Eddie Nketiah’s dramatic stoppage-time finish sealed a 2-1 victory for Crystal Palace over Liverpool, ending the champions’ flawless start to the season and sending Selhurst Park into raptures.
The substitute struck in the seventh minute of added time, a reward for Oliver Glasner’s side after a night of relentless intensity and fearless football that lifted them up to second place in the Premier League.
Palace had seized the initiative early on through Ismaila Sarr, who bundled home from close range in the ninth minute after Liverpool failed to deal with a corner.
Their first-half display brimmed with energy and invention, with Alisson the only reason the hosts didn’t run away with the game.
The Brazilian goalkeeper produced a string of outstanding saves to keep out Yeremy Pino, Daniel Muñoz and Jean-Philippe Mateta, while Mateta himself was denied by the post following a superb team move.
Liverpool, ragged and disorganised before the interval, grew into the contest after the break. Alexander Isak, on his full league debut, squandered a glorious chance when one-on-one with Dean Henderson, while the Palace keeper also denied Ryan Gravenberch and Florian Wirtz with sharp reflexes.
Despite dominating territory, Arne Slot’s men carried little cutting edge.
Their persistence finally told three minutes from time when Federico Chiesa pounced from close range, VAR confirming Gravenberch was onside in the build-up. At that point, a hard-earned point seemed inevitable.
But Palace had other ideas. Pushing forward in one final wave, they found their winner deep in stoppage time when Nketiah darted in at the far post to slot home, sparking scenes of wild celebration among the home support.
The performance was another statement under Glasner: Palace combined discipline with daring, exposed Liverpool’s defensive frailties, and showed the confidence of a team establishing itself among England’s elite.
Their unbeaten streak now stretches to 18 matches across all competitions.
For Liverpool, however, the result highlighted vulnerabilities that late goals cannot disguise.
Their defensive lapses proved costly, and at Selhurst Park, it was Palace—not the champions, who produced the decisive late twis to
