Micah Richards admits he is at a loss trying to explain Liverpool's catastrophic "fall from grace" this season.
The reigning Premier League champions suffered their sixth consecutive home defeat at the hands of Fulham on Sunday afternoon - extending the club's worst ever run at Anfield.
Fulham created far more chances in the first half and Mario Lemina gave them a deserved lead just before the interval as Liverpool were punished for another sluggish display.
Their ninth defeat of the season leaves Jurgen Klopp's men over 20 points behind league-leaders Manchester City.
They are also four points adrift of fourth-place Chelsea - who have a game in hand - and appear highly unlikely to finish in the Champions League spots.
Asked how he would describe Liverpool's performance, Richards told Sky Sports : "Lethargic. I'm flabbergasted to be honest, I really am.
"I've not seen a team - we talk about champions last season - have this fall from grace. I can't believe my eyes to be honest."
Meanwhile, Graeme Souness described the current Liverpool squad as a shadow of the team of last season, which dropped points just six times en route to the league title.
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"There's one word I associate with Liverpool over the last three years: intensity," said the Anfield legend. "A team that you wouldn't want to play against.
"Now it's a team that are an easy touch and that's unacceptable."
Continuing his withering assessment, Souness added: "They look like a team that are playing second fiddle to a team which is fighting relegation."
With Liverpool's hopes of finishing in the top four in tatters, their hopes of salvaging any success from this season rely on a run in the Champions League knockout-stages.
The Reds face RB Leipzig in the second leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday, with a 2-0 advantage from their first meeting last month.
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