Liverpool player ratings vs Crystal Palace: Reds are finally beaten! Alisson heroics not enough as Florian Wirtz and Ibrahima Konte struggle in deserved defeat

Liverpool’s unbeaten run was always going to end one day, but nobody thought it would happen this way, at Selhurst Park, under the lights, against a Crystal Palace side that refused to bow down. The Reds arrived in London with confidence, a team that had survived difficult moments and always found a way, but this time the miracle never came. Instead, the miracle belonged to the home side. Ismaila Sarr and Eddie Nketiah wrote their names into Palace history as they handed Arne Slot his first defeat in charge of Liverpool.

The build up had been all about Liverpool’s streak. Seventeen games unbeaten in all competitions, a new manager carrying the weight of Jurgen Klopp’s legacy, expensive signings brought in to transform the team, and a fanbase dreaming of titles again. But football has a way of breaking illusions. At Selhurst Park, reality came crashing down.

From the very first whistle, Palace showed no fear. They pressed, they attacked, they forced Liverpool back, and within minutes, Alisson was already the busiest man on the pitch. Liverpool were supposed to be the hunters, but instead they were the hunted. The warning signs were there, and yet Liverpool didn’t respond. When the opening goal came, it felt inevitable.

A corner swung in, chaos in the Liverpool box, Ryan Gravenberch tried to clear but instead sent the ball straight into danger. Ismaila Sarr pounced, smashing it home from close range. The stadium exploded. Palace had the lead and deserved it. Replays later showed that the corner should never have been given, that the officials had made a mistake, but none of that mattered to the red and blue shirts celebrating on the pitch. Liverpool were stunned, their unbeaten run now under real threat.

What followed was twenty minutes of Alisson Becker against Crystal Palace. The Brazilian goalkeeper, the man who has saved Liverpool countless times in the past, once again stood tall. He denied Yeremy Pino, then Daniel Muñoz, then Jean-Philippe Mateta in quick succession. Each save more spectacular than the last, each one keeping Liverpool alive. Without him, the game would have been finished before half-time. He dived low, he spread himself wide, he clawed shots out of the air like a man possessed. Liverpool’s outfield players were falling apart, but their goalkeeper was holding them together with his bare hands.

In the second half, it was more of the same. Palace came again, Mateta breaking through for a one-on-one. Alisson rushed out, spread himself, and blocked. The flag went up for offside, but Alisson didn’t know. He saved as if his life depended on it. He was the only Liverpool player who looked like he belonged on that pitch.

Eventually, Liverpool began to find small sparks of hope. Florian Wirtz, the young German midfielder brought in to be a star of the future, had a golden chance to score his first goal for the club. The ball fell kindly for him in the box, but he scuffed it. The moment was gone. Minutes later, he was substituted. Another expensive signing, another disappointment.

Arne Slot shuffled his pack. He brought on Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones, and Federico Chiesa, hoping to find a way through. Palace looked comfortable, though. Marc Guehi, the man who almost joined Liverpool in the summer before his move collapsed, was a rock at the back. Every header, every tackle, every interception, he was there. He seemed to play with a point to prove, as if to say to Liverpool, “You didn’t want me enough. Now I will show you why that was a mistake.”

Still, Liverpool had their habit of finding late goals. It had become their trademark under Slot, the never-say-die spirit, the refusal to accept defeat. And once again, it was Federico Chiesa who delivered. The Italian winger, full of fire, picked his moment. A mistake from Richards, a burst into the box, and suddenly Chiesa was sliding the ball home. Liverpool had equalised. For a brief moment, it felt like the script was being written again. Palace had played brilliantly, but Liverpool would steal something at the end.

Selhurst Park fell silent. Liverpool’s away fans went wild. Slot punched the air. Even VAR tried to intervene, checking for a handball in the build-up by Salah, but nothing could be found. The goal stood. Liverpool had their lifeline.

But football does not always follow the script. With time running out, Palace launched one more attack. A long throw into the box, chaos again, and this time the ball dropped to Eddie Nketiah. The substitute striker, ignored too often at Arsenal, now wearing Palace colours with pride, pounced. He smashed the ball into the net in the 98th minute. The stadium erupted like an earthquake. Players, fans, even staff on the bench lost control. This was not just a goal, it was a statement. Palace were not just Liverpool’s equals tonight, they were better.

Alisson fell to the ground, exhausted. Virgil van Dijk threw his arms in the air. Arne Slot turned furiously to the fourth official, demanding explanations, shouting about time, decisions, anything to mask the truth. But the truth was clear. Palace had deserved it. Liverpool had been second best. Their unbeaten run was over.

The post-match analysis told its own story. Alisson was the only Liverpool player to come out with real credit, his performance world-class even in defeat. Conor Bradley had a nightmare and was hooked at half-time. Ibrahima Konaté struggled badly, bullied by Mateta and exposed time and again. Virgil van Dijk looked solid at times but could not cover for everyone. Milos Kerkez barely got forward, shackled by Palace’s wing play.

In midfield, Ryan Gravenberch’s mistake had cost Liverpool the first goal. He tried to make up for it with a few driving runs but was denied by Dean Henderson. Alexis Mac Allister was quiet, almost invisible for long periods. Florian Wirtz, the man who was supposed to light up the game, was disappointing again.

Up front, Mohamed Salah had one of his quietest games in memory. He set up a half-chance for Isak but otherwise did little. Dominik Szoboszlai grew into the game when moved to right-back but was ineffective for most of the first half. Alexander Isak had chances but never looked likely to take them. The Swedish striker is still waiting for his first Premier League goal for Liverpool, and nights like this only add pressure.

The substitutes offered some energy but no miracles. Gakpo and Jones tried but didn’t change the game. Frimpong barely touched the ball. Rio Ngumoha was given minutes but couldn’t influence anything. Only Chiesa truly delivered, once again proving to be the difference-maker, but even his goal was not enough this time.

Slot himself was rated low. His decisions to start Wirtz wide and Isak up top were questioned. His substitutions gave Liverpool some spark but not the control they needed. He looked beaten at full time, his unbeaten record shattered, his tactical choices exposed.

For Palace, it was a night to remember forever. For Liverpool, it was a warning. This was not just a defeat; it was a reminder that luck runs out, that performances matter, that the Premier League does not forgive weakness.

As the fans filtered out of Selhurst Park, the noise of celebration still echoing, Liverpool supporters were left asking questions. About Isak, about Wirtz, about Salah’s fading sharpness, about Slot’s system. One defeat does not define a season, but sometimes a single defeat shows cracks that were always there. Liverpool had been walking a tightrope for weeks. At Selhurst Park, they finally fell.

And so the night belonged to Palace. Sarr, Guehi, Henderson, and finally Nketiah, they were the heroes. They ended Liverpool’s run, they became the only unbeaten team left in the league, and they sent a message across England.

Liverpool will recover. They always do. But this was a night that will not be forgotten. The night Alisson performed miracles but still lost. The night Chiesa’s equaliser was not enough. The night Nketiah’s strike broke Liverpool hearts. The night Selhurst Park became the graveyard of their unbeaten run.

This was not just a defeat. This was a turning point.