NEVER mind the new pitch, Liverpool laid out the red carpet for Wigan Athletic last night.

An utterly woeful performance from Rafael Benitez’s side saw them slip to defeat at the DW Stadium and suffer a devastating blow to their hopes of Champions League qualification.

Knowing victory would move them back into fourth place, Liverpool were architects of their own downfall as Hugo Rodallega’s 35th-minute strike was enough to deepen the gloom at Anfield.

That it was Wigan’s first-ever victory over Liverpool at the 12th attempt said everything about a truly shockingly inept display that raises serious questions about the rest of the campaign and beyond.

Liverpool clearly don’t like Mondays, having not won on the first day of the working week since 2001 – a sequence of nine games.

And they never convinced that statistic would be altered here, Roberto Martinez increasing the pressure on his Spanish compatriot by masterminding a famous triumph.

Liverpool couldn’t even use the playing surface as an excuse, Wigan having laid down a completely fresh pitch in response to complaints over the previous turf.

No. This defeat was purely down to talent, teamwork and desire. And over the full 90 minutes – and in particular a pathetic first half – Liverpool didn’t show anywhere near enough.

Benitez will come in for some heavy criticism with the result again sparking debate over whether his time at Anfield is coming to an ignominious close.

But the Liverpool manager was right to afterwards berate the character and attitude of his players, particularly given an opening 45 minutes that made the stunned visiting supporters question whether the team were even aware of the team’s current predicament.

Sure, for the second time in three Premier League games Liverpool accrued five bookings, suggesting determination and bodies being put on the line.

Yet the yellow cards shown to Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres were out of frustration at the general malaise, the stellar duo as guilty as anyone for this dismal surrender.

On this evidence, Liverpool can forget fourth place. Indeed, they will struggle to earn a berth in the Europa League if there are any more repeats of an evening that should not be forgotten.

Where is the guile? Where is the imagination? Where is the creativity? And with last night’s return of Glen Johnson, injuries can no longer be used as a possible excuse.

The statistics make for grim reading.

Before the game, Wigan were in freefall having won just one of their previous 13 top-flight games, scoring just twice in their last seven outings.

With the Latics having kept just five clean sheets in 27 league fixtures this season, the opportunity was there for Benitez’s side to improve on a poor scoring record that had seen them fail to net in five of their last seven away league games.

Liverpool have given themselves so little margin for error in the race for Champions League qualification that every game is built up into a must-win, the tension restricting the players to produce and resulting in far too many dour, desperate, incident-free encounters.

And with Wigan teetering just above the relegation zone, it’s small wonder there were so many empty seats at a chilly, miserable DW Stadium. Even the half-time pies weren’t up to much.

The decisive moment had come 10 minutes before then, with Wigan scoring their first goal in more than six hours.