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Beth Lindop
LIVERPOOL, England — As rain poured down at Anfield, the camera shifted to the Liverpool dugout.
Seated behind head coach Arne Slot were Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak, and Florian Wirtz, all bundled up against the cold. The trio, with over 500 career goals among them, could do nothing but observe as Liverpool fell to a 3-0 defeat against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup.
Slot had made ten changes from the 3-2 loss to Brentford on Saturday, fully aware that such a result was a strong possibility. Given Liverpool’s growing injury list and challenging schedule ahead, the Dutch manager aimed to safeguard his key players when selecting his squad for this fourth-round match.
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Nevertheless, Slot often stated last season that losing games leads to no positive outcomes. Currently, Liverpool’s record shows six losses in their last seven matches across all competitions, threatening to derail a season previously anticipated to end in another Premier League title triumph.
At this point, the chances of Slot’s team acquiring any silverware this season appear grim. They will, for the first time in three years, not be competing at Wembley Stadium for this cup, having succumbed to Ismalia Sarr’s first-half brace and a late goal by Yeremy Pino, marking another disappointing evening for the Reds.
Milos Kerkez was the only player from the Brentford match to retain his place in the starting XI, with Joe Gomez partnering Andy Robertson at center back. Meanwhile, Calvin Ramsay made his first senior appearance in three years, while Slot provided debuts to Freddie Woodman and 18-year-old winger Kieran Morrison.
Despite the significant roster changes, Liverpool made a strong start, with the promising Rio Ngumoha entertaining the home crowd with an energetic performance on the left wing. However, everything shifted when Sarr scored in the 41st minute following Gomez’s misstep in the penalty area, indicating a clear path to victory.
That feeling of inevitability was solidified when the Senegalese international, who now boasts seven goals in nine encounters against Liverpool, added a second just before halftime. Pino’s curling shot capped the evening for Palace, who are now unbeaten in four matches against Liverpool for the first time in their history.
While Slot has usually depended on his bench to create changes, the lack of experienced players in this match made it nearly impossible to orchestrate a comeback. Liverpool’s substitutes had just nine first-team appearances between them, which became evident when defender Amara Nallo received a straight red card for denying a goal-scoring opportunity just twelve minutes after coming on in the second half.
The 18-year-old might find himself as the answer to a rather unenviable trivia question, having also been sent off in his only other match for Liverpool: the 3-2 loss to PSV Eindhoven back in February.
However, the blame for this defeat does not rest with him, but rather with Slot, who is undoubtedly experiencing the most challenging period of his managerial career. For the second consecutive match, opposition fans chanted: “You’re getting sacked in the morning” as his team approached another demoralizing loss.
“If you’re on a run like this, playing for Liverpool or managing Liverpool, you know the pressure exists,” Slot acknowledged when asked about the possible outcomes of the cup exit. “I don’t think this loss alters that pressure much. The most encouraging aspect from tonight was the support from the fans, even when we were 2-0 down. That gives me hope for Saturday, that our players will show their commitment and that the support from our fans will be outstanding.”
It’s worth noting that Slot isn’t the first manager to experiment with a lineup in a cup match. Jürgen Klopp often fielded similarly inexperienced squads in the FA Cup, achieving victories against both Everton and Shrewsbury Town during their title-winning 2019-20 season.
The applause from the home crowd at the final whistle indicates that there is still significant backing for Slot among the supporters. Yet, by choosing to rest his key players, he intensifies the stakes for the upcoming match against Aston Villa. The pressure is now on him to ensure his strategy pays off.