Liverpool news: Arne Slot told he should be worried as star calls out VAR controversy

Liverpool have been left with an unfamiliar feeling after suffering their first defeat of the season. The Reds looked to have rescued a point against Crystal Palace through Federico Chiesa’s late equaliser at Selhurst Park, but Eddie Nketiah’s 97th-minute winner sealed three points for the home side.

Arne Slot’s team have demonstrated resilience on several occasions this season, with Liverpool developing a knack for late goals. Before the weekend, all but the Reds’ derby victory over Everton had been decided by goals in the last 10 minutes of games.

Liverpool’s fortune finally ended against Palace despite Chiesa’s best efforts. Slot has been praised for consistently guiding his team to victory while incorporating new signings into his title-winning team.

The Reds were without the suspended Hugo Ekitike against Palace, leading Alexander Isak to be given his first league start while Florian Wirtz was restored to the starting XI. However, in the wake of their setback on Saturday, Liverpool boss Slot has been warned by a pundit that one of the club’s longer-serving players is becoming a concern.

Meanwhile, a Palace player has hit out on social media after feeling that Liverpool almost benefitted from a questionable refereeing decision. Here, Mirror Football takes a closer look at some of the news surrounding the Reds.

READ MORE: Eddie Nketiah sends three-word Liverpool message after giving Arsenal title race boost

READ MORE: Arne Slot publicly calls out one Liverpool player for error which led to Crystal Palace winner

Micah Richards admits Ibrahima Konate concern

Micah Richards believes Ibrahima Konate’s performance against Palace prompted broader concerns about the Liverpool defence. Konate has regularly partnered Virgil van Dijk since arriving at Anfield in 2021, but Richards has argued that the 26-year-old’s performance levels have dipped in recent weeks.

“Konate is starting to worry me a little bit,” Richards explained on Match of the Day. “Him and Van Dijk have been a good partnership, they’ve done really well together, but his individual errors at this moment in time are just making the backline look a bit nervy.

“You know Liverpool always look good in defence, Van Dijk always marshals the backline, but they give Palace too many opportunities for no actual reason, it was just being sloppy, and that is so unlike Liverpool.”

Fellow Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer also shared his thoughts on Liverpool’s backline: “They were all over the place, particularly defensively. The way Palace moved the ball, the way they closed down, they just didn’t have an answer to that, particularly in the first half.

“You saw them rip them open five or six times with really good play. Liverpool, after so many errors, that were allowing Palace to play at their tempo. If it wasn’t for Alisson, it would have been four or five at half-time.”

Chris Richards calls out controversial VAR call

While Liverpool mull over their first defeat of the campaign, Palace defender Chris Richards hit out at the decision that saw the Reds almost maintain their unbeaten start to the season. Richards played an unwanted part in Liverpool’s goal, only half-clearing Ryan Gravenberch’s cross to enable Chiesa to score.

However, questions were raised over whether Mohamed Salah had handled the ball before it reached Richards, though the goal was ultimately allowed to stand. The Premier League Match Centre posted on X: "The referee's call of goal was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed there was no conclusive evidence that Salah handled the ball in the build-up."

Despite Palace eventually scoring a late winner, Richards still took issue with the refereeing decision on social media. Responding to a still image of the incident, Richards wrote on X: "I knew I wasn't seeing things. "#Justice #thanksEddie."

The victory for Palace means Oliver Glasner’s side move up to third in the table, extending their league form to 18 games unbeaten. Liverpool boss Slot conceded that his side had been second best to Palace on Saturday, especially during the opening 45 minutes.

“Palace deserved to be up by two or three goals in the first half,” Slot admitted. “They created three of four very good chances and we were lucky Alisson helped us.

“The second half was much better for us than the first half, we created chances which not many teams do here. It took a while for us to score a goal but to then concede another set-piece goal was disappointing in the end. But if one team deserved to win today it was Palace.”

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