Liverpool slumped to another damaging, dismal defeat as Arne Slot’s side were dumped out of the Carabao Cup, beaten 3-0 by Crystal Palace while finishing the match with 10 players on a dire night at Anfield. Slot made sweeping changes to the team which was defeated by Brentford, with one eye on the clash with Aston Villa this weekend, but the fringe players and academy hopefuls were thoroughly outclassed by Oliver Glasner's side.
The loss heaps pressure on struggling Dutch boss Slot, who has watched his team lose six of their last seven matches, with their only win coming in the Champions League away at Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Reds were the better of the two sides in the early exchanges, with Federico Chiesa, recalled to the starting line-up, squandering two gilt-edged opportunities. But Palace grew into the game and thoroughly deserved to take the lead in the 40th minute.
The Eagles put together a neat interchange of passes on the edge of the Liverpool box, and though the ball fell to Joe Gomez, he scuffed his clearance to Ismaila Sarr, who in turn fired confidently past debutant Freddie Woodman. Palace doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time as they cut through the hosts’ porous defence and Gomez was at fault again as Sarr swept the ball home to send the small pocket of travelling fans delirious.
The Anfield faithful were stunned into near silence for the majority of the match and Glasner could even afford to remove Sarr, who was on a hat-trick, as the hosts laboured to create chances in the second half.
The diabolical night for Liverpool was made even worse after Amara Nallo was shown a straight red for a pull on Yeremie Pino, who was through on goal. And it was Pino who slalomed into the box to thrash the ball home into the far corner to complete the rout. With minutes left the heavens opened, the torrential rain providing the perfect backdrop to Liverpool’s performance – a complete washout.
GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Anfield…
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Freddie Woodman (4/10):
Had to wait until the 30th minute to make a stop, a decent drive from Hughes which he gathered comfortably, but there was nothing he could do about Sarr's opener. Was left woefully exposed for the second and similarly the third.
Calvin Ramsay (5/10):
Started his first senior game in three years after returning from injury, but endured a difficult evening.
Joe Gomez (3/10):
The experienced defender featured in an unfamiliar centre-back pairing, but flapped at the ball when he should have cleared for Palace's opener, and went AWOL for the second, chasing Nketiah around the box, instead of standing firm in front of Sarr. Ended the match wearing the captain's armband.
Andrew Robertson (5/10):
Deployed out of position at centre-back, but was unable to stem the tide in a makeshift back-line. Was clearly frustrated at his side's performance and was booked for a crude lunge in the 54th minute. Subbed off in the 67th minute.
Milos Kerkez (4/10):
The left-back was the only player to retain his starting place from the previous Premier League defeat, but it was another innocuous performance and his starting position for the clash with Villa must be in serious doubt.
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Trey Nyoni (4/10):
The academy prospect was handed a senior start in midfield as part of the significant line-up rotation, was asked to do a lot of the running, but failed to make a hugely positive impact.
Wataru Endo (5/10):
Started in midfield to provide a solid base, but spent the entire match chasing the ball to very little effect. Was most effective when attempting to break play up, but will be keen to forget this one as quickly as possible.
Alexis Mac Allister (5/10):
Was included to provided much-needed experience in a youthful midfield line-up, but looked lost for the vast majority of his 67 minutes on the pitch, and was taken off without having made a significant contribution.
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Kieran Morrison (5/10):
The 18-year-old academy forward made his senior debut, lining up on the right side of the attack. Showed plenty of willing running, but not to blame for Liverpool's toothless display and was subbed off in the 67th minute.
Federico Chiesa (4/10):
The Italian forward led the attack, and squandered a brilliant opportunity to open the scoring in the 23rd minute when he fired over from the edge of the box. Will be disappointed with his efforts and seemed anxious, snapping at chances.
Rio Ngumoha (5/10):
The 17-year-old winger showcased his skills on the left side of the attack and did brilliantly to set-up a chance for Chiesa in the 28th minute. Was one of the few players who can claim to have put in a decent shift. Threat diminished in the second half, taken off with four minutes remaining.
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Kaide Gordon (4/10):
Would have been pleased to come on, but didn't make a telling pass.
Amara Nallo (2/10):
His second red card for Liverpool in two senior appearances, sent off just 12 minutes after coming on for a desperate last-man challenge.
Wellity Lucky (4/10):
Mixed emotions making his debut on such a poor night for Liverpool.
Trent Kone-Doherty (N/A):
Only appeared with four minutes remaining, not long enough to make an impact.
Arne Slot (3/10):
Another woeful night for the beleaguered Reds boss. He'll point to the 10 changes he made with the massive match coming up against Aston Villa, but his side are devoid of confidence and another damaging defeat just makes the situation worse.