Liverpool boss Arne Slot. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)placeholder image
Liverpool boss Arne Slot. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Premier League champions Liverpool suffered defeat at the hands of FA Cup holders Crystal Palace at Wembley.
The Premier League champions were beaten on penalties by FA Cup holders Crystal Palace in the 2025-26 season curtain-raiser at Wembley. The game finished in a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes, with Palace winning the penalty shootout 3-2.
Hugo Ekitike, signed for up to £79 million from Eintracht Frankfurt, opened the scoring inside four minutes of his Liverpool bow. He was set up by Florian Wirtz, who became Liverpool’s £100 million record signing from Bayer Leverkusen. Then after Jean-Philippe Mateta had equalised from the penalty spot, Jeremie Frimpong - recruited for £29.5 million from Bayer Leverkusen - saw his cross find the far corner on his Reds bow.
Ismaila Sarr levelled for Palace once again in the second period and Oliver Glasner’s men took their momentum into the penalty shootout. Mo Salah, Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott all missed for Liverpool.
And while Slot knows there is room for improvement as the Reds prepare for the start of their Premier League title defence against AFC Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday, he was pleased with his new arrivals.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Slot said: “These are players we have brought in for quite a lot of money but so they know how to handle the pressure. Both of them (Ekitike and Wirtz) played a good game."
On the performance, Slot said: "We faced a good team. They made it difficult for us last season and they did today. We were able to create more than we usually do against teams that it low. But if you are conceding two goals it is too much, especially if you take penalties like we did.
"If the other team misses two out of five penalties, you expect to win and we did not. Mo Salah normally scores, Alexis Mac Allister normally scores and Harvey Elliott normally scores."
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