Woeful Liverpool bundled out of Carabao Cup by Crystal Palace
These are definitely the worst of times for Liverpool FC. Today they were unceremoniously bundled out of the Carabao Cup competition by Crystal Palace at Anfield before their own fans with three unreplied goals.
Crystal Palace victory over Liverpool was inspired by Ismaila Sarr and Yeremy Pino. The Eagles comfortably dispatched a youthful and inexperienced Liverpool side 3–0, with Sarr bagging a brace and Pino adding a late third. Liverpool, missing key figures such as Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, ended the match with ten men after Amara Nallo was shown a red card in the 80th minute when the Reds were already trailing by two goals.
The fixture between Liverpool and Crystal Palace has become one of the season’s most talked-about clashes, largely because Palace have now won all their meetings with the Reds this campaign. They lifted the Community Shield at Wembley after a dramatic penalty shootout and followed it up with another victory at Selhurst Park, where Eddie Nketiah’s last-gasp 97th-minute strike handed Liverpool their first Premier League defeat of the season.
Manager Arne Slot rotated heavily from the side that lost 3–2 to Brentford at the weekend, making ten changes. Teenager Rio Ngumoha was handed a start, as was goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, who made his first appearance for the club. Ngumoha impressed early on, showing confidence and flair, and nearly scored with a curling effort from the edge of the box that drifted just wide. Despite the youthful energy, Liverpool lacked composure in the final third. Federico Chiesa came closest to breaking the deadlock after racing onto a lofted pass in the 24th minute, but the Italian blazed his effort high over the bar.
Palace’s experience soon began to tell, and five minutes before halftime, Sarr pounced on a defensive error to give his side the lead. A poor clearance from Joe Gomez inside the box fell kindly for the Senegalese winger, who smashed his shot into the corner past Woodman. Moments later, in stoppage time, Sarr struck again. Daniel Muñoz slid him through on goal, and Sarr coolly slotted home to double Palace’s advantage before the break.
The second half brought no relief for Liverpool’s young side as Palace maintained their intensity. Substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta added more threat up front, and Sarr continued to test the Reds’ defence with his pace and precision, forcing Woodman into an early save just minutes after the restart. Liverpool’s evening took another turn for the worse when Amara Nallo was dismissed late on for a last-man challenge on Justin Devenny.
With the Reds down to ten men, Yeremy Pino sealed the result in the 87th minute with a precise finish into the bottom corner after a clever solo run through Liverpool’s defence. The goal capped off a complete performance from Crystal Palace, who once again outclassed their Premier League rivals.
For Liverpool, the defeat extends a troubling run of form that has seen them lose to Brentford, Manchester United, and now Palace twice in recent weeks. Arne Slot’s side will look to regroup quickly as they prepare to face Aston Villa on Sunday, hoping to rediscover their rhythm and halt their slide in domestic competition.
