“I’ll have to take another look” – Arne Slot gives frank verdict after Nketiah’s stoppage-time winner
Arne Slot offered a frank take on the late goal that handed Liverpool their first defeat of the season on Saturday.
The Reds looked set to leave Selhurst Park with a valuable point after Federico Chiesa equalised in the 87th minute, only for Eddie Nketiah to snatch the winner seven minutes into stoppage time following a lapse in concentration.
Liverpool’s coaches were furious with the officials at full-time, arguing that only six minutes of added time had been signalled. But after a few moments to reflect, Slot struck a more measured tone about the decisive moment.
Slot’s candid reaction
Speaking to Sky Sports (via BBC Sport), the Liverpool boss said:
“It’s never ideal to concede in added time on top of added time, but there was a substitution, so another half a minute was fair. I’ll have to check the exact time of the goal, but we must defend the throw-in better.
“We learn from every match we play, and there are even more lessons to take from a game like this.”
It was another typically forthright verdict from Slot—similar to his comments after the midweek win over Southampton—acknowledging that Nketiah’s goal was entirely avoidable from Liverpool’s perspective.
The clock had just ticked past 97 minutes when Palace launched an attack from a throw-in. Milos Kerkez initially cut out one threat, but from the next delivery the Reds switched off and Nketiah capitalised.
Ultimately, the amount of stoppage time indicated is irrelevant: when a match is finely poised, concentration must be maintained until the final whistle. Liverpool failed to do so and paid the price.
Slot will now hammer that lesson home ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League trip to Galatasaray—a chance to quickly bounce back and aim for two wins from two in Europe. If the Reds learn from this costly slip at Selhurst Park, they remain well placed to defend their Premier League crown despite this setback in south London.
