Arne Slot ‘Blames’ One Liverpool Player For Dramatic Late Defeat vs Crystal Palace

Multiple outlets have reported which Liverpool player was the subject of manager Arne Slot’s critical post-match comments following the Reds’ 2-1 defeat at Selhurst Park.

Liverpool’s perfect start to the Premier League season came to an end in their latest clash against Crystal Palace. The Eagles, who extended their own unbeaten run to 18 games in all competitions, were deserved winners, having taken an early lead through Ismaila Sarr.

The Reds equalised with yet another late goal, courtesy of Federico Chiesa, but a 97th-minute strike from Eddie Nketiah ensured that Palace came away with all three points.

It was a game in which Liverpool were certainly not at their best. In truth, had Chiesa’s equalising goal led to a draw for the Reds, it would have been a tough result for Palace, who controlled large portions of the match against Liverpool.

Immediately after the game, however, Arne Slot mentioned to the press that there was “one player” who ran out of position in the build-up to Palace’s winning goal.

‘One Player’ Cost Liverpool In The End

After the game, Slot said:

Both The Athletic and The Mirror have since pointed to Jeremie Frimpong as the player that Slot was referring to. Signed from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, Frimpong was practically a winger in Xabi Alonso’s three-centre-back system that brought the Spaniard so much joy in Germany.

For Liverpool, the Dutch international has been playing as part of a back four, putting more focus on his defensive duties, which perhaps, due to tactical differences, he lacked with Leverkusen.

Liverpool will, no doubt, bounce back from their defeat in South London, but the result has highlighted that the Reds have to take firmer control of the matches they are involved in if they hope to retain their Premier League title.