Crystal Palace thrashed a weakened Liverpool 3-0 to intensify pressure on under-fire manager Arne Slot.
London
Liverpool’s troubles worsened as Crystal Palace handed them a humiliating 3-0 defeat in the League Cup fourth round on Wednesday, deepening the crisis surrounding Arne Slot’s faltering reign.
Ismaila Sarr scored twice in the first half, and Yeremy Pino added a late goal to complete Liverpool’s sixth loss in seven matches across competitions. Slot, prioritising upcoming clashes against Aston Villa, Real Madrid, and Manchester City, fielded a largely second-string side, a gamble that backfired badly.
“It’s not Liverpool standards to lose six out of seven,” Slot admitted. “But with only 15 or 16 first-team players fit, I had no choice.”
Liverpool, trailing Arsenal by seven points in the Premier League, were again undone by defensive lapses. Joe Gomez’s blunder gifted Sarr his first goal in the 41st minute, and the Senegal winger doubled Palace’s lead just before half-time. Substitute Amara Nallo’s red card in the 79th minute compounded the misery before Pino’s strike sealed Palace’s passage to the quarterfinals against Arsenal.
The defeat marked Palace’s third win over Liverpool in 80 days, following victories in the Community Shield and Premier League.
Elsewhere, Manchester City came from behind to beat Swansea 3-1, with Jeremy Doku, Omar Marmoush, and Rayan Cherki on target. Newcastle downed Tottenham 2-0 through Fabian Schar and Nick Woltemade, while Arsenal beat Brighton 2-0 courtesy of goals from Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka.
Chelsea edged Wolves 4-3 in a thriller, despite striker Liam Delap’s late sending-off, to set up a last-eight trip to Cardiff.