Jurgen Klopp’s once formidable ‘mentality monsters’ appear more like mentality minnows as Liverpool face uphill battle for the title – Lewis Steele believes only a miraculous turnaround can secure the trophy under the German boss.

It was sung with a hint of trepidation at first but soon spread around this grand old stadium like a virus. ‘You lost the league at Goodison Park,’ was the chant, ramping up in volume and speed as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes.

After countless occasions of last-minute goals for the red half of Merseyside in this fixture, Everton fans feared jinxing it by jumping the gun and singing too early. But as the minutes went by, an unexpected but richly deserved outcome came to fruition.

Liverpool players collapsed to the turf at full-time looking like they had just ran a marathon. The Premier League title race is a marathon not a sprint and, although the Reds started fast and kept the pace for longer than most expected, they have slowed to a walk in the final miles.

Of course, it is not over until it is over. But the form of Manchester City and Arsenal means a fairytale ending for Jurgen Klopp now requires a miracle more special than the long list of heroics which have come before for the German boss, who says he needs a ‘crisis’ elsewhere.

Speaking of Arsenal, the last Evertonian to score in a Merseyside Derby win at Goodison Park was Gunners boss Mikel Arteta way back in 2010. ‘Well not any more,’ laughed Dominic Calvert-Lewin. ‘It’s myself and Jarrad Branthwaite, we kick on and put all those records to bed.’

Everton were the better team and inflicted a hugely damaging defeat on Jurgen Klopp’s side

Klopp’s side now need something of a miracle to pip Man City and Arsenal to the title

More on Everton later – they deserve rich plaudits for this victory. But first, a Liverpool inquest: is this defeat, their second in three league matches, a huge surprise? All season, they have started games poorly by going 1-0 down in 15 league matches.

Sooner or later, it was going to catch up with them. So too was an injury crisis that has plagued the squad all year, with Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo particularly missed at Goodison Park. But this was still a multi-million pound squad who looked bereft of ideas and low on belief.

It would be wrong to question the mentality when it is something they have been praised for all season. But the Mentality Monsters have looked like Mentality Minnows in the last month. With a Premier League title well achievable, they have blown it and only have themselves to blame.

‘Games like these, the bare minimum is fight,’ said Virgil van Dijk. ‘We were lacking that at so many moments.’ He added: ‘You can’t accept the way we let our season end, if you play like we did today, you don’t deserve to win the league.’

The most obvious problem is the lack of goals. As detailed on Mail Sport before the fixture, Mohamed Salah has been sub-par and a long way from his best. Or as club legend and Sky pundit Jamie Carragher put it, ‘A shadow of himself, especially after his injury.’

Darwin Nunez has shown glimpses of the £85million striker he is across two years on Merseyside but much of that time has been spent frustrating fans. One incident in this game saw him run through on goal only to fire straight at Jordan Pickford.

Fans are now fed up of making excuses for the Uruguayan forward, though obviously there are plenty of red-hot, reactionary takes after a loss. Luis Diaz left the game with some credit – the only attack-minded Reds player to do so – but he does not add enough goals to the team.

Darwin Nunez has become a scapegoat amid his frustrating performances for Liverpool

Dominik Szoboszlai (right) has played within himself since Christmas after a promising start

There are plenty more scapegoats. Not one player has been at their best in the last month that has seen losses to Crystal Palace and Everton, a draw when dominant at Manchester United, plus a disappointing Europa League exit at the hands of Atalanta.

Dominik Szoboszlai, a £65m summer signing, looked like he was going to set the Premier League alight in his first few months on these shores but has played within himself since Christmas. Andy Robertson has not found his best form after a lengthy injury lay-off.

Players and staff internally referred to this season as ‘The Last Dance’, a nod to a documentary series about basketball icon Michael Jordan’s final days at the Chicago Bulls. If Liverpool’s season was indeed a dance, Strictly critics would bemoan too many careless errors.

Still, late judge Len Goodman would probably give it a ‘seveeeeen’. No one expected the Reds to challenge for the title this season so it is an overreaction to lambast them for being on par for their main goal of returning to Champions League football.

But at one point, this season promised so much. After the ‘Kindergarten Kop’ won the Carabao Cup, four trophies were a genuine possibility. The Klopp era looked like it was going to have a fairytale ending but, instead, the main feeling around Anfield is deflation and devastation.

As for Everton, there were probably a few sore heads this morning. Fans had waited 14 years to beat Liverpool at Goodison Park. Some kids have grown up and gone through the majority of their schooling not being able to poke fun at their Red class-mates.

Every single player could be mentioned for praise, from Jordan Pickford and his string of decisive stops to Dominic Calvert-Lewin who put in a near-perfect striker’s display. He bullied Liverpool’s defence in a way that no other striker has managed this season.

Every single Everton player could be mentioned for praise for their displays in the vital victory

Jack Harrison never stopped running, Idrissa Gana Gueye was imperious in the middle of the park, while Vitalii Mykolenko played through a nasty ankle injury to show the fighting spirit in the group. Goal-scorer Jarrad Branthwaite and skipper James Tarkowski barely put a foot wrong.

But mass credit must go to Sean Dyche. He was rightly questioned after an abhorrent 6-0 thrashing at Chelsea less than a fortnight ago. The former Burnley boss made changes to the ‘feel’ around Finch Farm and held honest talks with his squad, who responded in style.

So that ‘you lost the league at Goodison Park’ will be a stick to poke Liverpool fans with for years to come. It might be the penultimate derby at this iconic venue but this win means the final one will be as a Premier League club.

Dyche’s voice box is iffy at the best of times so the boss must barely be able to speak today, after barking orders and metaphorically kicking every ball on the touchline. This was a tactical masterclass sporting his lucky-charm tracksuit. At least it’ll save him from ironing duties today.