The Reds turned Liverpool vs Crystal Palace into a night to forget since the experimental line up of Arne Slot did not bring the expected results as they lost in a 3-0 Carabao Cup match at Anfield. The transformed side loaded with young talents was not able to face with the experience and intensity of Crystal Palace. The first half of Ismaila Sarr and the third goal of the day caused by Yeremy Pino secured the victory, sending Palace to the quarter-finals and Liverpool to the exit of this very competition that they had won in the previous four seasons.

To Slot, who had ten changes on the losing team against Brentford this was a risk that had been calculated poorly. His young team seemed there to be valiant and immature and the outcome made the fans wonder whether Liverpool squad profundity can support their across all the contests title goals.

The defeat was the sixth of the seven matches that Liverpool have won which is a cause of concern since the defending champions of the Premier League are to endure a tall season that has a series of matches. Even though Slot would have explained his choices based on the congestion of fixtures and player exhaustion, the result itself demonstrated the potential and dangers of putting faith in young people to the top.

The choice of Slot in creating a team has caused eyebrows to be raised even before the kick-off. The defeated team (3-2 in Brentford) changed ten players and the midfield and attack were occupied by three teenagers, Rio Ngumoha (17 years old) and Trey Nyoni and Kieran Morrison (both 18 years old). The age of the bench of 21 years and above revealed that Liverpool is very rich in youth talent and at the same time they have a weakness in terms of senior options.

The fact that Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, and Dominik Szoboszlai who are regulars in the first team, were absent, only heightened the difficulty. Although there has been hype about the academy products at Liverpool, they were inexperienced as they went up against a physically mature and given their tactical discipline side at Crystal Palace.

The gamble by Slot seemed to have been rooted in the belief in the system and not in any individual quality but in high heavy-knockout games the experience counts.

The team of Palace manager, Oliver Glasner possessed a strong side and he felt the opportunity to seize it as soon as the team sheets were published. The Eagles managed to have a purposeful and calmed approach to the game led by captain Marc Guehi whose unsuccessful summer transfer to Liverpool provided an additional intriguing back story to the whole situation.

Their breakthrough became on the second half of the first half by using defensive lapses. The gifted misplaced touch by Joe Gomez gave Ismaila Sarr the goal and within no time, he missed being able to net the goal after being given the assist by Yeremy Pino. Four minutes later the tie was practically closed.

The building system of the palace was astonishing. They emphasized the choice were selective, manipulated transitions and punished all Liverpool mistakes. Glasner, who was already triumphant against Liverpool twice in the previous season, both in the Community Shield and the Premier League is now celebrating three victories in three months over the Reds.

A bright side to Liverpool was the fact that Rio Ngumoha had delivered an electric performance. The Edmund Kemper scorer was once again a beacon in a otherwise black dark night the teenage winger who was already the youngest player to score in the club history.

Working on the left though frequently crossing the centre, Ngumoha flaunted in the style of his era with vigour, speed and precision, subjecting the Palace defence to ceaseless trial. The crowd of the Anfield in the air reacted with a sense of excitement whenever he received the ball. His dribbling without fear and inventiveness emphasized the fact that many in Liverpool believe he was a generation talent.

But the inexperience on his side was too great to be covered by even his genius. In each penetrating charge there was a lost pass, or a back-pass out of place. Ngumoha resembled a man in a serious defeat but so did Liverpool, in its dependence upon the energy of youth and the want of experience.

Liverpool was a disorganised defence. The communication and coordination were not high with Andy Robertson, Joe Gomez and Wataru Endo all playing back three in an improvised manner. The ambitions of Palace were gifts the result of forgetfulness and not genius.

Gomez and Sarr committed errors to score the first and second goals respectively, which were suggestive of a team without the defensive leaders. Slot fell short, and the frustration of Slot could be seen when it was pouring at Anfield.

Things only got worse when defender Amara Nallo an 18 year old who had come on as a second half substitute was sent off after receiving a straight red card instead of getting there when only a clear goalscoring opportunity presented itself, as he took Justin Devenny down. The sack of lunch concluded all Liverpool in one evening–a good evening, it was, yet an innocent one.

The long held dreams of a late Liverpool resurrection were suppressed when Yeremy Pino scored the third goal of Palace in the 88 th minute. This was an appropriate conclusion of a game that was both efficient and clinical.

Home fans were mocked by the spectators in the away section, chanting Can we play you every week. They deserved to be happy, their team had demolished the champions of the Premier League in their own home arena.

This victory was the continuation of a great campaign in the case of Glasner. Those on his side are yet to get to the quarter-finals and will now play against Arsenal, have been pitting expectations at par.

It is the worst possible time Slot will suffer defeat. The forthcoming Liverpool schedule looks like a battlefield: Aston Villa in the English Premier League this weekend, and Real Madrid in the champions league the next weekoken, and then there is Manchester City the next weekend.

The decision to deal with fatigue and the desire to rotate squads can be well-explained, yet performances like this one call the question of trust and rhythm. A team that had boasted of intensity previously appears to be tentative especially on the defensive front.

As a manager, having been hired by Anfield in the first season the major challenge is to balance the development with the results. Long-term belief of Slot on youth may be rewarded but short-lived failures such as this could be derailing the momentum.

To Palace, this win is an extension of what is turning out to be a golden era. After becoming champions in the FA Cup and in the Community Shield this year, they have now triumphed over Liverpool three times, it is evidence that their change under Glasner was not an accident.

The experience and upcoming talent including Guehi on the leadership role and Sarr on the explosive and Pino on the creative have made them among the most balanced in the second tier of English football competitors.

Palace fans are now in a position to fantasize about the final of the Carabao Cup in their first ever time in the competition as they get ready to play one of the quarter finals with Arsenal.

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