THE NOTEBOOK: Adam Wharton justified his transfer fee… and Crystal Palace established themselves as Liverpool’s scarecrow team

Anfield is famous for its atmosphere, but the last two match days, for some reason, were reminiscent of the difficult days of the past.

Complacency and calm reigned against Atalanta on Thursday, which is remarkable given it was a European quarter-final match.

Everything here seemed tense and nervous from the start, with missed chances and wasted passes met with groans of impatience.

Jurgen Klopp was the catalyst for transforming the feeling inside this stadium, but one wonders if the ambivalence that reigned is a glimpse of the future.

Wharton justified his transfer fee

Adam Wharton’s move from Blackburn to Crystal Palace in January has been touted as a sign of transfer market inflation.

A fee of £22 million for a 20-year-old was considered excessive, but credit must be given to the way this young man handled things.

It was arguably the most important match he has played in, but he was superb, handling the intensity and aggression with ease.

He has a lot of development to do but he is going in the right direction and as a young English player his progress needs to be monitored.

Adam Wharton’s January move from Blackburn Rovers to Crystal Palace is paying off

Mac Allister’s missed opportunity

Liverpool had a fantastic opportunity to equalize in the first half, when a free kick was awarded on the edge of the penalty area, at standstill.

Alexis Mac Allister shot, but he was brilliantly charged by a multitude of bodies.

Very happy with the commitment of his players, Oliver Glasner was jumping up and down in his technical area, hitting and shouting as if a goal had been scored.

Alexis Mac Allister missed a glorious chance to equalize in the first half

Palace are Liverpool’s scarecrow team

What about Crystal Palace for Liverpool? If ever a team deserved the term “scarecrow team”, it’s it: the Reds of a certain vintage are still grimacing after the defeat in the 1990 FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park, while more recently, there was “Crystanbul” – an infamous 3-3 draw. at Selhurst Park in May 2014.

It doesn’t stop there. In May 2015, Palace spoiled Steven Gerrard’s final appearance at Anfield with a 3-1 victory and they were also the team who, six months later, inflicted Jurgen Klopp’s first defeat as manager of Liverpool. They will be happy to see them again for another year.

Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze celebrates after scoring his team’s opening goal against Liverpool

Liverpool’s leaky defense

Sometimes in football you wrap yourself up in knots searching for explanations and theories when the answer has been staring you in the face all along.

If you want to understand why Liverpool’s foundations are shaking to the point of collapse, consider the following.

In 23 matches since January 1, Liverpool have kept five clean sheets. In the last nine matches, they have conceded 15 goals and their last clean sheet dates back to March 2 at Nottingham Forest. The teams know they can get to Liverpool. It’s that simple

The Crystal Palace chairman, always impeccably dressed, did his best to make a quick escape from Anfield, but walking through the mixed media zone was an invitation for him to speak his mind.

One reporter did just that, beginning with: “A few words, Steve?

“No,” he replied, staring at the buttons of the pastel blue suit, before thinking twice. “I’m happy – there are a few words.”

With that, he fled. And why not? There is no need to speak at length when you can summarize things so succinctly.