Palace 1-3 Liverpool: Mac Allister, Wirtz and Isak sink battling Eagles despite late Nketiah penalty
Crystal Palace suffered another Premier League defeat at Selhurst Park as Liverpool ran out 3-1 winners, with goals from Alexis Mac Allister, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak doing the damage before a stoppage-time penalty from Eddie Nketiah gave the home crowd something to cheer. The result leaves Palace bottom of the table after ten games, as The Independent notes (The Independent), while Liverpool bounced back from back-to-back defeats to Arsenal in the league and Fenerbahce in the Champions League, according to the Guardian (The Guardian).
Liverpool took the lead just before half-time when Mac Allister headed home a Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick in the 40th minute, Sky Sports reported (Sky Sports). Palace had chances of their own in the first half, with Yéremy Pino smashing an effort against the bar as the hosts searched for an opener, Sky Sports noted (Sky Sports), while Alisson Becker also had to be alert to deny Daichi Kamada with a stunning save on a volley (Sky Sports).
The second half began brightly for Liverpool, who doubled their lead through Florian Wirtz in the 54th minute, the midfielder ending what Sky Sports described as a 12-game Premier League goal drought with a close-range finish assisted by Bradley Barcola (Sky Sports). Alisson was called into action again to deny Adam Wharton as Palace searched for a way back into the game, continuing what Sky Sports called "top form" from the Liverpool goalkeeper (Sky Sports).
Substitute Alexander Isak put the result beyond doubt in the 89th minute, finishing from a fast break set up by Wirtz to make it 3-0, with Sky Sports describing the finish as taking a deflection on its way in (Sky Sports). Palace did grab a consolation deep into stoppage time when Nketiah, who had come on as a substitute, converted a penalty in the 90th+5th minute to make the final score 3-1.
Cards were shown throughout a feisty affair at Selhurst Park. Ronald Araujo was booked for Liverpool in the first half, while Barcola, Jefferson Lerma, Mac Allister, Víctor Muñoz and Pino all picked up yellow cards as the game wore on, though no player saw red.
Palace actually edged possession on the day and had more shots overall, with the home side registering 19 attempts to Liverpool's 20, and both sides finding the target eight and seven times respectively. Liverpool were the more clinical side in front of goal, while also winning more corners on the afternoon.
The result means Palace's form in the Premier League now reads WLLLL across their last five matches, a sequence that includes defeats to Brighton, Newcastle and Tottenham before this loss to Liverpool. For Liverpool, the win continues an up-and-down run of LWWLW in the league, with the victory following a defeat to Arsenal and wins over Brentford and Brighton in recent weeks.
Coverage after the match turned to the pressure building on the Palace dugout, with Sky Sports reporting that head coach Pierre Sage finds himself in difficulty as the Eagles sit at the bottom of the table (Sky Sports). The Independent went further, suggesting the result could leave Palace's management closer to a change in the dugout (The Independent). BBC Sport published player ratings looking at who impressed on both sides during the contest at Selhurst Park (BBC Sport), while Sky Sports also carried free highlights of the match for those who missed the action (Sky Sports).
Written with the help of AI, using the match facts and the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
