Liverpool extended their impressive start to the season with a sixth consecutive win across all competitions, beating Crystal Palace, though it came at a cost as goalkeeper Alisson Becker left the pitch with an injury.
The early Premier League leaders secured all three points through Diogo Jota’s first-half goal. The Portuguese forward capitalized on poor defending to convert a cross from Cody Gakpo. However, Liverpool’s victory was marred when Alisson appeared to suffer a hamstring injury while clearing the ball, forcing him to be substituted in the final 10 minutes. Czech goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros made his debut as his replacement.
Liverpool’s dominant form continues, with just one Premier League defeat this season. In contrast, Crystal Palace remains winless, suffering their fourth loss in seven games. The Eagles had a potential early goal from Eddie Nketiah ruled out for offside, and Ismaila Sarr tested Alisson with a well-struck shot before halftime.
Despite Liverpool’s failure to extend their lead, Palace struggled to capitalize. Alisson made two crucial second-half saves, first denying Nketiah after a Liverpool error and later stopping Eberechi Eze’s effort. While the late injury substitution threatened to destabilize Liverpool, Palace could not truly test Jaros, with Eze’s late strike going straight into the debutant’s hands.
The win pushed Liverpool four points clear at the top of the Premier League table ahead of the 15:00 BST matches. Crystal Palace, meanwhile, remain in the relegation zone with just three points from seven games.
The post-Jurgen Klopp era under new manager Arne Slot has started remarkably well for Liverpool. This victory marked Slot’s fourth consecutive away win in the league—an achievement only three other Premier League managers have accomplished in their first four away games. Slot’s Liverpool has also matched a club record for winning their first four away games of the season, a feat achieved just twice before in the club’s history.
Speaking after the match, Slot played down concerns about fatigue following their midweek Champions League fixture, despite his side’s evident tiredness in the second half. As with their 2-0 win over Bologna days earlier, Liverpool had to ride their luck as Palace mounted a second-half challenge, but the visitors held on to maintain their winning run.
The main concern for Liverpool now lies with Alisson’s injury. Although he managed to walk off unaided, the Brazilian goalkeeper looked frustrated after sustaining the injury during his clearance.
Crystal Palace’s poor start to the season leaves them in the relegation zone, still searching for their first league win. However, manager Oliver Glasner drew encouragement from his team’s second-half performance. Jean-Philippe Mateta’s introduction brought more attacking bravery, and Alisson’s heroics before his injury denied Palace a deserved equalizer.
Glasner also voiced frustration over a penalty claim when Virgil van Dijk appeared to pull back Marc Guehi in the box. “I didn’t see it during the game, but for me, it was a clear foul,” Glasner said. “VAR should have intervened, but they didn’t.”
With the international break approaching, Glasner hopes to use the time to regroup ahead of challenging fixtures against Nottingham Forest, Tottenham, and Aston Villa.
