing like the club's record goal-scorer in the Premier League. As he mishit shot after shot, it was hard not to wonder if the Reds have been the victims of some elaborate ruse; that maybe the real Salah had never actually returned from the Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast in January and Liverpool have been unknowingly fielding a look-a-like for the past five months.

The simple truth is that injury has probably just robbed one of the game’s most prolific players of his sharpness, and the same probably goes for Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones, two midfielders that were immense for Liverpool when fully fit - yet just as unrecognisable as Salah after returning to action in recent weeks and months.

And who knows how many points the Reds would have right now if other key players such as Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota, Alisson Becker, Andy Robertson and Joel Matip had managed to stay fit for the entire campaign?

Inevitable collapse

Of course, Klopp worked wonders with a squad beset by fitness problems for the majority of the season - and that shouldn't be forgotten. Indeed, maybe because he made light of such injury issues, the supporters and media thought a quadruple bid was sustainable.

When Klopp won the Carabao Cup with a collection of kids and jaded second-string players, it appeared as if the ‘mentality monsters’ had returned; that Liverpool were capable of overcoming any odds. However, during the business end of the season, his jaded squad somehow contrived to lose games that they should have won easily.

The overworked and overused Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo ran out of steam, while those in front of them suddenly started struggling to score goals - as badly as those behind struggled to keep them out. The end-of-campaign collapse became inevitable.

The Old Trafford effect

The initial signs of Liverpool’s imminent demise were seen at Old Trafford, first in the FA Cup quarter-final loss to Manchester United, and then in the damaging league draw with Erik ten Hag’s team. Failing to beat such a horribly limited team twice in the space of three weeks quite understandably took a heavy psychological toll on Klopp’s players, as the manager admitted himself. Dropping two points at the home of their greatest rivals somehow felt like "a catastrophe", one that they seriously struggled to comprehend - let alone cope with.

Doubts began to creep in, fatigue too, and the writing was on the wall after the back-to-back defeats at home to Atalanta and Crystal Palace. Victory at Fulham at the weekend revived some hope of Liverpool finishing with a flourish - but it’s all gone now.

Tough final few weeks

In the grand scheme of things, Klopp’s final year at the helm has been a success. He has done a fine job rejuvenating a squad that was well past its sell-by-date last season - but it’s clear that more work needs to be done; that the squad still needs to be strengthened for his successor.

For all of the progress made, Liverpool’s revamped engine room still ran out of steam at the worst possible moment, resulting in avoidable exits in both the FA Cup and Europa League, and, worst of all, a painful capitulation in the Premier League.

Consequently, the next few weeks are going to be tough. Saying goodbye to such a successful and charismatic manager was always going to be hard on Liverpool fans, but seeing him leave without one final piece of silverware will be tough to take.

Mathematically, the Reds are not out of the title race - but it's hard to see a way back into it for them. Liverpool are already lagging behind Arsenal, while perennial champions Manchester City are once again finishing strongly.

Debilitating desire for a fairy-tale farewell

The Reds' frustrated fans will rightly focus on the good times - and they really were good - but there will be an undeniable feeling of disappointment that Klopp’s truly tremendous tenure is going to end on a low. It wasn't meant to end like this, with Klopp being mocked in Manchester and on Merseyside.

They'll always have those unforgettable memories from Madrid and beyond, but the supporters desperately wanted to win another title, and not for themselves, or the players - but for Klopp. He deserved it, for everything he’s done for Liverpool over the past nine years.

He took a club in complete crisis and transformed them into the champions of everything - despite competing with state-sponsored super-clubs accused of breaching umpteen financial regulations over the years.

But maybe the desperation for a fairy-tale finish was just too much in the end. Maybe everyone wanted it too badly. Maybe the desire became debilitating. The rights and wrongs of Klopp’s decision to announce his departure midway through the season are now set to be debated in the coming days and weeks, and maybe some painful conclusions will be reached.

But all we know for sure right now is that those Everton fans were right: Liverpool lost the league at Goodison Park.