Late set‑piece lapse ends Liverpool’s perfect start after Chiesa’s lifeline at Selhurst Park

Liverpool’s run of five straight league wins was snapped at the last as Crystal Palace’s Eddie Nketiah scored in the 97th minute to seal a 2-1 defeat that stung precisely because the champions had clawed their way back. Federico Chiesa’s 87th‑minute equaliser appeared to have salvaged a point after a wretched opening half, only for a long throw and a flicked header to undo the visitors at the death.

Arne Slot’s side have lived on the edge this season, repeatedly finding late rescue acts. At Selhurst Park, set‑pieces proved the undoing: Ismaila Sarr struck from a ninth‑minute corner, Chiesa repaired the damage late on, and then Nketiah capitalised in stoppage time. It was, Slot admitted, an afternoon Liverpool could only blame on themselves.

A first half to forget—Alisson keeps Liverpool afloat

Liverpool never settled in the opening exchanges. A loose pass from Virgil van Dijk allowed Tyrick Mitchell to force the issue and a contentious corner—replays suggested goal‑kick—led to Palace’s opener. Daichi Kamada’s inswinger caused chaos, Ryan Gravenberch’s header, under heavy pressure from Marc Guehi, broke perfectly for Sarr to sweep in on nine minutes.

From there, Palace swarmed. Alisson produced outstanding stops to deny Yeremy Pino and Daniel Muñoz, then won a one‑on‑one duel with Jean‑Philippe Mateta, who also curled against the inside of a post after a gorgeous move sprung by Maxence Lacroix. Ibrahima Konaté, already cautioned for hauling down Mateta, later headed a Dominik Szoboszlai corner inches wide in a rare Liverpool threat. That it remained 1-0 at the break owed much to the goalkeeper’s excellence.

Slot’s switch helps—but ruthlessness is missing

Slot altered the flow at half‑time, sending on Cody Gakpo for Conor Bradley, sliding Szoboszlai to right‑back and moving Florian Wirtz into the middle. The effect was immediate: Wirtz fed Gakpo for a skidding effort and then arrived himself onto a Szoboszlai cross only to flick straight at Dean Henderson from close range.

Alexander Isak, Liverpool’s record £125m signing, wriggled past challenges into the box but dragged his finish wide, inviting predictable chants of “what a waste of money” from the home stands. The pressure mounted and, when Chris Richards failed to clear Gravenberch’s cross, Chiesa slammed home to make it 1-1 and keep Liverpool’s run of scoring in league matches alive at 39 games. There were murmurs about a possible Salah handball in the scramble.

From parity to pain in stoppage time

Liverpool’s habit of late escapes looked intact—until it wasn’t. Deep in added time a long throw into the box was not dealt with, Guehi’s glance reloaded the danger, and Nketiah arrived untracked at the far post to finish. VAR lines came out; Gravenberch’s trailing foot played the striker onside and the goal stood.

Slot’s assessment was blunt. “We can only blame ourselves by defending the way we did… One of our players decided to run out because he wanted to play a counter-attack… it was only about defending,” he said, broadening the point to set‑pieces in general: “We have to be better from set pieces if you want to be up there.” It was the critical detail that turned one point into none.

What it means and what must change

Set‑piece fragility is becoming a storyline Liverpool can no longer outrun. Palace’s first‑half dominance, a taxing day for Konaté, and the lack of incision from big‑money arrivals Wirtz and Isak underlined the margin between pressure and payoff. Alisson’s excellence kept the contest alive; it could not carry it.

The champions have a swift pivot: Galatasaray away in the Champions League before a league trip to Chelsea. For all the frustration, the template for improvement is clear—sharper structure on dead balls, better decision‑making in key moments, and more clinical edges from a remodelled attack that showed flashes but not finish at Selhurst Park.