Liverpool suffered their first defeat of the season in a frustrating 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon. The Reds were second-best for large periods, with their 100% start to the Premier League campaign coming to an end in painful fashion.
Palace started the brighter of the two teams and took an early lead after just nine minutes. A corner, inadvertently headed on by Ryan Gravenberch, fell to Ismaïla Sarr who converted from close range. The home side’s dominance continued throughout the first half, with Alisson Becker forced into a string of fine saves to keep the score at 1-0. Liverpool struggled to get a foothold in the game, looking sluggish in possession and vulnerable on the counter-attack.
Arne Slot’s side improved after the break, but clear-cut chances remained at a premium. Federico Chiesa, a second-half substitute, appeared to have salvaged a point with a late equaliser in the 87th minute, capitalizing on a defensive error to level the score.
However, just as it looked like the Reds would escape with a share of the spoils, a devastating late blow was delivered. In the seventh minute of injury time, another set-piece caused chaos in the Liverpool box, and substitute Eddie Nketiah was on hand to fire home the winner, condemning Liverpool to a deserved defeat and giving them a taste of their own medicine.
