Stoke 6-1 Liverpool: match verdict - Reds produce the sort of spineless capitulation which gets a manager his P45

James Pearce says there was 'no fight, no spirit, no character' and emotional Rodgers is now clinging to to his job

How fitting that Liverpool were decked in all black for the occasion.

The mood was funereal as a desperate season reached a shambolic conclusion.
Not since Tottenham thrashed Bill Shankly’s team 7-2 at White Hart Lane in April 1963 have Liverpool taken this kind of hiding.
As a shell-shocked Brendan Rodgers, flanked by security, walked down the touchline after the final whistle he looked up to applaud the 2,805 supporters in the away end. Few bothered to return the compliment.
Anger, embarrassment and disbelief reigned in equal measure.
Make no mistake, Rodgers now finds himself clinging to his job.

Rodgers apologised to fans, voice breaking with emotion

Having declared on Friday that he was “150%” certain he would still be manager come August, the man who addressed the media in the bowels of the Britannia Stadium was considerably less sure.
“If the owners want me to go then I go,” he said, his voice crackling with emotion.
Rodgers issued an apology to the fans and took “full responsibility”. There was an impassioned plea about wanting to carry on and “fix” what’s gone wrong over the past nine months.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers at the Britannia Action Images via Reuters / Ed Sykes

But whether he will get the opportunity to do that is now shrouded in considerable doubt.
Rodgers will know better than anyone that this was the kind of spineless capitulation that often leads to P45s being handed out.
When a group of players effectively throw in the towel like Liverpool did during a pathetic first-half display there is nowhere for the manager to hide.
Supporters can tolerate a lack of quality but this was simply cowardly. There was no fight, no spirit, no character.

Yet again Gerrard was let down by those around him

Five times in the space of 23 minutes mid-table Stoke City gleefully profited from Liverpool’s inability to do even the basics right.
What a desperate afternoon for the departing Steven Gerrard to bow out.
The error-strewn performance his team-mates served up for his Anfield farewell against Crystal Palace eight days earlier was bad enough, but this debacle was off the scale.
Yet again Gerrard, who marked the occasion with his 186th goal for the Reds, was let down by those around him.

Steven Gerrard on the final whistle

The long-serving captain will walk away with a heavy heart but in time there will surely be a sense of release. Liverpool are in a horrible mess and this time it’s up to someone else to drag them out of it.
Not even during Roy Hodgson’s dismal reign did the Reds plumb these depths. This made that bleak night at Ewood Park in January 2011 look like a masterclass.

Rodgers is now fighting for his Liverpool life

Liverpool’s owners had insisted that Rodgers’ position wouldn’t be in jeopardy when Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon sits down with the manager to conduct this week’s end of season review.
But that won’t be the case any longer. Rodgers is fighting for his life.
His army of critics will have grown considerably on the back of the club’s worst defeat for more than half a century. The calls for him to be dismissed will be deafening.
Over the past two months the wheels have come off. Liverpool, who slipped to sixth place after Tottenham’s final day win at Everton, have been dumped out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa and have taken just eight points out of the last 27 on offer in the league.

Manager Brendan Rodgers as Liverpool go down 5-0

Rodgers has undoubtedly made mistakes but anyone who thinks all the Reds’ ills will be cured by a change of manager is kidding themselves.
This is a club lacking direction both on and off the pitch.
A club which failed miserably to seize the golden opportunity it had last summer to get back competing for the big prizes on a regular basis.
A club which operates with a flawed transfer policy which prioritises young potential over proven talent.
A club which puts its faith in a transfer committee which left the squad so short of firepower the Reds have effectively spent the campaign going into battle armed with only a pea shooter.

