Liverpool’s struggles deepened on Wednesday night as Arne Slot’s experimental line-up fell apart in a shocking 3–0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup last-16 clash at Anfield.
The Reds, who have now lost six of their last seven matches in all competitions, were undone by poor defending and lack of experience as Palace’s Ismaila Sarr scored twice before half-time to put the visitors firmly in control.
Slot, who made ten changes from the side beaten 3–2 at Brentford last weekend, started three teenagers and left several senior players including Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Ibrahima Konaté out of the squad. His decision proved costly as Liverpool’s youthful side struggled to cope with Palace’s pace and precision.
Sarr opened the scoring in the 41st minute after capitalizing on a mistake by Joe Gomez, before doubling the lead just four minutes later when Yeremy Pino’s clever pass found him in space.
Federico Chiesa came closest for Liverpool but saw one shot fly over the bar and another pushed away by Palace goalkeeper Walter Benitez.
Any hope of a comeback evaporated in the 79th minute when 18-year-old defender Amara Nallo was shown a straight red card for dragging down Justin Devenny as he charged toward goal. Palace later sealed the emphatic victory through Pino’s late strike eight minutes from time.
The result marks Liverpool’s earliest exit from the competition in four seasons, leaving fans frustrated and questioning Slot’s team selection.
With crucial fixtures against Aston Villa, Real Madrid, and Manchester City in the coming weeks, the pressure is mounting on Slot to steady the ship and restore confidence to a side that appears to have lost its spark.
