As Arne Slot’s shell-shocked Reds boarded their team bus outside Selhurst Park, bound for a somber journey back to Merseyside, one audacious Eagles fan turned a mundane act into a masterclass of post-match mischief. Captured on viral video, the supporter – clad in the club’s iconic red-and-blue stripes – casually dropped to one knee right in the path of the idling vehicle, pretending to tie his shoelaces with exaggerated slowness. It was the ultimate “shithousery,” a petty yet poetic coda to Palace’s seismic 2-1 upset, and it sent social media into a frenzy of laughter, outrage, and grudging admiration.
The incident unfolded in the chaotic aftermath of a match that will be dissected for seasons to come. Crystal Palace, the Premier League’s surprise package under Oliver Glasner’s stewardship, had just inflicted Liverpool’s first defeat of the 2025/26 campaign. The Eagles, who lifted the FA Cup just four months prior in a shock 1-0 Wembley win over Manchester City, have transformed Selhurst Park into a fortress of defiance. With the clock deep into stoppage time – a controversial seventh minute sparked by a Palace fan’s medical emergency in the stands – Nketiah’s volley from Jefferson Lerma’s long throw-in sparked bedlam. The Holmesdale End, that cauldron of noise and color, shook as if an earthquake had hit South London. For Liverpool, it was a gut punch: their eighth win in nine games evaporated in an instant, dropping them to second on goal difference behind a relentless Arsenal.
As the final whistle echoed, celebrations spilled from the pitch onto the surrounding streets. Palace players, led by the jubilant Marc Guéhi, lapped up the adulation, high-fiving fans through the barriers. Meanwhile, the Liverpool bus – a gleaming scarlet behemoth emblazoned with the club’s crest – waited patiently on Holmesdale Road, its engine humming like a caged beast. Security personnel formed a loose cordon, ushering players like a dejected Virgil van Dijk and a fuming Mohamed Salah toward the doors. Slot, still simmering from his touchline tirade against referee Chris Kavanagh over the extra time, boarded last, his face a mask of controlled fury.
Enter the shoelace hero. Eyewitnesses, including a group of Liverpool supporters nursing pints at the nearby Clifton Arms pub, spotted the fan weaving through the throng. Dressed in a vintage Palace away kit from the 1990s – complete with the iconic Brunswick sponsor – he positioned himself squarely in front of the bus’s front wheels. With theatrical flair, he bent down, fiddled with his untied laces (which appeared suspiciously loose even before the stunt), and took his sweet time knotting them. The bus driver, a veteran of countless away-day egresses, honked gently at first, then more insistently, but the fan feigned obliviousness, humming a tuneless rendition of “Glad All Over” under his breath. Onlookers erupted: Palace fans in the crowd chanted “Hold it up! Hold it up!” while a smattering of Reds supporters hurled good-natured (and not-so-natured) expletives.
The video, first shared by fan account @AwayDays_ on X mere minutes after the whistle, has since amassed over 100,000 views. Clocking in at just under 70 seconds, it captures the absurdity in crystal-clear detail: the fan’s deliberate pauses, the driver’s exasperated gestures, and the ripple of laughter from the Holmesdale faithful. “A Crystal Palace fan holding up the Liverpool team bus after the final whistle today… Unreal shithousery 🤣,” read the caption, which drew 1,800 likes and a torrent of replies. One Liverpool die-hard quipped, “Welcome to the Prem, Slot. First loss, first lace-tying protest.” Another Palace supporter piled on: “Karma for all those late Klopp comebacks. Tie ’em tight, lads – we earned this!”
Not everyone saw the humor. Among the backlash was a post from @Rufus_45, decrying the act as “disgusting” and labeling the fan an “idiot” for blocking the coach outside the Clifton. “Absolutely disgusting #CRYLIV,” they wrote, attaching a clip of the same moment. Tensions were already high after the match; reports emerged of scuffles between rival fans near Selhurst station, where extra trains to Thornton Heath were laid on to whisk away the 3,000 traveling Kopites. One X user, @JohnVince20, recounted a near-brawl in the stands: “An obvious LFC fan sitting in front of us did not take that result well… nearly knocked his phone out of his hand!” Security had their hands full, with Croydon Police logging a handful of minor incidents but praising the overall “festive” atmosphere.
For Palace, this was more than a win – it was vindication. Glasner’s side, buoyed by their Community Shield triumph over Liverpool in August (a 3-2 penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw), have now gone nine unbeaten in the league. Nketiah, the match-winner who spurned a move to Anfield in the summer, was mobbed by teammates post-goal, his shirt soaked in sweat and champagne. In his Sky Sports interview, he grinned: “That one’s for the Holmesdale. We knew it’d hurt ‘em.” Glasner, ever the pragmatist, deflected praise: “The fans? They’re our 12th man. If one of ours holds up their bus, well… that’s passion.” Slot, by contrast, was curt in his BBC debrief: “We focus on us. The bus? Not my concern.” Privately, sources close to the Dutchman say the delay – all of two minutes – only amplified his frustration over the game’s “unfair” margins.
The shoelace saga fits a rich tapestry of Selhurst shenanigans. Palace fans have long reveled in their underdog status, from the inflatable eagles that rain down from the stands to the choreographed tifo displays that have greeted big-six visitors. Just last season, during a 2-2 draw with Manchester United, supporters unfurled a banner reading “Park the Bus? We’ll Park Yours.” Today’s stunt, harmless as it was, echoes that irreverent spirit. No arrests were made; the fan eventually stood, flashed a V-sign toward the bus windows (where a stone-faced Trent Alexander-Arnold was spotted), and melted into the crowd amid cheers.
As the bus finally rumbled away – 15 minutes later than scheduled, thanks to the post-match revelry – Liverpool’s players stared out at the sea of red-and-blue scarves. Salah, scrolling through his phone, likely caught wind of the video; Van Dijk, ever stoic, shook his head with a wry smile. For Slot’s squad, sitting on 24 points but vulnerable, the message was clear: the Premier League grinds on, and grudges fester. Palace, meanwhile, bask in the glow. Their next test? A trip to struggling Wolves. But for now, Selhurst savors the salt in the wound.
Social media’s verdict? Overwhelmingly amused. Hashtags like #ShoelaceShithousery and #PalaceHoldUp trended locally, with memes superimposing the fan’s pose onto Nketiah’s celebration. Pundit Gary Lineker, never one to shy from banter, tweeted: “If that’s not peak Premier League pettiness, I don’t know what is. Well played, Palace. 👟😂” Jamie Carragher, a Scouser through and through, fired back: “Cheeky, but wait till Anfield. We’ll tie their laces in knots.” Glasner, in a nod to the fun, posted a club emoji of a boot on Instagram: “Tied up loose ends today. Onward. 🦅”
In a season of narratives – Liverpool’s Slot adaptation, Palace’s trophy defense – this footnote steals the show. A simple shoelace, a delayed departure, a fan’s folly. Yet it encapsulates football’s joy: the heartbreak, the hilarity, the human touch. As the bus vanished into the London dusk, one thing was certain: Selhurst Park had won more than three points. It had won the moment.
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