Liverpool lost to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield: A necessary slap in the face

Liverpool lost to Crystal Palace on penalties despite leading twice in the Community Shield, a necessary slap in the face for Arne Slot and his team.

1. A few months after winning the FA Cup for the first time in their history by beating Man City, Crystal Palace continued to write a fairy tale and this time they overcame Liverpool.

“I always go into a game believing we can win. We have proven that against Arsenal, Man City, Aston Villa and Liverpool,” said coach Oliver Glasner before kick-off.

Ekitike scored on his debut after just four minutes. Photo: LFC

The Austrian coach is confident: "If we play at our best, no one will want to face us. With that confidence, we will play for the Community Shield."

At Wembley, Crystal Palace did exactly what he said. They fought confidently, and won.

The Community Shield opened with a controversial scene. Palace fans disappointed by booing and chanting during the minute of silence in memory of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who died in a traffic accident.

2. After that controversy, Liverpool got off to a dream start when Hugo Ekitike – a new signing worth 95 million euros from Eintracht Frankfurt – scored the opening goal after an assist from Florian Wirtz.

Ekitike's stunning goal, from his drop to join Cody Garko in the build-up play, to his ability to work the tight space and finish.

Van Dijk was outplayed by Ismaila Sarr for both goals. Photo: PA

However, more than 10 minutes later, in the rare time Crystal Palace had the ball, Virgil van Dijk fouled Ismaila Sarr in the penalty area and Jean-Philippe Mateta equalized 1-1 for the London team from the 11m mark.

The miracle came with 20 minutes and 20 seconds to play: perhaps accidentally, a cross from Jeremie Frimpong – another new signing expected to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold – turned into a tricky chip over Dean Henderson's head.

The Liverpool stands erupted in rapturous applause. Frimpong paid tribute to Jota in the most spectacular way, after the moment of silence was marred by Palace fans.

Not all the new signings stood out like Ekitike and Frimpong. Milos Kerkez disappeared on the left wing; Wirtz looked out of place after being involved in the first goal.

Wirtz’s lack of presence also made life difficult for Mohamed Salah. Arne Slot’s biggest star was almost walking, easily shut down by Liverpool target Marc Guehi, who played on the left of the three central defenders.

After a lively first half, Liverpool lost their nerve in the second half. Crystal Palace's equalizer in the 77th minute was inevitable. Ismaila Sarr coordinated well with Adam Wharton before finishing past Alisson.

Salah was disappointing in the 90 minutes and in the penalty shootout. Photo: EPA

Sarr and Wharton were both on fire before the game, and with luck, Crystal Palace could have even scored a third goal to seal the Community Shield in normal time.

3. The first title of the season in English football had to be decided by a nerve-wracking penalty shootout, where Liverpool played worst ever.

Salah took his first shot with a careless attitude, the ball flew straight into the stands. Immediately after, Mac Allister was blocked by Henderson.

Although Alisson saved Eze's shot, while Crystal Palace's Borna Sosa hit the bar, Henderson continued to shine when he blocked Harvey Elliott's shot.

Justin Devenny, a promising 21-year-old midfielder, stepped up to take the decisive kick, sealing a 3-2 victory in the penalty shootout, helping the “Eagles” add another collection to their history.

“We need to defend better,” admitted Arne Slot. With Gravenberch absent for family reasons and Mac Allister on the bench due to fitness issues, Liverpool were unable to shield their defence.

Slot still has a lot of work to do even though Liverpool have spent more than 300 million euros. Photo: LFC

After a tumultuous summer, when he refused to renew his contract to follow Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid next year, Konate did not play well enough. Similarly, Van Dijk was quite slow in both goals, in the context that he considered leaving Anfield and only stayed at the last minute.

More than 300 million euros to supplement the wings, the attack and the midfield is not enough. It is not by chance that Slot has proposed to buy Guehi for many weeks.

There is some consolation for Liverpool in terms of… spirituality: since the case of Man City in the 2018/19 season, the last 6 Community Shield champions have all failed to compete for the Premier League title.

There is still time for Slot to adjust his tactics, as well as finalize the transfer with Guehi and Isak.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/liverpool-thua-crystal-palace-sieu-cup-anh-cai-tai-can-thiet-2430698.html