Liverpool 0-3 Crystal Palace: Another loss as 10-man young Reds struggle

Liverpool exited the Carabao Cup with a resounding 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, with Arne Slot making 10 changes and witnessing a sixth defeat in seven games.

Slot makes 10 changes with two debuts

In a clear indication of his priorities, Slot not only made 10 changes for the Carabao Cup but avoiding naming any senior players among his substitutes.

There were debuts for goalkeeper Freddie Woodman and 18-year-old winger Kieran Morrison, while Milos Kerkez was the only player retained from the 3-2 defeat at Brentford.

Kerkez’s role changed, taking up his position as left wing-back, with Calvin Ramsay making his first appearance in almost three years on the opposition flank as Slot opted for a 3-4-3 setup.

Experience pays in the first half

Despite Palace naming a very strong side – only five changes from their 2-1 win over Liverpool in the Premier League – the hosts were sharp from kickoff as they looked to take the fight to Oliver Glasner’s side.

Rio Ngumoha was bright on the left wing and he went closest in the opening quarter-hour after cutting inside onto his right and bending an effort which deflected just wide.

The visitors certainly weren’t comfortable and Federico Chiesa had a big chance as he latched onto a bouncing ball over the top, but under pressure he blasted over with his left foot.

Unfortunately Liverpool’s solid work was undone with five minutes left to play in the half, with Ismaila Sarr again scoring against the Reds, burying his effort into the bottom corner from a loose ball.

Sarr then made it 2-0 before the break as Palace cut the defence open with Yeremy Pino feeding the winger, who finessed his shot to give Woodman no chance.

Half-time: Liverpool 0-2 Crystal Palace

Nightmare for substitute Nallo

With no experience on the bench – the most involved at first-team level being Kaide Gordon – it was no surprise at all to see Slot stick with the same side after half-time.

Glasner meanwhile was able to send on Jean-Philippe Mateta and the in-form striker had an opportunity shortly after coming on as Andy Robertson struggled to deal with him.

Liverpool’s first changes came with 67 minutes on the clock and Slot showed his lack of interest in the competition by introducing two young centre-backs in Wellity Lucky and Amara Nallo for Robertson and Alexis Mac Allister.

Nallo was then sent off 12 minutes later, bringing Justin Devenny down as the last man to earn his second red card in as many first-team appearances – a remarkable record to hold for an 18-year-old.

That set the tone for the remainder of the game, with Liverpool given no hope of salvaging a result – compounded by Pino’s goal to make it 3-0 late on.

But given the lineup Slot fielded and his decision to rest every other senior player, they never really had a chance in the first place.