Liverpool crisis mounts after League Cup exit against Palace
Liverpool suffered elimination from the League Cup on Wednesday night following Crystal Palace's convincing 3-0 victory in the fourth round, intensifying the troubles at Anfield.
Ismaila Sarr netted a brace during the opening period while Yeremy Pino added the final goal, leaving Arne Slot's squad facing their sixth loss across the previous seven outings in various tournaments.
Slot opted for a rotated lineup, focusing resources on Liverpool's vital upcoming fixtures against Aston Villa, Real Madrid, and Manchester City in the coming fortnight.
Nevertheless, this outcome represented yet another humiliating setback for the team, closely following their 3-2 defeat away to Brentford on Saturday, which hampered their faltering bid to retain the Premier League crown.
The Reds now sit seven points adrift of table-topping Arsenal after dropping their past four league encounters.
Facing backlash over defensive vulnerabilities and the underwhelming displays from high-profile summer acquisitions Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, Liverpool's sharp decline has caught many off guard.
With Isak, Wirtz, Mohamed Salah, and Virgil van Dijk all sidelined, Slot implemented ten alterations and introduced young prospects Kieran Morrison, Rio Ngumoha, and Trey Nyoni into the fray.
This risky approach failed to pay off, and the FA Cup champions Palace have now triumphed over Liverpool on three occasions within a mere 80 days.
Previous wins included a penalty shootout success in the Community Shield and a 2-1 Premier League result.
In an effort to inject fresh energy, Slot shifted to a three-at-the-back formation, yet the adjustment proved costly as Joe Gomez's error enabled Sarr to blast in from 12 yards during the 41st minute.
The Senegalese forward Sarr extended Palace's advantage right before the interval, converting Pino's assist directly in view of the stunned Kop end.
Liverpool replacement Amara Nallo received a red card in the 79th minute for denying a goalscoring opportunity on Justin Devenny, paving the way for Pino to tap in Palace's third goal two minutes from time.
Man City survive scare
Defending champions Newcastle stayed in contention for back-to-back triumphs with a 2-0 success over Tottenham at St James' Park.
Fabian Schar rose to connect with Sandro Tonali's corner in the 24th minute for the first strike, and Nick Woltemade powered home from Jacob Ramsey's 50th-minute delivery for the second.
The Magpies secured their initial major English trophy in six decades by overcoming Liverpool in last term's League Cup final at Wembley.
Manchester City overturned an early deficit to secure a 3-1 away win over Championship outfit Swansea.
With ten switches from their narrow 1-0 reversal against Aston Villa the prior weekend, City fell behind to Goncalo Franco's effort midway through the opening quarter.
However, Jeremy Doku's shot took a deflection to equalise in the 39th minute, Omar Marmoush struck in the 77th, and Rayan Cherki wrapped up the turnaround in added time.
Arsenal, absent from the League Cup winners' circle since 1993, eased to a 2-0 home victory against Brighton at the Emirates, extending their run to eight straight wins across competitions.
Ethan Nwaneri rifled into the net from distance during the 57th minute, with Bukayo Saka converting from near post in the 76th.
At 15 years and 302 days old, Max Dowman etched his name as Arsenal's most youthful debutant, as Mikel Arteta rested ten players following their 1-0 Sunday triumph over Crystal Palace.
Chelsea's reserves triumphed 4-3 on the road at basement challengers Wolves.
Andrey Santos opened the scoring in the fifth minute, Tyrique George made it two ten minutes on, and Estevao Willian chipped the third just before the break in the 41st.
Toluwalase Arokodare pulled one back shortly after the restart, and David Wolfe added another in the 73rd.
Chelsea forward Liam Delap saw red in the 86th before Jamie Gittens notched the fourth for the visitors, though Wolfe's late brace proved insufficient for Wolves.