Crystal Palace 2-1 Liverpool FC: Eddie Nketiah strikes late as Eagles end champions' winning start

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Crystal Palace 2-1 Liverpool: Eddie Nketiah strikes late as Eagles end champions' winning start

FA Cup winners are only unbeaten team left in Premier League

Match winner: Eddie Nketiah

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Andy Sims

1 minute ago

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Liverpool were given a taste of their own medicine by Crystal Palace as Eddie Nketiah's last-gasp winner wrecked their 100 per cent start to the season.

The Eagles snatched a deserved 2-1 victory with the last kick of the match, just after Federico Chiesa thought he had rescued a point for the champions.

Since losing in the Community Shield to Palace, Liverpool had won all seven of their matches this season - and clinched victory in six of them in the 83rd minute or later.

But it was substitute Nketiah with the last-gasp heroics, prompting Palace's usually reserved boss Oliver Glasner to go charging down the touchline in celebration.

Palace led when Ismaila Sarr struck in the 10th minute after Tyrick Mitchell and Yeremy Pino's break down the left resulted in a first Palace corner.

Daichi Kamada swung in the cross and Marc Guehi - who would have been playing for Liverpool had they got their way on deadline day - challenged Ryan Gravenberch at the far post.

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It was Reds midfielder Gravenberch who inadvertently headed the ball back into his own six-yard box, where Sarr was on hand to lash it home.

Liverpool quickly won a free-kick on the edge of the Palace area but had to wait six minutes to take it due to a medical emergency in the Arthur Wait stand.

When Mohamed Salah finally stepped up, his shot hit the defensive wall and Gravenberch's fierce follow-up was superbly tipped on to the near post by Palace keeper Dean Henderson.

Liverpool's Alisson Becker was by far the busier goalkeeper, though, keeping his side in it by denying Pino, Daniel Munoz and Jean-Phillipe Mateta in quick succession.

Ibrahima Konate, in particular, was having a torrid time at the back, which was compounded when he pulled back Mateta to earn a booking.

It was the type of display which highlighted exactly why Reds boss Arne Slot had pushed so hard to land England defender Guehi.

Yet Konate probably should have equalised with a free header from Dominik Szoboszlai's corner which flew inches wide.

Palace twice came agonisingly close to doubling their lead in first-half stoppage time, when first another slick counter culminated in Mateta curing his shot against Alisson's far post.

The French striker then blazed a volley over from eight yards before half-time.

After the break, Munoz just failed to convert Pino's cross at the far post before Alisson came out quickly to block from Mateta again.

Liverpool should have been level on the hour but Florian Wirtz side-footed Szoboszlai's cross straight at Henderson.

Then came what should have been Alexander Isak's big moment, the £130million striker racing on to a ball in behind and jinking past Chris Richards, only to stab his shot wide.

However, with three minutes left the ball found Chiesa in the area and the Italian volleyed home, with the goal surviving a VAR check for handball by Salah.

Yet Nketiah had the last word when he tucked the ball away at the far post - with another VAR check for offside just adding to the late, late drama which this time did not go Liverpool's way.

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