This incarnation of Liverpool must be officially declared over. Kaput. Done

A REAL MESS

Say what you like about Liverpool this season – and Football Daily gets the distinct feeling there have been a few rumblings – but their ability to repeatedly locate new depths to plumb with sonar-like precision has been second to none. They lost at Old Trafford to a Manchester United team who had just been gubbed 4-0 at Brentford. They were defeated by a random rabble cosplaying as Nottingham Forest, all of whom had only just met each other 15 minutes before kick-off. They were also beaten by Brentford, for the first time since 1938. They’ve been routed by Brighton and Wolves, lost at home to Jesse Marsch’s Leeds, and arguably worst of all, were unable to beat an Everton team set up by Frank Lampard. Oh Jürgen! How has it come to this?

Yet all that pales into insignificance after last night’s fiasco against Real Madrid at Anfield. It was a strange game, in so much as Liverpool were excellent for 15 minutes and little short of appalling for the other 75, and extremely fortunate that the visitors, of whom they were supposedly peers, declared at five with a quarter of the match still to play. Had the European champions kept up the rate at which they were ripping through what served as the home defence during the second half, the final score would have been 2-8. So, small mercies: at least Liverpool avoided a humiliation of Bayern-Barça proportions, and still hold the record for this season’s biggest Big Cup away win, that 7-1 rout of Rangers at Ibrox. Yes, Liverpool’s season has been really weird, hasn’t it.

If last night’s capitulation wasn’t embarrassing enough, footage emerged on the internet of Phil Babb in a television studio somewhere, criticising Liverpool’s setup ahead of Éder Militão’s goal. Schooled in the art of defending by Phil Babb! Truly we are now through the looking-glass, and while it’s too early to claim that, finally, Liverpool really have hit rock bottom – there’s still the second leg at the Bernabéu to go, and they’re not pulling off an incredible 4-0 comeback against La Liga opposition this time – it’s almost certainly the point at which this incarnation of Liverpool must be officially declared over. Kaput. Done.

Nothing lasts for ever. They’re not finishing fourth either, so admit the jig is up and start again, with some new defenders, midfielders and attackers the priority. No biggie, then, so good luck with all that. Especially as it might now prove even harder to convince Jude Bellingham to pick them over a certain Spanish suitor who right now look like holding on to Big Cup for ever more.

LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE

Join Scott Murray for more piping hot Big Cup MBM content: RB Leipzig 1-1 Manchester City. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT but feel free to join just before.

Oh! And there’s Arnold Clark action, with the Lionesses taking on Belgium. Join John Brewin for that one from 7.45pm GMT, with England needing just a draw to retain the title.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“He is getting all the talent out of his players. You see Sancho, Rashford, the Portuguese guy. And look how Fred is playing” – sensational mind games from Xavi, after the Barcelona manager falls at the feet of Fred and seemingly forgets the name of Bruno Fernandes before the Europa League playoff second leg at Manchester United on Thursday.

Rio Ferdinand talks to Some Bloke (right) on a visit to Carrington this week. Photograph: Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty ImagesRECOMMENDED LISTENING

Football Weekly siren! Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning, Sid Lowe, Archie Rhind-Tutt and Jonathan Fadugba dissect Liverpool’s Big Cup humiliation and get their Gareth Ainsworth chat on.

“All this discussion about sightings of famous players off the pitch – well at least one of the 1,057 subscribers here is pretty famous. If I’m not mistaken [you’re not, verified by Football Daily lawyers – Football Daily Ed], one of yesterday’s Football Daily letters contributors was from Sir Paul Preston CBE, eminent historian, author, academic, specialist in the Spanish Civil War and a true Blueblood Evertonian, with whom I had the pleasure of sharing many a pithy forum exchange way back in the earlier days of that interweb thingy. I wonder how many other Football Daily readers have a significant claim to fame?” – Steve Malone (and no others).

“With the topic of off-field sightings of footballers now apparently being exhausted and the discussion having moved on to non-sightings of footballers (Tuesday’s Football Daily letters), I wonder if there might be pent-up appetite among the Football Daily readership for anecdotes about non-sightings of non-footballers?” – Tony Crooks.

Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is … Tony Crooks (just).

NEWS, BITS AND BOBS

Jürgen Klopp was understandably in a proper funk over Liverpool’s Big Cup shoe-ing by Real Madrid. “We gave away all five goals, all five,” he sobbed, before adding with a fistful of clutched straws: “The first half, besides the two goals we conceded, was pretty much the best we played all season.” Those goals will get ya, Jürgen!

In last night’s other Big Cup tie, Napoli pooped Eintracht Frankfurt’s party with a 2-0 win in Germany.

The England manager Sarina Wiegman has cautioned that making the team more diverse will not happen overnight. “Hopefully in the future, and I don’t know how long it will take, we will get very, very good players we can start with, but also [players] that represent more the diversity of our community,” she said.

In the Championship, runaway leaders Burnley were pegged back by a late Millwall equaliser in a 1-1 draw at The Den, Blackburn beat Blackpool to shuffle into the playoff places and Rotherham boosted their survival hopes with victory over Sunderland.

Crowd trouble forced the abandonment of Tamworth’s derby with Nuneaton in the Southern League Premier Division Central. Fans of both sides were reported to have thrown missiles as the players were forced off the pitch. Some have attributed the trouble to the all-day drinking opportunities offered by the nearby traditional Shrove Tuesday Atherstone Ball Game.

Talking of drinking, LNER has banned alcohol on trains from London to Newcastle, stopping Toon supporters from celebrating/commiserating after Sunday’s Worthington Cup final against Manchester United at Wembley.

Howay-ver, Loris Karius has a chance to make a name for himself as Newcastle’s stand-in between the sticks. “It would be a magnificent chance for him to rewrite the story of his career,” roared Eddie Howe.

Chelsea say they are close to agreeing a new deal for N’Golo Kanté, and are confident he can inspire an upswing in form when he returns from his long-term hamstring knack.

And Australia’s Matildas have won the flamin’ Cup of Nations after beating Jamaica 3-0.

STILL WANT MORE?

Júlia Belas Trindade sits down with Lyon and Chile’s Christiane Endler, aka the world’s best goalkeeper, in a special interview for this week’s edition of Moving the Goalposts.

How very zen. Photograph: Tullio Puglia/Uefa/Getty Images

Liverpool’s midfield was given a proper Big Cup lesson by Real Madrid’s imperial stormtroopers, writes Barney Ronay.

Don’t mistake a three-way title race for a competitive Premier League, warns Richard Foster.

Louise Taylor on what Javi Gracia might find on his extensive to-do list at Elland Road.

Fans of The Fall, Culture Club, Billy Bragg and, er, Ace of Base will have plenty to enjoy in this week’s Knowledge, which looks at pop videos filmed at football grounds, as well as golden boot winners in multiple countries and more.

MEMORY LANE

Rugby league at the Bridge: Chelsea’s ground hosts Fulham’s rugby league team in 1983, a year in which the football team narrowly escaped relegation to the Third Division, finishing 18th in the second tier, their lowest ever position in the Football League. Stamford Bridge also staged a cricket match in 1980 between Essex and West Indies.

The Ken Bates era in full flow. Photograph: Hugh Hastings/Chelsea FC/Getty ImagesINCLUSIVE OF FIXTURES AND FITTINGS