Ray Houghton reckons Liverpool's hopes of claiming a Champions League place at the end of the season are over after today's 4-1 defeat at Arsenal.
"Do we have to really talk about it?" Ray laughed when asked by Adrian on Off The Ball what he thought of the game. "It was that bad today."
The former Liverpool midfielder continued: "The put Jordan Henderson in a right wing-back position and [Lazar] Markovic ahead of him, and it didn't work ... Liverpool were making mistake after mistake."
Liverpool saying goodbye to 4th place like... pic.twitter.com/3fC32GJ8qQ” @SCOGGP200 @stuartreece_23 @spkerrigan1979 @cantonadieu
— Danny K (@NoseyDK) April 4, 2015
Liverpool had one outstanding chance when Markovic went clean through at 0-0 during the first half, but the Serb over-hit his square-ball to Raheem Sterling, who couldn't make a connection with what would have been a sitter.
"[Markovic] passed up responsibility," reckoned Ray. "He should have shot. Raheem would have went for goal and that was Liverpool’s real chance."
Instead, Arsenal banged in three before half-time. "The last 10 minutes of the first half was crazy-time defensively," added Ray.
"If you look at [Liverpool's] form in the last four games, they're on a downward spiral.
"It was convincingly from Arsenal ... but it virtually ended Liverpool's hopes of the top four. Today was a game they could ill-afford to lose."
In contrast, Ray says Manchester United's 3-1 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford "probably cements their chances of making the Top 4".
Ray was joined by Stephen Hunt as they reviewed the day's Premier League action with Adrian. Listen here:
