Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner hit back fiercely at suggestions that his side’s 3-0 Carabao Cup demolition of Liverpool came against a weakened team, insisting it would be "disrespectful" to the players Arne Slot fielded at Anfield. The Eagles booked their spot in the fifth round thanks to a first-half brace from Ismaila Sarr and a clinical late strike from Yeremy Pino, as Palace ran riot in front of a stunned Kop. While Liverpool fielded an inexperienced lineup, Glasner refused to let that diminish his team’s victory, claiming the Reds’ squad was still full of world-class quality.

Much changed Liverpool crumble

Arne Slot took a massive risk with his team selection, making 10 changes from the weekend’s 3-2 Premier League defeat to Brentford. Only Milos Kerkez retained his spot from the Brentford clash, lining up alongside Joe Gomez, Wataru Endo, Andy Robertson, and Calvin Ramsay in a five-man defence. The midfield featured Alexis Mac Allister, Kieran Morrison, Trey Nyoni, and Rio Ngumoha, with Federico Chiesa leading the line. Big names like Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Alexander Isak were all rested and the decision quickly backfired as Palace punished the inexperienced Reds.

AdvertisementGOALSarr’s quickfire double stuns Anfield

Palace seized control just before half-time through Ismaila Sarr. The forward was electric on the break and struck twice in a matter of minutes to silence the home crowd. The Senegalese winger first latched onto a loose ball in the box before rifling home from close range, then doubled his tally moments later with a composed finish past Freddie Woodman. Liverpool’s misery deepened when Amara Nallo, who was brought on as a second-half substitute, was shown a straight red card just 12 minutes after coming on. With the hosts down to 10 men, Yeremy Pino capped a superb Palace display, sweeping in a third goal to seal the upset and dump Liverpool out of the competition.

Glasner defends Liverpool’s quality

Glasner refused to accept that his team had beaten an understrength Liverpool side. The Austrian boss was adamant that every player wearing the Liverpool badge deserves respect, as they all have the pedigree to shine on the biggest stages. 

"I have seen Joe Gomez win the Champions League and the Premier League with them; I have seen Wataru Endo play a lot of games for Japan; I have seen Alexis Mac Allister, he won the World Cup with Argentina; I have seen Kerkez, who cost £40m; I have seen Chiesa, who has played for Italy," he said. "I think it would be disrespectful if we say that. Everyone who wears this [Liverpool] badge has quality."

However, Slot defended his decision to rotate heavily, insisting it was part of Liverpool’s long-term vision to develop young talent.

Speaking to   before Wednesday's loss to Palace Slot said: "People who follow this club know we use this competition for younger players. We want to create a pathway for them, to play in front of 60,000 people, in front of our own fans, that’s one reason.

"The other is that we only have four or five injuries but if I have to play again the same players. There are multiple reasons why we have lost so many games, no excuses to lose so many but it hasn’t been helpful that almost every time we have only two days in between and after we have had to play away, and then again an away game, so we keep playing the same players.

"Like for example I tried with Alexander Isak, players who missed out on pre-season, it is a big risk of another injury, and we only have at this moment in time 15, 16 senior players available."

AFPLiverpool’s slide continues

The defeat marks yet another dark night in a growing list for Slot. Liverpool have now lost six of their last seven games in all competitions, which is a staggering dip for a club accustomed to dominance. The only bright spot in that dreadful run was a 5-1 thrashing of Eintracht Frankfurt in Europe. Apart from that, the Reds have stumbled repeatedly, with their attacking sparkle fading and defensive discipline collapsing under pressure. Their upcoming fixtures threaten to turn a crisis into calamity as they face Aston Villa in the Premier League this Saturday. After that, a blockbuster Champions League clash with Real Madrid awaits next week, which could see Trent Alexander-Arnold face his old teammates.