In a startling turn of events, Crystal Palace delivered a dominant performance to defeat Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on October 29, 2025. The result deepens Liverpool’s crisis and signals serious alarm bells for the club’s ambitions this season.
It began in the 41st minute when Ismaïla Sarr capitalised on a mistake by Liverpool’s Joe Gomez, unleashing a powerful strike past the goalkeeper to make it 1-0.
Moments before halftime, Sarr struck again — this time assisted by Yéremy Pino, whose reverse pass set up the second goal and silenced the home crowd.
In the 88th minute, Pino himself added the third goal, sealing the emphatic victory for Palace. The night for Liverpool went from bad to worse when Amara Nallo received a straight red card for a last-man challenge, leaving the Reds with 10 men.
Liverpool, under pressure already for accumulating six defeats in seven games across all competitions, stumbled badly in front of their home fans. The decision to field a rotated squad back-fired as structure, sharpness and cohesion were lacking.
Key issues included:
Defensive lapses – The goal from Sarr stemmed from a defensive error that has become far too common for Liverpool this season.
Inexperience in rotation – With many regulars rested, the backup players lacked the edge needed in knockout competition.
Psychological fragility – Successive poor results have chipped away at confidence; this defeat adds a heavy blow not just to the cup run but to the narrative of squad stability.
For football prediction models and betting markets, Liverpool’s vulnerability in this match raises several red flags:
Their odds for cup and domestic games will now reflect a higher probability of “away win” or “draw” outcomes rather than confident favourites.
Markets like “both teams to score (BTTS: Yes)” may see higher weighting in matches involving Liverpool, given their defensive insecurity combined with attacking intent.
On the flip side, Crystal Palace will gain confidence, and their odds in future knockout games may improve, especially as underdogs capable of pulling off major upsets.
Liverpool’s season now enters a critical phase. With the Champions League looming and domestic hopes under threat, the margin for error is shrinking. Manager Arne Slot must quickly regain control, restore trust in his squad, and halt the slide before long-term damage sets in.
For Crystal Palace, this victory not only advances them in the League Cup but also solidifies their status as dangerous opponents in one-off matches — something that may boost morale and identity across the club.
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