With only six minutes of stoppage time signaled, the goal – arriving 42 seconds past the allocated period – sparked a firestorm on the Liverpool bench. Arne Slot, the typically composed Dutch manager, erupted in a rare display of raw fury, leading his coaching staff in a heated confrontation with the officials over what they saw as a gross miscarriage of justice.
The match had been a battle of wills. Crystal Palace, riding an 18-game unbeaten streak under Oliver Glasner, set the tone early with a suffocating press and lethal set-piece execution. In the 18th minute, Daichi Kamada’s corner was nodded down by Marc Guéhi, catching Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch off-guard; Ismaila Sarr pounced, smashing the ball past Alisson Becker for a 1-0 lead. Palace could have buried Liverpool before halftime. Alisson, a one-man wall, denied Yeremy Pino, Eberechi Eze, and Jean-Philippe Mateta with breathtaking saves, while Mateta’s earlier strike rattled the post. Slot, pacing the touchline, looked rattled, his halftime substitutions – Alexis Mac Allister for Gravenberch and Federico Chiesa for a quiet Cody Gakpo – a clear bid to wrest back control. “First half, they were much better,” Slot later admitted. “We were lucky it was only 1-0.”
The second half saw Liverpool roar back, their possession game humming at 72%. Mohamed Salah, a constant menace, was inches from equalizing, only stopped by a heroic block. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s pinpoint diagonals carved open Palace’s defense, but it was Chiesa who sparked the comeback, drilling home in the 87th minute after a contentious buildup involving a possible Salah handball. VAR waved it through, and the 3,000-strong Liverpool away end exploded, sensing another “Arne Time” miracle – the eighth such late show this season. But hope turned to heartbreak in the 97th minute. A Liverpool counter fizzled when Jeremie Frimpong, caught in two minds, pushed too far forward. Palace capitalized: Jefferson Lerma’s long throw was flicked on by Guéhi, and Nketiah, unmarked, chested down and volleyed past Alisson. Selhurst Park detonated; Glasner sprinted down the touchline, arms flailing, as Palace flipped Liverpool’s script.
Then came the chaos. Slot, his face a mask of crimson rage, charged toward referee Michael Oliver, pointing furiously at his watch. “Six minutes! Not seven!” he roared, incensed by the extra time that allowed Palace’s winner. His staff followed like a tidal wave. Assistant manager Sipke Hulshoff led the charge, screaming about a possible handball in the throw-in buildup. Set-piece coach Aaron Briggs, already under fire for Liverpool’s woeful defending – 40% of goals conceded from set-pieces this season – berated the linesman over Nketiah’s free run. Performance chief Dr. Andreas Kornberg, clutching his clipboard, shouted about timekeeping discrepancies, while goalkeeping coach Claudio Taffarel consoled a devastated Alisson, who had made five saves but couldn’t stop the final blow. Oliver, under siege, flashed yellows at Hulshoff and Briggs, but Slot, somehow, avoided a booking despite his animated protests.
The tunnel buzzed with aftershocks. Slot, still seething, faced the media with a mix of fire and focus. “We blame ourselves for defending like that,” he told Sky Sports, “but conceding in extra time of extra time? Never ideal.” He pinpointed Frimpong’s reckless advance as the catalyst, a “selfish” decision that left the backline exposed. “One player was too offensive at the wrong moment,” he said, his stare piercing. Yet he praised Palace’s resilience: “They could’ve been 3-0 up at half-time. We created chances against a team that barely concedes, but we didn’t take them.” The stats backed him up: Palace’s xG of 2.45 edged Liverpool’s 2.17, despite the Reds’ dominance.
Social media ignited. #SlotOut trended briefly before fans rallied behind their manager, while #FrimpongFlop gained traction, with one X post calling him “a liability in big moments.” Gary Neville dubbed Slot’s outburst “a masterclass in passion,” and Jamie Carragher tweeted, “That extra minute hurts, but Palace earned it. Arne’s fire is what we need.” Glasner, grinning, savored the irony: “Liverpool are the kings of late drama, but today, we stole their crown.”
The loss drops Liverpool to second, level with Arsenal on 24 points but trailing on goal difference. Palace leap to third, their defensive steel – just three goals conceded all season – now the talk of the league. For Slot, it’s a test of his revolution. His high-line, possession-heavy style (68% average) was undone by Palace’s pace and set-piece nous. With Diogo Jota sidelined and Alexander-Arnold’s potential Real Madrid move looming, questions linger. Was Frimpong’s error a one-off, or a symptom of deeper cracks? Slot’s parting words were defiant: “We learn from this. We weren’t perfect before, but we’ll be stronger.” As the title race heats up, Liverpool’s touchline inferno may yet forge a fiercer beast – or expose frailties that could cost them dearly.
