Palace boss Oliver Glasner has said his side need additions to remain competitive and will have been concerned to see midfielder Daichi Kamada go off injured inside half an hour.
The Eagles posed a threat on the counter and kept themselves in the game, though Ekitike spurned two decent chances to extend Liverpool’s lead in the early stages of the second half.
“We could have maybe scored the third one in the first 15 to 20 minutes after halftime but we didn't, we kept them alive,” Liverpool boss Arne Slot said.
Palace’s England forward Eberechi Eze tested Alisson with a low shot before the Londoners equalised again with 13 minutes to play, Sarr slotting past the onrushing Alisson.
Palace nearly grabbed a winner at the end, with Mac Allister perhaps fortunate to have a VAR referral for handball in the box go his way before Devenny nearly scored in added time, as the traditional season curtain-raiser went to penalties.
Devenny got the winner in the shoot-out with an emphatic penalty to give Palace a third victory at Wembley in a row.
Glasner said he was “very happy with the squad”, though he added that this season’s European campaign — with Palace expected to find out on Monday if it will be in the Europa League or Conference League — will increase demands.
He revealed that Northern Ireland midfielder Devenny had even volunteered for the pressure penalty. “Justin came (to me and said) ‘I’ll take it, I’ll take the last one,’” the Palace manager said, complimenting the 21-year-old’s confidence.
_Reuters_