Liverpool lose to Crystal Palace: Why Arne Slot's side were so poor in their first Premier League defeat of the season

Arne Slot's decision to change formation against Crystal Palace was a significant factor in Liverpool's defeat, Reds expert David Lynch has criticised argued.

The Merseysiders were beaten 2-1 by the Eagles at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon, and they were fortunate to only be trailing 1-0 at the half-time interval.

Palace produced seven big chances across the match, whereas they had only generated 14 big chances in their prior five Premier League games.

Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch bemoaned Slot's decision to change formation in the first half from his usual system, saying: "Hindsight is always 20-20, and you don't want to be too critical because there have been times where he's mixed it up and it's worked, with Manchester City away being one - 4-4-2 with two false nines.

"I do wonder whether his thinking around Palace was, 'they are 17 games unbeaten, we've got to try something to throw them off their rhythm, because lots of teams often have a week to prepare for Liverpool and therefore they could do something completely different to what is expected'.

"You've got to judge it on the end result, and the end result wasn't a very good performance until he changed the formation at half time. I understand trying it out, but it failed badly, and you cannot afford to give up 45 minutes to a Crystal Palace team as good as this, away from home, and expect to win the game.

Liverpool had previously deployed a variation of 4-2-3-1 this term, but they opted to use a system that resembled a 4-2-2-2 at Selhurst Park, and perhaps it was the wrong game to experiment in considering Palace were unbeaten in their prior 17 outings.

Could Arne Slot treat Premier League loss like Nottingham Forest defeat?

Arne Slot's first defeat in the dugout for Liverpool came against Nottingham Forest at Anfield in September 2024, with his side losing 1-0 in their fourth league match of 2024-25.

The Dutchman frequently referenced the loss in post-match press conferences last season, and many fans praised him for learning from the encounter and adapting in subsequent fixtures.

Lynch was keen to differentiate between the losses against Forest and Palace, pushing back on comparisons when he told Sports Mole: "The Forest defeat was a really important milestone for Slot because he realised in that moment everybody in the league is really good.

"Forest proved to be the surprise package last season, but it showed that you cannot underestimate who you're coming up against - I don't think that was the case against Palace. It was just a wrong selection that didn't work out, combined with the fact that Palace are very good.

"I don't think he's got great lessons to learn from this. It's just one of those that can happen. Slot knows what he was thinking going into this, but I don't think he's got big takeaways other than don't experiment in particular games, but he should still feel free to be able to change things in certain games."

Slot had overseen seven victories in the club's first seven fixtures of 2025-26, and the team had started to find their groove against the likes of Atletico Madrid and Everton.

Has the reaction to Liverpool's defeat been over the top?

Despite losing to Palace, Liverpool are still top of the Premier League with 15 points from a possible 18, and they are two ahead of second-placed Arsenal.

It should also be noted that Slot reverted to his usual system in the second half against the Eagles and his side managed to create five big chances, an impressive feat considering their opponents have conceded just three times in the league this season.

Lynch highlighted the team's improved showing after the interval, and insisted that criticism since the defeat has been excessive, telling Sports Mole: "The reaction to this has been absolutely crackers. I completely accept that Liverpool haven't been at their best this season, but they've won a lot of games.

"Liverpool aren't getting any credit for their second-half performance, where I thought they were as dominant as Crystal Palace were in the first half. People will say Henderson wasn't making saves like Alisson, but Liverpool were never going to create the same type of chances against Crystal Palace as Palace were against them.

"Some of that [criticism] needs to calm down a little bit. You see Mo Salah getting stick - he got 50-odd goal contributions last season and six in this one so far, and he's supposedly playing shockingly. There's criticism of the new players, but despite all the change and turnover, Liverpool are top of the league."

Liverpool play Chelsea on Saturday, and a win would ensure they enter the October international break in first place.

> Click here to listen to the full discussion on Liverpool's 2-1 loss against Crystal Palace