Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, acknowledges the fans after the teams defeat in the 2025 FA Community Shield match between Crystal Palace and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on August 10, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)placeholder image
Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, acknowledges the fans after the teams defeat in the 2025 FA Community Shield match between Crystal Palace and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on August 10, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Liverpool suffered a penalty shootout loss against Crystal Palace after a 2-2 draw at Wembley.
Chris Kirkland has implored Liverpool to sign a defender after their Community Shield loss against Crystal Palace.
The Premier League champions raised the curtain on the 2025-26 season with a penalty shootout defeat by the Eagles. The Wembley encounter ended 2-2 after 90 minutes, with Liverpool twice throwing away the lead.
Debutant Hugo Ekitike gave Liverpool the lead inside four minutes but Jean-Philippe Mateta equalised for the penalty spot after Virgil van Dijk fouled Ismaila Sarr. And while summer arrival Jeremie Frimpong restored the advantage shortly afterwards, more poor defending in the second period allowed Sarr to equalise.
The encounter went to penalties, with Mo Salah, Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott all missing for the Reds in a 3-2 loss.
Liverpool’s Premier League title defence begins when they welcome AFC Bournemouth to Anfield on Friday. While the Reds have been busy in the summer transfer window, signing Ekitike, Frimpong, Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Giorgi Mamardashvili, they are still short in central defence. Arne Slot’s side also retain an interest in Alexander Isak, having had a £110 million bid rejected.
And Kirkland believes those two positions must be targeted. Speaking on BBC Sport Live, the former Liverpool goalkeeper said: “Palace are a very good team and the draw [in normal time] was probably fair. And it was the same for Liverpool really, we were exciting going forward but slightly weaker in defence.
I would love to see another defender come in. Wirtz, you can see how good he is. Ekitike started well and then tired later on. It is disappointing to lose but they will be fully focused now on recovering and getting ready for Friday.
“We want Isak, we have bid for him, and he wants to come to us. Normally, when that is the case, a deal gets done. I want a centre-back and a forward because we are all greedy in this world!”
Liverpool were without influential midfielder Ryan Gravenberch because of the birth of his child. Gravenberch will also be absent against Bournemouth as he has to serve a suspension from last season. Kirkland believes that the Netherlands international’s omission was ‘massive’. He added: “When you want to play the attacking football that Liverpool do, you leave gaps at the back and throw players forward.
“But every team in the Premier League can harm you. Gravenberch was a massive miss today, he was my Player of the Season last year.”
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