Crystal Palace vs Liverpool; Premier League
Crystal Palace vs Liverpool. Premier League.
Selhurst ParkAttendance25,118.
Crystal Palace 2-1 Liverpool: Eddie Nketiah scores late winner as Eagles land statement result over Premier League leaders
Report and free match highlights as Eddie Nketiah scores last-gasp winner after Federico Chiesa cancelled out Ismaila Sarr's opener; Palace up to second behind Liverpool and Eagles are now only unbeaten side in top flight
Saturday 27 September 2025 22:46, UK
Eddie Nketiah scored a stunning 97th-minute winner as Crystal Palace beat Liverpool again to go second in the Premier League to the delight of a roaring home crowd at Selhurst Park.
Federico Chiesa thought he'd grabbed a point for the visitors to maintain their unbeaten run with a close-range finish with three minutes of normal time remaining after Ismaila Sarr's first-half opener.
But a long throw launched into the Liverpool box by Jefferson Lerma was eventually flicked on by captain Marc Guehi for Nketiah to convert at the back post to send his side's supporters wild. There were fears it may get scrubbed off - but after a nail-biting, paper-thin offside check, the goal was given and there was no time left to play.
Palace's penalty shoot-out win over Liverpool in the Community Shield had thrilled their fans but this victory, which moves Oliver Glasner's side three points behind their opponents in the Premier League table, is another big statement about where the Eagles are soaring to under the Austrian.
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Powerful and piercing on the counter, committed and compact in defence, Palace excelled in all aspects, while Liverpool laboured and big-money signings Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak - on his first Premier League start for his new side - struggled to make an impact.
Palace could have been out of sight at half-time. They led thanks to a controversial corner, which should have been given as a goal-kick, but deserved their advantage. Jean-Philippe Mateta curled against the inside of a post and Alisson had been forced to make a string of saves as Palace cut through.
Ryan Gravenberch, who had miscued his header from the corner to allow fit-again Sarr to score, saw his own effort tipped onto the frame of the goal by Dean Henderson but Liverpool were second best.
Guehi - who played a part in the eventual winner - was masterful at the back, marshalling Mohamed Salah just weeks after his Deadline Day move to Liverpool collapsed. Ibrahima Konate was nowhere near as convincing in Liverpool's defence.
The champions battled back into it after the break, with half-time sub Cody Gakpo adding impetus. Wirtz passed up a golden opportunity to score when he tamely flicked at Henderson from close range - a moment which summed up his afternoon - but Chiesa was clinical with his big moment.
There were questions about a potential handball from Salah as Gravenberch's cross came in and how it impacted Richards' attempted clearance but Liverpool may feel that evened out the controversy to Palace's opener.
However, just as it looked like Liverpool had pulled off another late salvage job it was Palace who had the last word once again. They're now unbeaten in 18 games - matching a club record going back to 1969.
This is a result which will galvanise Liverpool's title rivals. What it means for Palace's ambitions this season is intriguingly unclear. They're the only unbeaten Premier League side and they're the ones to watch.
Slot points finger of blame at individual error
Liverpool boss Arne Slot:
"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 which was of no use because time was up.
"So it was only about defending. Maybe we were too offensively-minded. Not we - one player was too offensively-minded in that moment. Which led to them scoring the winner, us losing the game."
Jeremie Frimpong was marking Nketiah as the throw came in but stepped off him when the first header looped the ball away from Liverpool's goal. Nketiah then ultimately had space at the back post when it eventually came to him.
On the performance: "Very, very difficult first half for us. They did really well and deserved to be one goal up - we were lucky it was only 1-0. Second half, it was the opposite - we had the chances to score. It took a while for us to score - we thought it was going to be a draw but it was a second goal from a set piece.
"We have to be better from set pieces if you want too be up there in this league. This league is more and more about set pieces. The margins are small - one of our players tried to counter, but in that area, the ball falls for the Palace player who scores.
"Their game plan caused us trouble. It's a team that their style fits well to their players. If we try to press them they can counter us - we had a lot of problems with that in the first half. A lot."
Glasner: This makes me really proud of the group
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner:
"I think [the first half] was the best half since I arrived. When you play the champions you always know you can slide back and they score late goals. The second half there was immense pressure and we were lucky in one or two situations.
"But we kept our heads up and turned the momentum again. It makes me really proud of the group. It was such a team effort today."
On Guehi's performance: "It's what I expected from Marc, exactly what I knew he'd show. He shows it every game, every training how good he is. He's so focused on his game, on our game. It shows how fantastic Marc is."
On not getting carried away: "We're still in September. We take this positivity and emotions, it helps us to recover quicker and work. There are many positive clips we can show the players, especially in the first half. There are things we can still improve. It's great to win, its great to win against the champion."