Team sheet at Britannia was damning indictment of summer's £116m spending spree

This season has been wrecked by a catalogue of errors, unfortunate setbacks and unwanted distractions.
From the loss of Luis Suarez and the pitiful attempts to adequately replace him, to Daniel Sturridge’s injury nightmare and the Raheem Sterling contract saga.
The team sheet at the Britannia Stadium was a damning indictment of last summer’s £116million spending spree.
Mario Balotelli and Javier Manquillo didn’t even make the matchday 18.
The most expensive defender in the club’s history, Dejan Lovren, was relegated to bench duty, alongside fellow £20million man Lazar Markovic.
Rickie Lambert was also overlooked with Rodgers deciding to play without a recognised striker.
It looked a dog’s dinner on paper and so it proved.

Liverpool's Adam Lallana in action with Stoke City's Glenn Whelan

The front two of Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho were no match for Stoke’s robust backline. There was no focal point for the Reds’ attack and Rodgers’ powerpuff midfield were comprehensively outfought.
The rout began in the 22nd minute. Marko Arnautovic got the better of Emre Can far too easily and picked out Charlie Adam.
The former Reds midfielder’s strike was parried by Simon Mignolet and Mame Diouf tucked away the rebound.
It was crystal clear at Wembley last month that Can is no right-back but Rodgers has bizarrely persisted with him there and it’s cost Liverpool.
Three minutes later Arnautovic beat Can again and teed up Diouf, who fired home from the edge of the box.

Raheem Sterling couldn't escape the warth of the travelling Kop

Rodgers decided Sterling wasn’t in the right frame of mind to play after a week when the youngster stepped up his attempts to force a move away from Anfield this summer.
But Sterling couldn’t escape the wrath of the travelling Kop, who applauded when Stoke fans chanted ‘there’s only one greedy b******’ as he warmed up.
The third goal was simply horrific as Can’s disastrous defensive header put it on a plate for Jonathan Walters, who converted at the second attempt.

Raheem Sterling of Liverpool during the match against Stoke

The fourth was barely any better as Mamadou Sakho and Lucas Leiva were caught napping and Adam drilled into the bottom corner.
The fifth was a sweet strike from Steven N’Zonzi, who curled home from 25 yards, but the space afforded to him bordered on criminal.
‘Easy, easy, easy,’ chanted the home fans as Rodgers, head down, walked towards the dressing room at the break, a torrent of vitriol from the away end ringing in his ears.
The introduction of Jordon Ibe and Kolo Toure for Moreno and Can was akin to rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.
Liverpool improved in the second half but they could hardly have got any worse.
Lallana and Gerrard went close before Lambert was belatedly introduced for the ineffective Joe Allen. His impact was instant as Gerrard burst on to Lambert’s flick on and coolly beat Asmir Begovic.
Stoke had the final word four minutes from time when the unmarked Peter Crouch headed home Diouf’s cross. The Reds’ shame was complete.
Rather than race for the exits, the travelling Kop stayed until the bitter end to show their respect and admiration for their departing captain, who tapped the badge on his shirt before disappearing into the tunnel.
The curtain has come down for Gerrard. Now Rodgers must wait to discover whether he has also reached the end of the road with Liverpool.

MATCH FACTS

Stoke (4-2-3-1): Begovic, Cameron, Shawcross, Muniesa, Pieters, Nzonzi, Whelan, Walters (Odemwingie 67), Adam, Arnautovic (Crouch 80), Diouf.
Not used: Butland, Ireland, Wilson, Sidwell, Wollscheid.
Liverpool (4-4-2): Mignolet, Can (Toure 45), Skrtel, Sakho, Moreno (Ibe 45), Lucas, Allen (Lambert 69), Henderson, Gerrard, Lallana, Coutinho.
Not used: Ward, Lovren, Sterling, Markovic
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Attendance: 27.602
Goals: Diouf 22, Diouf 26, Walters 30, Adam 41, N’Zonzi 45, Gerrard 70, Crouch 86.
Bookings: Adam, Whelan, Shawcross, Lucas, Skrtel, Pieters.
Man of the match: Steven Gerrard. Let down by those around him yet again.

Cr  :  Liverpool Echo