Liverpool loses 1-0 to Crystal Palace in major blow to Premier League title challenge

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool’s season is starting to unravel.

A 1-0 loss at home to Crystal Palace damaged Liverpool’s Premier League title challenge on Sunday, three days after a 3-0 defeat to Atalanta at Anfield in the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals.

Eberechi Eze stroked home a finish from Tyrick Mitchell's cutback in the 14th minute to consign Liverpool to its first loss in the league at Anfield in 28 matches — stretching back to October 2022.

It was the 21st time the Reds have gone behind in 32 league games this season and they couldn’t recover, despite Wataru Endo hitting the crossbar midway through the first half and Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones squandering golden chances in front of the Kop after the break.

In the final minutes, Mohamed Salah was presented with an easy opportunity to score from close range for Liverpool but his prod toward goal was weak and blocked by the outstretched leg of Mitchell, who made a despairing challenge.

Liverpool started the weekend in second place, behind Arsenal on goal difference, but is now in third and two points adrift of first-place Manchester City after the champions’ 5-1 thrashing of Luton on Saturday. Arsenal also lost Sunday, 2-0 at home to Aston Villa, and was ahead of Liverpool on goal difference.

Liverpool lost last month to Manchester United in the FA Cup quarterfinals, ending Jurgen Klopp’s team’s unlikely quadruple hopes with the League Cup already secured.

In the past week, Liverpool has drawn at United, this time in the league, and now sustained back-to-back home losses in different competitions.

“Could be," Klopp said, when asked if the loss to Palace was a hangover from the defeat to Atalanta. "If you look at my teams over the years, I think you could say our pressing is usually good, the counterpress is there. The first half (against Palace), we were open — like how can that happen?”

"It’s only a few days ago that we played a bad game so it might have something to do with that. Actually it was a really good game (Sunday), without scoring. But it’s not that easy unfortunately.”

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Liverpool's Mohamed Salah reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Liverpool's Curtis Jones reacts after missing a scoring chance during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Disappointed Liverpool fans during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold reacts disappointed after the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Crystal Palace's Joachim Andersen, left, helps to Crystal Palace's Nathaniel Clyne during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Crystal Palace's goalkeeper Dean Henderson punches the ball away during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Liverpool's manager Jurgen Klopp looks on ahead the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Liverpool's Curtis Jones reacts after missing a scoring chance during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze, centre, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that his government has voted unanimously to shut down the local offices of Qatar-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera.

Netanyahu announced the decision on X, formerly Twitter, but details on the implications of the step on the channel, when it would go into effect or whether it was permanent or temporary shuttered were not immediately clear.

The decision escalated Israel’s long-running feud against Al Jazeera. It also threatened to heighten tensions with Qatar, which owns the channel, at a time when the Doha government is playing a key role in mediation efforts to halt the war in Gaza.

Israel has long had a rocky relationship with Al Jazeera, accusing it of bias against it.

Al Jazeera is one of the few international media outlets to remain in Gaza throughout the war, broadcasting bloody scenes of airstrikes and overcrowded hospitals and accusing Israel of massacres. Israel accuses Al Jazeera of collaborating with Hamas.

Al Jazeera, the Doha-based broadcaster funded by Qatar’s government, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Al Jazeera’s Arabic-language broadcaster acknowledged the news in its broadcast Sunday. Its English arm continued to operate with live shots from East Jerusalem just minutes after the announcement by Netanyahu.

While Al Jazeera’s English operation often resembles the programming found on other major broadcast networks, its Arabic arm often publishes verbatim video statements from Hamas and other militant groups in the region. It similarly came under harsh U.S. criticism during America’s occupation of Iraq after its 2003 invasion toppled director Saddam Hussein.

It remains unclear how such an order would be enforced by Israel.

FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel on Oct. 28, 2023. Netanyahu pledged Tuesday, April 30 to launch an incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering from the almost 7-month-long war, just as cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas appear to be gaining steam. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP, File)