Crystal Palace 2-1 Liverpool: Palace Stun Liverpool as Title Dreams Take Early Hit

by Tahmid Habib

Nketiah's 98th minute stunner leaves Reds reeling as defensive frailties are ruthlessly exposed

The unthinkable happened at Selhurst Park. Liverpool's perfect start came crashing down in brutal fashion as Crystal Palace delivered a performance that will have Reds everywhere questioning whether this team can truly challenge for the title.

Eddie Nketiah's dramatic 98th-minute winner didn't just seal a famous 2-1 victory, it ripped away Liverpool's early-season optimism and exposed glaring defensive vulnerabilities that many suspected were lurking beneath the surface.

The writing was on the wall from minute one. While Liverpool fans expected their side to control proceedings, the reality was starkly different. Palace came out swinging with intensity and asked a lot of questions of Arne Slot and his men.

When Ismaïla Sarr smashed home the opener in the ninth minute (his third goal in three games against Liverpool) it felt less like shock and more like the inevitable. The corner was half-cleared by Liverpool's backline; amateur hour stuff that wouldn't be acceptable at grassroots level.

Slot's furious protests that earned him a booking told the story, even the manager could see his team being outfought by supposedly lesser opposition.

What followed was 80 minutes that will have supporters questioning every summer signing. Liverpool's attacks didn't just break down in midfield, they died there, strangled by Palace's pressing and Liverpool’s lack of cohesion.

Time and again, Alisson was Liverpool's only saving grace, producing save after save. When your goalkeeper is man of the match against Crystal Palace, something has gone seriously wrong.

Federico Chiesa's 87th-minute equaliser should have been Liverpool's moment. For precious few minutes, normal service seemed resumed. The away end erupted, convinced their team had rescued a point.

It was supposed to be business as usual, the reds somehow rescuing a point or even pushing for a late winner as they have done countless times already this season.

Then came the 98th minute. Deep into injury time, Palace delivered the gut punch that title winning sides simply don't allow. Nketiah's winner wasn't just a goal it was a statement. The chaos in Liverpool's penalty area, the hesitation; it painted a picture of a defence that crumbles under pressure.

This wasn't just Palace's first home league win over Liverpool since 2014 it was comprehensive dismantling of everything fans thought they knew about their team's prospects.

Palace are now 18 games unbeaten, playing with tactical discipline that Liverpool seemed to have misplaced.

The question every Red should be asking isn't whether this was just a bad day; or whether this performance revealed the true level of a side that might not be as close to challenging as many hoped.

Defensive vulnerability, midfield chaos, and over-reliance on individual brilliance: these aren't teething problems. They're systematic issues that title-winning teams simply don't have.