Liverpool suffered only their second Premier League defeat of the season on Sunday, falling 3-2 to Fulham, who scored three times in a devastating 14-minute spell in the first half to boost their European hopes.
Following Arsenal’s 1-1 draw at Everton on Saturday, Liverpool needed just 11 points from their remaining eight games to clinch a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title.
Arne Slot’s side had gone 26 league matches without defeat and appeared on course for another crucial win when Alexis Mac Allister fired them ahead with a spectacular opener.
But poor defending allowed Ryan Sessegnon, Alex Iwobi and Rodrigo Muniz to turn the game around for Fulham.
Liverpool still enjoy an 11-point lead at the top with seven games remaining.
Victory lifts Fulham to eighth and within three points of the top five, which is almost certain to be enough for a place in next season’s Champions League.
Despite a stellar first season under Slot, Liverpool have shown signs of slowing down in recent weeks and came off the rails in west London.
After a Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain and League Cup final defeat to Newcastle, Liverpool edged out Everton 1-0 in a feisty Merseyside derby on Wednesday to get back to winning ways.
But the Reds appear to be running out of steam after challenging in four competitions for most of the season.
Mac Allister’s blistering long range strike into the top corner after 14 minutes gave Liverpool the dream start.
The Reds wilted in the Craven Cottage sunshine, with a series of individual errors leading to Fulham’s three quickfire goals.
Curtis Jones, deputising out of position at right-back, failed to control Andreas Pereira’s cross and the ball fell kindly for Sessegnon to fire home his third goal in five games.
Andy Robertson then had a nightmare for Fulham’s second.
The Scotland captain gave away possession deep in Liverpool territory, then could only head an attempted clearance into the path of Iwobi, whose shot deflected in off Robertson.
The normally unflappable Virgil van Dijk was at fault for the third as Muniz outmuscled the Dutchman and produced a brilliant low finish under Caoimhin Kelleher.
Diogo Jota was denied by a crucial Bernd Leno save early in the second half as Liverpool searched for a way back into the match.
It wasn’t until Arne Slot introduced Luis Diaz, Conor Bradley, and Harvey Elliott from the bench that the visitors began to show real urgency.
Mohamed Salah, now goalless in four consecutive league appearances, squandered a golden opportunity to end that drought by blasting Diaz’s inviting cross over the bar.
Bradley then set up Diaz to calmly slot into the bottom corner, pulling one back and setting up a tense final 18 minutes.
Elliott came agonisingly close to equalising against his former club, rattling the crossbar as Liverpool piled on the pressure.
But Fulham held firm through six minutes of stoppage time, securing a statement win and postponing Liverpool’s title celebrations.