Crystal Palace handed defending champions Liverpool their first defeat of the 2025/26 Premier League season in an entertaining, yet dramatic 2:1 win at Selhurst Park Stadium.
Edward Nketiah’s last strike in the 97th minutes secured the victory for resilient Palace.
Ismaila Sarr put Palace ahead in the 9th minute, but Liverpool leveled in the 87th minute with a strike from substitute Federico Chiesa.
The result leaves Palace as the only team with unbeaten run in the current Premier Leavue campaign. They have moved to 2nd place on the league standings, one point above their close contenders, Bournemouth and Manchester City.
Liverpool on the other hand remained at the top of the summit with 15 points.
Key Takeaways
Liverpool dominated the play with 72 per cent ball possession, but fell short in terms of shot on target, having 4 aaginst Palace’s 7.
The scoreline would have been a bit devastating for the Reds but Alison Becker’s heroics between the sticks was the reason for the narrow scoreline.
Palace’s Dean Henderson also produced strong saves to deny Liverpool forwards, ensuring his side went home with all 3-points.
Alaxander Isak, who made his first Premier League start for the Reds, could not make much impact as the Eagles proved their resilience.
Since Oliver Glasner took over the affairs at Selhurst Park, his side have become a force to reckon with. They defeated Liverpool on penalties in the Community Shield on August 10, just before the start of the new campaign.
Line-ups and Head-to-head
Liverpool: Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Isak.
Crystal Palace: Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Pino, Mateta.
Before the kick-off, Crystal Palace had won 2 out of their last 10 meetings with Liverpool, while 3 others ended in draw and Liverpool won 5.
What’s next?
Arne Slot and his men will turn their attention to their Matchday 2 UEFA Champions League match against Galatasaray next week. The match is slated for 19:00 (GMT) on Tuesday, September 30, at the Rams Park.
Crystal Palace will be away at Kyiv to face FC Dynamo Kyiv in their UEFA Conference League game slated for Thursday, October 2.
