Crystal Palace dumped Liverpool out of the Carabao Cup after cruising to a commanding 3–0 victory over the Reds on Wednesday night to book their place in the next round.
Super Eagles star, Christantus Uche, making his debut appearance in the competition, was brought on in the 83rd minute to replace Borna Sosa and strengthen the Eagles’ midfield.
It was another memorable night for Oliver Glasner’s side, who recorded their third consecutive win over Arne Slot’s Liverpool, having earlier handed the Reds a painful Premier League defeat at Selhurst Park in September.
Palace dominated from start to finish, with Ismaila Sarr netting a first-half brace before Yeremy Pino wrapped up the comfortable win three minutes from time.
Liverpool’s woes were compounded when substitute Amara Nallo was sent off late in the game.
The hosts looked vulnerable from the start and never recovered. According to reports, Liverpool’s domestic cup loss by three goals at home, is their worst such margin at Anfield since 1934.
After a fairly even opening, Palace broke the deadlock in the 41st minute when Ismaïla Sarr capitalised on a stray clearance from Liverpool defender Joe Gomez to unleash a strike past the keeper.
Seconds before half-time he struck again, this time on the back of a reverse pass by Yeremy Pino, giving Palace a commanding 2-0 lead.
In the 79th minute, Liverpool were reduced to 10 men when substitute Amara Nallo was sent off for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
It was his second straight senior appearance to end in a red card. With momentum fully in their favour, Palace wrapped things up in the 87th minute when Pino curled in a third, sealing the 3-0 result.
This marked Palace’s third victory over Liverpool this season, including other competitions.
In his post-match conference, Slot accepted the severity of the defeat but defended his selection and insisted that the pressure he faces remains consistent, not magnified by this result.
On selection: He pointed to the absence of many senior players (only about 15-16 available) and stated that the Carabao Cup has traditionally been used by Liverpool to give younger players exposure.
“It’s always a blow to lose a game, especially when it leads to going out of a competition,” he said, but added he still stands by his decisions.
From This IsAnfield, “I haven’t changed my opinion” on the team picked. He made 10 changes to the side that faced Brentford a few days earlier, including handing debuts to youngsters. He contended the decision was reasonable given injuries and upcoming fixtures.
On the team’s run of form: Slot noted that losing six out of seven games is “not good enough,” though he insisted the pressure on him hasn’t changed.
“If you play for Liverpool or manage Liverpool you know the pressure is there. I don’t think it has changed much after this loss.”
What this means going forward
For Palace, this result confirms that they have Liverpool’s number this season across competitions, a psychological boost and momentum builder for manager Oliver Glasner’s side.
For Liverpool, the outcome raises far bigger questions about squad depth, selection decisions, and whether the expectation around the club’s standards is being met.
As multiple reports highlight, this defeat marks one of their worst periods in recent memory.
The red card for Nallo deepened the humiliation and will likely add to the scrutiny around youth policy when used in critical fixtures.
Slot’s justification of using this competition for younger players may not sit well with fans given the result, especially given they were knocked out by a side they already lost to twice this season.
The fixture schedule and injury list appear to be complicating factors for Liverpool, but few will accept those as adequate excuses given the club’s status.
