admin‘It was still’ – Oliver Glasner makes ‘disrespectful’ Liverpool players claim after Crystal Palace victory
Crystal Palace sweep aside much-changed Liverpool with 3-0 Carabao Cup win
Crystal Palace stunned Liverpool once again with a dominant 3-0 victory at Anfield in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
It marked the third time this season that Oliver Glasner’s side have beaten the Reds, who have now lost six of their last seven games in all competitions. Liverpool’s poor run includes four straight Premier League defeats — a streak that began with a 2-1 loss to Palace last month, while the Eagles also triumphed on penalties in the Community Shield at Wembley.
For this latest encounter, Arne Slot made sweeping changes to his side, with Milos Kerkez the only player to retain his spot from the 3-2 defeat to Brentford. Senior stars such as Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz, and Virgil van Dijk were all rested or left out of the squad entirely.
Teenagers Rio Ngumoha, Trey Nyoni, and Kiernan Morrison — the latter making his debut — were all handed starts as Liverpool fell to a comprehensive defeat on home soil.
Glasner: “It would be disrespectful to underestimate Liverpool”
Despite facing a weakened Liverpool XI, Palace boss Oliver Glasner dismissed the notion that his side were helped by the Reds’ team selection.
“It was Arne Slot’s decision, and we never care what other teams are doing,” Glasner said. “We told our players, but it would be disrespectful to all of Liverpool’s players.
“I’ve seen Joe Gomez play for England and win the Champions League. Wataru Endo has played so many games for Japan. Alexis Mac Allister won the World Cup as a starter. Kerkez cost £40 million, Chiesa plays for Italy, Ngumoha has already shown he can score in the Premier League.
“Maybe it wasn’t Liverpool’s strongest team, but it was still a very good side. Everyone in that squad deserves respect — I was never good enough to be in the Liverpool squad myself.”
Slot defends team selection despite heavy defeat
Many Liverpool supporters were frustrated by Slot’s heavily rotated line-up, particularly as there wasn’t a single senior player named on the bench. But with crucial fixtures against Aston Villa, Real Madrid, and Manchester City looming, the Dutchman chose to rest his stars — and stood by that decision even after the loss.
“If I look back at our game against Brentford, which came two days after we played Eintracht Frankfurt away, I saw a team that struggled with playing three games in seven days,” Slot explained.
“That’s not an excuse, but it’s not a complete surprise either. Some players are still adapting to the demands of the Premier League and Champions League schedule.
“In two days we face Villa, and the last time we pushed someone who wasn’t quite ready — Alexander Isak — he picked up an injury. The same happened with Giovanni Leoni against Southampton, and Hugo Ekitike was sent off.
“Right now, we have only 15 or 16 first-team players fully available. This club has always used the Carabao Cup to give minutes to academy players, so it felt like the right decision. I haven’t changed my opinion because even with our strongest XI, we haven’t managed to beat Palace this season.”
Liverpool under pressure as Palace continue to soar
The result piles more pressure on Slot and his struggling Liverpool side, who now turn their attention to Aston Villa this weekend.
For Palace, meanwhile, Glasner’s impressive start continues — his side have now beaten Liverpool three times this season, proving that their resurgence under the Austrian is no fluke.
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