Liverpool boss Arne Slot called out one player for what he did in the moments before Crystal Palace’s late winner in the Reds’ 2-1 defeat at Selhurst Park.
Arne Slot Points Finger at Liverpool Player After Late Palace Winner
Liverpool manager Arne Slot singled out a player for a crucial lapse in the moments leading up to Crystal Palace’s dramatic 2-1 victory at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
Palace took the lead early through Ismaila Sarr, who scored his fifth goal against Liverpool in eight appearances. Despite Liverpool controlling most of the match with stars like Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, and Mohamed Salah, Federico Chiesa’s 87th-minute equalizer seemed to rescue the Reds.
However, in stoppage time, Marc Guehi flicked the ball to Eddie Nketiah, who scored the decisive goal, handing Palace an unbeaten start to the Premier League season and leaving Liverpool with their first loss of the campaign.
Slot suggested a key defensive error contributed to the defeat. “One of our players decided to run out because he wanted to play a counter-attack, which was of no use because time was up. Maybe we were too offensively minded. Not we, one player, was too offensively minded in that moment, which led to them scoring the winner, us losing the game,” he said.
Though he did not name the player, Mohamed Salah was the only Liverpool player not defending in the penalty area when Palace scored.
Frimpong briefly stepped up, leaving Nketiah unmarked before he scored the stoppage-time winner.
During the post-match press conference, Slot was asked whether conceding two goals from set pieces was a concern. He responded: “No… today, there was more than just set-piece issues. They created chances from open play and transitions. There were plenty of things to address beyond defending set-pieces. The positive was that in other moments, Alisson kept us in the game.”
Slot also acknowledged that Crystal Palace were the deserved winners and suggested the Eagles could have been “two or three goals up in the first half.”
Looking ahead, Liverpool travel to Istanbul for a Champions League clash with Galatasaray on Tuesday, while Palace host Dynamo Kyiv in their Conference League opener in Poland on Thursday
