- Rues 2-3 penalties’ loss to Crystal Palace at Wembley
- Despite £300m spending, Liverpool still beatable – Pundits
Following Liverpool’s Community Shield defeat by Crystal Palace in a penalty shootout, their manager, Arne Slot has admitted the difficulty of bedding in the summer’s new signings.
Slot spoke against the backdrop of Palace sinking his Liverpool side 3-2 on penalties to claim ceremonial fixture on Sunday.
With the shocking outcome, pundits are quick to note that Palace’s victory has sent a message to the rest of the Premier League that Liverpool may have spent almost £300m on new players this summer but that doesn’t make them unbeatable.
Reflecting on the match, the Liverpool’s manager said, “Sometimes you need time to adapt offensively or defensively”.
Two new arrivals in striker Hugo Ekitiké and right-back Jeremie Frimpong got on the score sheet but Palace, who might have won the game in normal time during their impressive second-half showing, exposed the Premier League champions’ weaknesses.
Florian Wirtz in a No 10 role and Milos Kerkez as an overlapping left-back on the opposite side of Frimpong made for a highly attacking Liverpool lineup.
“In the whole pre-season we saw we are able to create more opportunities, chances, we dominate maybe even more,” said Slot.
“Now we are better in creating and getting promising situations than we were in the whole of last season but it is also true that we have conceded two against [Athletic Club] Bilbao and two again today.
“We need to be better defensively,” he admitted, adding, “It is disappointing of course, if you go in front and you are not able to win the game. It was close and there were points where I thought we could win it but it went to penalties and they were better in that moment.”
But the Reds Manager refused to panic before his team’s defence of the Premier League title, which kicks off on Friday against Bournemouth.
He said: “We are Liverpool, the pressure is always on. Even if we bring 10 players in, or no players in, there is always pressure when you wear a Liverpool shirt.”
Slot offered measured credit to Wirtz and Ekitiké: “These are players we have brought in for quite a lot of money so they know how to handle the pressure. Both of them played a good game.”
On his part, Palace Manager Oliver Glasner was delighted to add further silverware to last season’s FA Cup.
He said: “I have to give big credit to the players for this win today, we came back and were able to decide the game on penalties. We were on the same level as Liverpool and it was a big performance.”
Asked whether he would swap victory at Wembley for the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling in Palace’s favour on Monday over playing in the Europa League or Conference League, Glasner said: “No, we will accept this. Tomorrow we have no influence so we will celebrate tonight and then meet for lunch at training. Then we will schedule the rest of August. If we play in the Conference League, we have more games in August.”
On Sunday afternoon at Wembley, goals from Hugo Ekitiké and Jeremie Frimpong and an impressive performance from Florian Wirtz had looked like being enough to seal a narrow victory against Crystal Palace in the Community Shield, as Manager Slot’s summer signings made an instant impact for the Premier League champions.
However, even with the possibility that they could still add Alexander Isak to the array of attacking talent already on the books, Oliver Glasner’s well‑drilled side showed that the Reds’ new‑look defence is fallible and Palace deserved to take this game to penalties after equalising for the second time in the afternoon, thanks to Ismaïla Sarr.
It was left to Justin Devenny, on as a substitute, to seal victory for the south London club after Mohamed Salah, Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott all missed in the shootout.
For the FA Cup winners, who contested this occasion for the first time in their history, it was another moment to savour as they await the outcome of their appeal to the court of arbitration for sport against their demotion from the Europa League, which is due to be announced on Monday.
Traditionally held in early August, the Community Shield fixture serves as the opening match of the English football season, functioning as a ceremonial curtain-raiser rather than a major competitive honour.
