Liverpool's dream goes faulty in Basel

Liverpool 1 Sevilla 3: Liverpool’s whirlwind development under Jurgen Klopp has taken a painful and significant knock after they were demolished by Sevilla in the second half of a Europa League Final in Basel, underlining that sheer character alone may not be enough to recreate former glories at Anfield.

Klopp has achieved virtual miracles with a limited squad since arriving on Merseyside just eight months ago, taking them to the League Cup Final ( lost on penalties to Manchester City) and on a thrilling ride in the Europa League which ended in Switzerland with a 3-1 defeat against a Spanish side who lifted the trophy for the third time in a row.

For a moment it looked like the Liverpool dream of silverware in Klopp’s first season was about to be realised as Daniel Sturridge opened the scoring with a superb first-half effort; but what followed after the break hinted at limitations which can probably only be addressed in the transfer market this summer.