Arne Slot admitted that Crystal Palace have given Liverpool plenty of cause for concern after they inflicted the champions’ first defeat of the season, 2-1, thanks to Eddie Nketiah’s late winner. The former Arsenal striker’s volley in the seventh minute of stoppage time after Liverpool failed to clear a long throw meant that Palace are the only unbeaten side in the Premier League and fare three points behind the leaders in second place.
Liverpool – who had won their first five league matches – thought they had rescued a point after Federico Chiesa equalised Ismaïla Sarr’s opener three minutes from time after a corner. But while Slot refused to blame their defensive struggles on an inability to defend set-pieces after also conceding from two against Newcastle last month, he was honest enough to acknowledge that Palace were deserved winners.
“They had more than only two set-piece goals,” said the Liverpool manager. “They didn’t score more, but they had chances from open play, from transition. So there were more things not to like than only defending the set-pieces.
“The good thing was that in the other moments, Alisson saved us. Palace have a few threats. Set-pieces are one of them, but counterattack and balls in behind are number two and three. From all these situations, they’ve created a lot of chances. We were able to create quite a lot against a Palace team, which hardly ever concedes a chance.
“But when you look at the first half, they totally deserved to win. In the second half, it was a much better performance from us. If one team deserved to win, it was Palace.”
Alexander Isak made his first Premier League start since leaving Newcastle for a British record fee, but the Sweden striker had just six touches in the first half as he struggled before missing his only real sight of goal after the break.
“It had a lot to do with the low intensity of the game,” said Slot. “He was close to a goal. He was very honest to stay on his feet. He got a little bit of a shirt pull. That’s why he was unbalanced when he had to shoot. He didn’t score, but quite a good performance.”
The Palace manager, Oliver Glasner, was full of praise for his side after a first half that he described as the best they have played since he succeeded Roy Hodgson. But the Austrian, who had to wait until the ninth match of the campaign to pick up his first win last season, warned that being unbeaten at this stage and having matched the club’s record of 18 games without defeat in all competitions counts for nothing as they prepare to face Dinamo Kyiv in their Conference League opener on Thursday.
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“We’re still in September, so there’s nothing more to say,” he said. “Last year, we were the only team who had never won at this stage of the Premier League. They ended with a points record and winning the FA Cup. That’s why we’re always humble. We take this positivity and these positive feelings and emotions.”
