Crystal Palace vs Liverpool Review
Liverpool’s flawless start to the season came to an end in dramatic style as Eddie Nketiah netted a 97th-minute winner for Crystal Palace, as they were defeated 2-1 at Selhurst Park, with Palace extending their unbeaten streak across all competitions to a club-record 18 matches. Although Liverpool controlled possession in the first half, Palace appeared more threatening in the attacking third and took the lead with the game’s first significant opportunity in the ninth minute. Ryan Gravenberch made a good defensive play at the back post during a corner but could only redirect the ball to Ismaïla Sarr, who eagerly fired it in from two yards out, marking his fifth goal in eight games against Liverpool.
Pino and Mateta both had chances to increase the lead but were stopped by Alisson. In his first Premier League start of the season, Alexander Isak appeared a bit off form upfront. This was clear when he broke through on goal and evaded Dean Henderson, but had to shoot from a tight angle and failed to seriously threaten the goal. The visitors’ best opportunity to equalize in the first half came in the 37th minute when Ibrahima Konaté found space inside the box from a corner, but his header narrowly missed the target.
The visitors maintained their attacking momentum after the break, with halftime substitute Cody Gakpo nearly making an immediate impact as his curling shot went just wide. Florian Wirtz was the next to test Henderson, but his volley lacked a clean strike, allowing the Palace goalkeeper to awkwardly parry it away. Although the Eagles looked dangerous on the counterattack, Liverpool continued to create chances, and Isak missed another good opportunity after using quick footwork to find space in the box.
Just when it seemed the home team would hold on to win, Federico Chiesa managed to score from close range. Although there was a possible handball by Mohamed Salah during the play, Liverpool passed the VAR review. Yet, there was one last dramatic moment, Nketiah scored in the seventh minute of added time, giving Palace their second consecutive head-to-head win this season. This victory moved the Eagles up to second place in the Premier League, just three points behind Liverpool, who suffered their first full 90-minute defeat of the 2025/26 season.
