The defending champions, who had been flawless in the league up until this point, fell behind early when Ismaila Sarr punished them from a poorly defended corner. But while the Eagles celebrated, frustration boiled over on the Liverpool bench.
During a brief pause in play caused by a medical emergency in the stands, the referee produced a yellow card for the Reds’ manager. The reason? He had stepped well outside his technical area to protest the legitimacy of Palace’s opener — a rule breach that has tripped up another Premier League boss more than once: Mikel Arteta. Officials may now be enforcing this rule more strictly, which could see more touchline cautions handed out this season.
Replays later showed that the ball should likely have been ruled a goal kick rather than a corner, giving weight to Liverpool’s protest. Still, poor defending left them vulnerable, with Ibrahima Konaté also enduring a torrid first half and earning his own caution after dragging down Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Liverpool’s defensive worries are only made worse by the injury to new signing Giovanni Leoni, who tore his ACL on his debut against Southampton. Slot admitted the teenager will be sidelined for around a year — a huge blow for both the player and the team’s depth at centre-back.
With only Virgil van Dijk, Konaté and Joe Gomez available as senior centre-half options, the road ahead looks tricky for the champions.
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