Liverpool suffered their first Premier League defeat of the season with a 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace away from home.
The reigning champions were undone by a stoppage-time goal from Eddie Nketiah, who struck in the dying moments to seal the win for Palace. The hosts took the lead early through Ismaila Sarr and had several chances to extend their advantage in the first half, but Alisson Becker’s outstanding saves kept Liverpool in the contest.
After the break, Liverpool improved and created multiple scoring opportunities, eventually equalizing through Federico Chiesa. Just when it seemed they had secured a point, Palace struck again from a late corner to snatch all three points.
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown criticized Liverpool’s display, describing one player’s performance as a “nightmare.”
The focus of criticism was Jeremie Frimpong, whose costly mistake led to the decisive goal. Liverpool manager Arne Slot was visibly frustrated after the game, highlighting Frimpong’s error. The Dutch defender had pushed forward in anticipation of a counter-attack, leaving Nketiah completely unmarked. Palace capitalized on the lapse, with Nketiah slotting home the winner.
Slot expressed his disappointment, insisting that Liverpool should have prioritized defending with so little time left.
> “We can only blame ourselves for the way we defended,” Slot said, referring to Frimpong’s mistake. “One of our players moved forward looking to counter, but there was no time left for that. It was only about defending.” (via Mirror)
Despite the late drama, Crystal Palace fully deserved the win after a strong overall performance. They dominated large spells of the match and could have won by a greater margin. Liverpool will now need to regroup quickly as they look to bounce back in the coming weeks.
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