Football: Liverpool fail to find true form; Liverpool 1 Derby 2.

IN his post-match press conference, Roy Evans placed an almost vicious emphasis on the word FACT.

It was spat out in capital letters, just to make it he sees most of what is written about his club as fantasy.

Well here's a few facts for the joint Liverpool manager.

l His shambles of a team have won one Premiership match in their past eight.

l They have secured just six points from their past 24.

l In two months of league football, their suffering supporters have savoured the taste of victory just once, against a Nottingham Forest side which will surely record the lowest number of points in Premiership history.

In isolation, Evans and his partner Gerard Houllier's attempts to explain away Derby's win as bad luck were almost plausible.

The Merseysiders hit the post and watched as numerous efforts were somehow diverted wide, and had just one late Jamie Redknapp goal to show for it.

The fact is Liverpool could have been forgiven this defeat, had they not managed to almost throw away their title chances during the past six weeks.

Evans said, almost sarcastically, that he expects his partnership with Houllier to be questioned again after Derby's unexpected win.

It wouldn't matter if either took sole charge, or if they were joint managers with the Pope or the Diddymen from Knotty Ash, they'd all be on the rack after this.

Why? Because whoever manages this Anfield side must carry the can for a team which contained too many players prepared to hide.

Derby took the lead within six minutes of the start, and even as the ball hit the back of the net, you knew it was going to be one of those days.

The goal was headed in by 22-year-old winger Kevin Harper on his debut

Twenty minutes Paulo Wanchope's header converted Rory Delap's cross, but Liverpool's culprits remained the same.

It must be weird being a Liverpool supporter.

All those years of domination, of a team evidently superior. And now, you wouldn't back them to lift the Merseyside Senior Cup.

Why? Evans and Houllier talked of bad defending as a team and of bad luck.

But Derby players talk of complacency, arrogance and of a team not as talented as they think they are.

Lars Bohinen said: "I think we won the game on a mental plain.

"They are fine against the top six or eight, but over the past few years they have given far too many points away too easily.

"It is their defence, but not the back four. You defend as a unit, but they don't."

Liverpool must act quickly, or they will soon be wondering how they managed to become mid-table non-entities.