Crystal Palace cemented their status as the Premier League’s only unbeaten side with a dramatic 2-1 victory over champions Liverpool, courtesy of Eddie Nketiah’s stoppage-time winner.
Palace, now unbeaten in 18 league matches, celebrated their first win over Liverpool at Selhurst Park since November 2014. The result arrives at a perfect moment, with Oliver Glasner’s side preparing for their maiden European campaign in the Conference League against Dinamo Kyiv on Thursday.
Palace seized control from the outset. Virgil van Dijk’s errant pass gifted possession to Tyrick Mitchell, who sparked an attack that earned a corner. Daichi Kamada’s inswinger caused chaos in the box, with Ryan Gravenberch unable to clear under pressure from Marc Guéhi, and Ismaïla Sarr swept home in the ninth minute.
It could have been two shortly after when Kamada dispossessed Gravenberch and set up Yeremy Pino, only for the Spaniard to miss. Liverpool, rattled, relied on Alisson to keep them in the game. The Brazilian twice denied Palace with exceptional saves – clawing Daniel Muñoz’s effort off the line and then blocking Jean-Philippe Mateta in a one-on-one.
Palace’s dominance was further underlined when Mateta struck the post and later fired over just before half-time. Liverpool, restricted to long-range efforts, were fortunate to trail by only a single goal at the interval.
Arne Slot reshuffled after the break, bringing on Cody Gakpo for Conor Bradley and shifting Dominik Szoboszlai to right back. Florian Wirtz, ineffective in the first half, improved when moved centrally, creating chances for Gakpo and forcing Dean Henderson into a sharp save himself.
Yet Liverpool continued to squander openings. Alexander Isak, a £125m summer signing, twisted his way into the box only to fire wide, drawing chants of “What a waste of money” from home fans.
Liverpool finally levelled in the closing stages. Chris Richards’ mistake allowed Federico Chiesa to blast home, seemingly rescuing a point for the visitors. But deep into stoppage time, Palace struck back. A set-piece was not cleared, the ball dropped to substitute Nketiah, and he swept in the winner to spark wild celebrations.
Marc Guéhi, outstanding throughout against the club that had pursued him earlier in the month, epitomised Palace’s resilience. More than just a victory, this was another statement of intent from Glasner’s well-drilled side, who look capable of troubling anyone in the league.
