Arne Slot Throws Liverpool Star Under the Bus Following Shocking Crystal Palace Defeat
Liverpool boss Arne Slot subtly criticized Jeremie Frimpong following the Reds' initial loss of the 2025–26 season, claiming the Dutch defender was "overly attack-focused" during the final moments of the match.
The title holders suffered a 2–1 loss away to Crystal Palace in Premier League action on Saturday, ending their perfect start to their championship defense after five consecutive victories.
Federico Chiesa appeared to have salvaged a draw for the visitors with a late equalizer following Ismaïla Sarr's early goal, but ex-Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah then netted in the seventh minute of stoppage time to deliver a stunning victory for the Eagles.
Oliver Glasner's squad has now extended their undefeated streak to 18 matches in all competitions.
This marked another subpar showing from Liverpool, though leaving Selhurst Park with a draw wouldn't have been a catastrophic outcome. Nevertheless, a late defensive error allowed them to experience their own tactics turned against them by Nketiah, who converted at the far post after the Reds couldn't properly deal with Jefferson Lerma's lengthy throw-in.
Slot expressed his "frustration" regarding his squad's opening 45 minutes and naturally the finale, but notably singled out summer acquisition Frimpong for reproach, apparently for his involvement in Nketiah's decisive goal.
When questioned during his post-game media session about whether he and his players were pursuing victory at 1–1, the Liverpool manager avoided giving a clear answer. Instead, he directed criticism toward Frimpong: "One of our players chose to advance forward seeking to launch a counter-attack, which served no purpose since time had expired, so our focus should have been purely defensive.
"Perhaps we were overly aggressive in attack. Not collectively, but one individual was too attack-minded at that crucial moment, which resulted in their winning goal and our defeat."
Frimpong was responsible for tracking Nketiah during Lerma's throw-in, and did take an initial forward movement when Liverpool attempted their first clearance. Nevertheless, the second ball fell to Will Hughes, and a gentle nudge from Nketiah created sufficient room between the striker and Frimpong for him to find the net following Marc Guéhi's header.
Frimpong entered the match as a substitute for Ibrahima Konaté during the closing 16 minutes after the French defender struggled through another difficult performance. The Dutch player, a recent summer signing, has yet to establish a meaningful presence at Anfield, and Slot's recent remarks are unlikely to boost his confidence.