Liverpool suffered a new shock, as they bid farewell to the English League Cup early, after losing at home to Crystal Palace (0-3), in the fourth round match held on Wednesday.
Senegalese winger, Ismaila Sarr, managed to score Crystal Palace’s two goals in the 41st and 45th minutes, and Yéremy Pino added the third goal in the 88th minute, securing the London team’s place in the next round at the expense of the Reds.
It seems that Palace has become a jinx for the team led by Dutch coach Arne Slot this season, as this was the third loss they have suffered against the capital team in various tournaments.
The series of defeats began with the loss of the Charity Shield title in August, after falling on penalties to Palace (4-5), followed by a defeat away from home (1-2) in the Premier League during September, in addition to today’s loss.
Liverpool is going through a difficult period after receiving 4 consecutive defeats in the Premier League since the end of September, the last of which was against Brentford (2-3).
Resting the Stars
Coach Slot preferred to rest most of the Reds’ key players, and gave the opportunity to the substitutes and a number of young players, either by including them in the starting lineup or by placing them on the bench.
Liverpool started the match with a lineup that included: Woodman, Ramsay, Gomez, Robertson, Kirkez, Endo, Toney, Mac Allister, Morrison, Ngyomah and Chiesa.
While the rest of the young players were on Liverpool’s bench, after the main players were excluded from the list.
In contrast, coach Oliver Glasner relied on a lineup that included: Benitez, Canfoot, Lacroix, Guehi, Munoz, Hughes, Kamada, Souza, Pino, Sarr and Nketiah.
Quiet Start
The first chance in the match came from the Reds when Morrison rose to Kirkez’s cross, directing a header that went over the goal.
Ngyomah dribbled the ball from the left side, before launching a curved shot in a wonderful way, but it passed next to the right post.
A long ball reached Chiesa, who entered into a duel with Canfoot before overcoming him and starting with the ball into the penalty area, but he shot the ball strangely far from the goal.
Chiesa tried to send a strong ground cross from the left side to one of his teammates inside the penalty area, but goalkeeper Benitez brilliantly saved it.
Hughes received a cross from the left side, with a volley from the heart of the Liverpool penalty area, but it was not powerful enough, to settle in the hands of goalkeeper Woodman.
Palace continued their attempts, and Sarr almost scored a goal with a header this time, meeting a cross from the right side, but Woodman was in the right place.
Sarr’s Bites
Four minutes before the end of the first half, Sarr succeeded in scoring the opening goal for the guests, after a ball rebounded to him from Gomez inside the penalty area, to shoot it directly with his left foot in the far right corner, and Woodman could not save it.
Palace surprised their host a few minutes later by adding the second goal through Sarr again, after a pass reached him on the edge of the penalty area, to prepare the ball for himself before shooting it into the net, ending the first half with the London team leading (2-0).
Red Helplessness
At the beginning of the second half, Sarr had a new opportunity to threaten Liverpool’s goal, with a creeping shot from a distance, but Woodman saved it easily.
Then Mateta appeared, who participated instead of Nketiah at the beginning of the half, with a shot from the edge of the penalty area, but Woodman was on the lookout for him.
In the 62nd minute, coach Glasner preferred to replace Sarr, despite the danger he posed to Liverpool’s goal, and brought in Justin Devine instead.
Five minutes later, coach Slot decided to push the young trio Nallo, Lucky and Gordon instead of Mac Allister, Robertson and Morrison, hoping to revitalize his team.
Eleven minutes before the end of the original time, Liverpool’s task became complicated after substitute Nallo was sent off directly, for tripping one of the Palace players while he was running alone towards the goal.
Substitute Pino managed to shake Liverpool’s net after dribbling inside the penalty area from the left side, before launching a creeping shot in the far right corner, to be the knockout blow for the home team with the third goal.
Liverpool Revolution
Liverpool made a series of major deals last summer, breaking the record for the most expensive deal in British history twice, by contracting first with Florian Wirtz and then Alexander Isak, for 125 and 145 million euros respectively.
Making major changes to the team seemed like a logical reason, but at the same time it was a strategic option for the club. Despite the justifications for selling Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Jarell Quansah and Caoimhin Kelleher, due to tempting offers or the players’ desire to leave, the club was not forced to give them up, while the absence of Diaz in particular is very influential this season.
But the biggest problem is that most of the new arrivals have not performed as expected, with the exception of Hugo Ekitike, who has been the most prominent addition so far.
In contrast, Milos Kirkez showed clear confusion against Brentford, as he seemed unable to keep up with the pace and made repeated mistakes. The match also embodied the case of Florian Wirtz this season, with beautiful technical glimpses met by a lack of harmony and exposure to pressure easily.
